host: for those treated at walter reed -- we are focusing on the work of walter reed army medical centerining us now for the next seven or eight minutes, colonel norvell coots. how long have you been out walter reed? guest: i have been here a little over three years now. host: san antonio, texas. go ahead. caller: this will never work. they sent a general down to the army hospital command. in less than one year. nobody won services from their command to take over. they cannot go back. they will be stuck with it. host: next call is boston, massachusetts. democrats line. chris. caller: i had a couple of questions regarding my real dramatic brain injury. my understanding it is hard to diagnose regular traumatic brain injury in does not show up on a conventional mri or ct scan. i am wondering if the army is looking into new types of imaging techniques such as diffusion temperature imaging, a genetic transfer imaging, magnetic functioning, or functional techniques? guest: well, i cannot answer that question specifically, because i am not the technical expert. i know there were a lot of new pr

host: for those treated at walter reed -- we are focusing on the work of walter reed army medical center. joining us now for the next seven or eight minutes, colonel norvell coots. how long have you been out walter reed? guest: i have been here a little over three years now. host: san antonio, texas. go ahead. caller: this will never work. they sent a general down to the army hospital command. in less than one year. nobody won services from their command to take over. they cannot go back. they will be stuck with it. host: next call is boston, massachusetts. democrats line. chris. caller: i had a couple of questions regarding my real dramatic brain injury. my understanding it is hard to diagnose regular traumatic brain injury in does not show up on a conventional mri or ct scan. i am wondering if the army is looking into new types of imaging techniques such as diffusion temperature imaging, a genetic transfer imaging, magnetic functioning, or functional techniques? guest: well, i cannot answer that question specifically, because i am not the technical expert. i know there were a lot of ne

i've seen the walter reed, the renovations of walter reed.y statement maybe can't be answered by the two gentlemen there, but i have yet to understand since walter reed has been reconstructed and everything is up to par and we're meeting -- we're meeting all of the necessities as far as taking care of our veterans, of our military personnel, with the cost of the economy right now i tend to find it hard to understand why there will be a need to put all of that money into this new location. >> host: colonel how does the prothetic work change with the transfer of the current location to the two separate ones? >> guest: well right now, walter reed is modified in the last decade in response to the war to meet the demands of our injured service members, and so we added on the military advanced training center to help supplement a lot of work that needed to be done, and what we've done with the new bethesda campus is incorporate that to the center itself to improve efficiencies as well as offer more services to not only our injured service members b

caller: i was stationed at walter reed from 1970 to 1980. i was part of the transition team from the old hospital to the new hospital. i do not think they should really be moving, and i have talked to people who are not very happy about walter reed coming over there because of the traffic that will occur. i think they are perfectly ok with they are at. i do not see a reason why they should be moving. guest: i hear that a lot, and we recognize walter reed has been such an important hospital to so many people. there is a legacy here. there are people born here that are still working here. closing walter reed is like the death of your favorite uncle. we recognize it is part celebration, but part week in the general. as for people not being have become the no one is ever happy to lose a family member or lose their home. this is a merger. this is the largest mature -- merger in the history of the military health system. anytime there is a loser someone feels like a winner and a loser. in this case, everyone is a winner because the american servic

c-span: right out here at walter reed hospital. >> guest: yeah. well, right near it. c-span: right near it. >> guest: a few miles away in maryland, just over the border. c-span: one of the things, i must admit, when i picked this book up i didn't expect to get out of this book was kind of a drama. i mean, there is some personal stories in here that are s--are fairly dramatic. did--were you surprised at--about the competition going on to find this--the cause of it? >> guest: well, by the time i started to write the book, i knew, sort of, that there was a story. and i write books for myself. i li--i read fiction for fun. and i like a--i wouldn't write a book unless i thought there was a story, because if you just have chapter after chapter, like a textbook, for me, it's not something i would pick up and read just because i wanted to read it. so that's what appealed to me, was that there was--there was a--there was a drama there. there was competition. it showed all the--the strengths and weaknesses of the search for scientific data and evidence. c-span: what--what book

forgotten, this officer, like so many others i've met on bases in bag dad and bag ram and at wat walter reed, hospital, spoke with unity, how they depended and each other, as a family might do in a time of peril. that's a lesson worth remembering. that we are all apart of one american family. that we have known disagreement and division. we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents. and a conviction that the united states of america is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now, let us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, with faith in our fellow citizens and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of america, for this generation and the next. may glod bless our troops and my god bless the united states of america. >> and there was the president. it was a short speech with two big messages. the first is, it is time to focus on nation-building here at home and the second, the tide of

