WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon admits some parts of Walter Reed
Army Medical Center's Building 18 were bad -- but not as bad as
they've been made out to be.
The military took reporters on a closely guided tour of its
Washington medical facility, days after The Washington Post ran
stories detailing substandard living conditions for some soldiers.
The tour did not include rooms that the stories described as
having the most damage from mold and rodents. But reporters were
allowed to see soldiers relaxing in a type of rec room featuring a
pool table and plasma T-V.
The Army's surgeon general says the Post story did reveal some
"big problems" -- but he says they were not emblematic of Walter
Reed as a whole. He said the problems have been taken care of, and
the military is also now focusing on streamlining its bureaucracy.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-02-22-07 1829EST