speculation that wegmans is in talks with district officials about opening a store on the grounds of walter reed once the hospital closes and moves to bethesda. >>> an ohio bus driver puts his foot down against profanity and now he is in major trouble for it. the driver apparently became irate what i young woman on the bus who not stop cursing. but when he did next was arguably just as obscene. fox's steve levine shows us the surveillance video. >> reporter: security cameras role on this bus when the driver asks for a passenger to stop swearing. >> can you stop cuss something. >> reporter: when the female passenger refused to stop the be cents, the driver pulls the bus over and calls if a supervisor to come to the scene. >> he did everything he was supposed to. he called in the situation. >> reporter: but things get heated while the bus is parked. >> i never put my hands on that she pushed me several times and smacked me twice knocking my hat off. with all of that being said and done, i didn't lay a hand on her. >> it is what he yelled out to passengers that has now gotten him into trouble. >> w

this officer, like so many others i've met on bases and n baghdad and bagram, and at walter reed and bethesda naval hospital, spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one. depending on each other and trusting one another, as a family might do in a time of peril. that's a lesson worth remembering, that we are all a part of one american family. that we have known disagreement and division, we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents. and a conviction that the united states of america's a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now lets us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, with faith in our fellow citizens, and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of america for this generation and the next. may god bless our troops, and may god bless the united states of america. >> the president from the white house. some measure of what all of us have been through in the

this officer, like so many others i've met on bases in baghdad and bagram, and at walter reed and bethesda naval hospital, spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one, depending on each other and trusting one another, as a family might do in a time of peril. that's a lesson worth remembering, that we are all a part of one american family, that we have known disagreement and division. we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents and a conviction that the united states of america is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now let us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, with faith in our fellow citizens, and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of america for this generation and the next. may god bless our troops and may god bless the united states of america. >> pelley: so 33,000 american troops home by next summer. that would come to about one-third of the force

this officer, like so many others i have met, and at walter reed, spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one, depending on each other. as a family might do in a time of peril. that's a lesson worth remembering, we are all a part of one american family. that we have known disagreement and division, we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents and a conviction that the united states of america is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now let's end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, with faith ipour fellow citizens and hope in our hearts, let's go about the work of extending the promise of america for this generation and the next. may god bless our troops and may god bless the united states of america. >>> live from the white house, president obama in a 13 minute address laying out his time table for troop withdrawal. this comes when public support is lagging and many are calling for a reduction of u.s. military forces there. coming up, we wi

over 40 wounded vets from the walter reed medical center. you can run with them.out and register at achilles international .org. >> i wish you would feel worse about your little bit now. >> i didn't mean that. >> yeah, nice, guy. >> his fault, not mine. >> who is next? >> well, i haven't been invited to any shows for tomorrow, so i will take the victory lap part to the streets of new york and go one by one telling my tale. >> you are going to deliver your -- it is the oral legend, the way it should be done. >> you should carry sparklers and do it on roller blades. >> i have been banned from using sparklers. >> can you dress like the trubadores of older? >> like -- like men without hats in the the safety dance. >> you look like you are going to collapse, andrew. >> i haven'tat

and let me tell you, when i go to walter reed or bethesda, and i think about all the lives you guys haveed, it makes me proud of what you do right here. and today, your new aluminum- lithium alloy is making some of the world's most advanced airplanes lighter, and tougher, and more cost-effective than ever. so you know that times change. you've seen times change. alcoa has grown as america has grown. now, you also know that sometimes change can be tough. sometimes, the old ways of doing things just won't cut it anymore. i was just talking to klaus; he was talking about some sheet metal that you guys produce, that for a while you guys lost market share completely. you got your team together, redesigned it, and now you have 80 percent of the market back. that's adapting to change. [applause] and see, when change happens, you've got a choice. you can either keep on doing what you were doing and hope things work out, or you can make the decision that not only you can meet the challenges of the future, but you can help set the pace. that's true for this company, and it's true for america. for

last tuesday, i went out to walter reed to visit some of our wounded soldiers there. about hearing yesterday bu evolving terrorist threats. an expert noted that al qaeda is no longer exists in afghanistan in any reasonable number. we were deployed to afghanistan to eliminate al qaeda and deny them a source of terrorist activity. our troops have clearly performed the mission incredibly well. al qaeda is gone from afghanistan. afghanistan.

a look at the history of walter reed army medical center closing this september. col. coots and others will join as for the discussion. "washington journal" at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. angela merkel will meet tomorrow with president obama to discuss relations between the countries. the white house will hold a state dinner for chancellor merkel. it can watch live coverage of the guests' arrival. next, lieutenant general william caldwell from afghanistan gives an update on afghan security forces. the french foreign minister talks about the political unrest in the arab world. later, rick santorum announces he is running as a presidential nominee. >> now available, c-span pose a congressional directory. inside, new and returning house and senate members with contact information, including twitter addresses, a district maps, and committee assignments and information on the white house, supreme court justices, and governors. order online at c- span.org/shop. >> the commander of the nato training mission in afghanistan talks about the training of the afghan security forces, its a

he was at walter reed army medical ceer for the last 18 months of his life.n his lucid moments he would tell people this is a hell of a way to die. >> when he did die, eisenhower said ameri's last hero is dead. >> charlie: did you feel what, you feel he lost a friend, a mentor. was he a father figure for you. >> yes, there was no question about that. it was an extraordinary time because roosevelt fought with him. the soiers were fighting in the first world war. those who were sighting by hi side came to see him and would talk to me during all those hours. so i really ha a whole new picture of donovan as the soldier at the site of father duffy and winning the congress must not of -- and to see intelligence for warfare and go to the spanish civil war to the art in each open yeah and would follow what the germs were doing so he was on roosevelt's side. so those years were very useful to me to get a fuller picture of the general. >> charlie: finally, how was your fdr project coming. >> oh, thank you. it's extraordinary. we're halfway through the construction. it'

second, john foster dulles was rushed to walter reed hospital. the next morning doctors removed a cancerous tumor from his colon. the news from the middle east was dismal. syrian saboteurs had blown up the oil pipeline going through the country. egyptian troops were pouring into cairo to defend the capital and the a glow french air strikes destroyed the egyptian air force on the ground. eisenhower's political opponents fiercely attacked his policies. , or roosevelt accused the administration of favoring the arabs over israel and asserted britain and france has been brought to the point of desperation by american policies. it leaves us in the strange position of supporting the kremlin and an egyptian dictator against our oldest and strongest ally. six of the eight democratic members of the senate foreign relations committee agreed with stevenson and roosevelt that the president's middle east policies had failed. eisenhower had presided >> and suddenly the leaders of the soviet group onpoured more fuel on the international fire. the premier sent me

this officer, like so many other i've met on bases, baghdad and bog rom and walter reed, spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one, depending on each other and trusting one another. as a family might do in a time of peril. that's a lesson worth remembering. that we are all a part of one american family. though we have known disagreement and division, we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents, and a conviction that the united states of america is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to establish. now, let us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our story. with confidence in our cause and faith in our fellow citizens and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of america for this general ration and the next. may god bless our troops and may god bless the united states of america. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- >> we'll learn

secretary of the army and others were dismissed/shown the door over sub-par care for injured troops at walter reed army medical center in washington. that same year, gates fired the air force secretary and chief of staff for lackluster nuclear weapons security. and in 2009, he relieved u.s. army general david mckiernan of command of the afghan coalition. >> we have a new strategy, a new mission, and a new ambassador. i believe that new military leadership also is needed. >> reporter: gates also challenged the defense establishment, in congress and his own building, canceling, for example, the costly f-22 fighter program. but he sought much greater and faster spending to protect troops in the field. he saluted them, on his last trip to afghanistan ten days ago. >> you all are in my thoughts every minu of every day. i understand your hardship and your sacrifice and the burdens >> reporter: on that same overseas swing, the secretary took a tough tone with nato allies-- charging they've let american power carry the burden. >> what i've sketched out is the real possibility for a dim, if not dismal futu

this officer, like so many others i've met on bases in baghdad and bagram and walter reed, spoke about how his unit worked together as won depending on each other, entrusting one another as a family might do in a time of peril. that's a lesson worth remembering. we are all a part of one american family. we have known disagreement and division and we're bound together by the creed that's written into our founding documents and a conviction that the united states of america is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now, let us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, with faith in our fellow citizens, and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of america for this generation and the next. may god bless our troops and may god bless the united states of america. >> a short but upbeat speech by the president of the united states suggesting that things are definitely moving in the right direction in afghanistan. we have

lance corporal horton said, i know other veterans who live in close proximity to walter reed who are able to walk in and out with the services and equipment they need within the same day, all without ever needing to go through their local v.a. while waiting weeks for an appointment might seem like a minor inconvenience, lance corporal horton said for a warrior like myself spending weeks without necessary prosthetics equipment or sometimes even worse equipment that causes extreme discomfort and other medical issues can be wholly disruptive to our daily lives. the timeliness and consistency of care should not be a function of where warriors happen to live. now, i've spoken with amputees with similar stories from my district in western pennsylvania who have expressed their dissatisfaction with the medical care they've received after retiring from the military. and i'm sure all my colleagues would agree, we can never repay america's veterans for the sacrifice they've made for our country. what amount of money could replace an arm or a leg lost in the line of duty? i firmly believe, as i'

i met three -- visiting walter reed hospital. i met three young men that all three lost both legs above the knees. actually one of them i engaged about afghanistan and he with his wife there with him believes we have done all we can do. certainly he has done more than that. he's given his legs for this country. that leaves me to wanting to read just a paragraph of a editorial by eugene robertson that was in the north carolina papers. and the title of his column is afghan strategy, let's go. afghan strategy, let's go. and i read the last paragraph of his column, we wanted to depose the taliban regime, and we did. we wanted to install a new government that answers its constituencies at the polls, and we did. we wanted to smash al qaeda's infrastructure, training camps and safe havens, and we did. we wanted to kill or capture osama bin laden, and we did. even so, say the hawks, we have to stay in afghanistan because of the dangerous instability across the border in the nuclear armed pakistan. but does anyone believe the war in afgha

walter reed, bethesda, launched will -- launsiool, balboa. and if i was injured, i would want to be at walter reed. they have an exceptional staff there. i think they were overwhelmed at that time. it was good the "washington post" discovered some of those issues and brought them to life. the address them. -- they addressed them. we are taking very good care of our wounded veterans. but what happens when they go out? what happens to someone like brendan morocco who has lost both arms and both legs? what happens if the committee does not take care of them? i would encourage you to reach out to veterans. seek out their families. how can you help them? especially if they are wounded for life. that community is critical to how they are going to live the rest of their life. >> someone asked that very question. if a person knows of an individual or a family in need, should they alert your foundation as to the interim -- individual? >> that happens all the time. people reach out to the foundations that have established themselves to be reliable. but

this officer, like so many others i have met on different bases in the baghdad and basra, walter reed and the bethesda naval hospital, he spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one. they depended on each other and trusted one another. the same way a family would do any time of peril. that is a lesson worth remembering. we are all part of one american family. although we have no disagreement and divisions, we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents and the conviction that the united states of america is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now, let us finish the work at hand. lettuce responsibly and the wars in to reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our let us go about the work of extending the promise of america for this generation and the next. me god bless our troops in demigodand may god bls the united states of america. >> you were listening live to president obama address the nation, saying that starting next month, in july, tend thousand troops will be brought home, a total 33,000 tr

a short time ago, he went to walter reed army medical center in northern washington.ce men. 16 of them injured in afghanistan. the rest injured in iraq. while there, the president also awarded two purple hearts. the medal given to soldiers wounded or killed in action against an enemy. >>> and may was the worst month in a year for army suicides. 21 active duty soldiers suspected of killing themselves last month. one suicide confirmed, the other still under investigation. the army says it's tough to know why suicide rates increased, but a spike doesn't necessarily mean it's a trend. >>> also, arizona and new mexico on high alert once again today. both states face heightened fire danger due to strong winds and dry conditions. two of the biggest worries, the monument fire in southern arizona and in eastern arizona, the record-setting wallow fire. it's the largest fire in arizona's recorded history. fire crews have the fire about 33% contained, but winds could undo all their hard work. fire crews say it is so dry out there that if flames hit grass, it's like it will take o

a look that the history of walter reed medical army center which is scheduled to close the september.s will join us. "washington journal" each morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. angela merkel will meet tomorrow with president obama to discuss relations between the two countries. the white house will hold a state dinner for chancellor merkel. we will have live coverage at 8:00 p.m. eastern. if you can also like to live coverage of the guests or rifles. -- our rivals. >> connect online with twitter, facebook, and four square, and programming highlights on our website. >> the commander of the nato training mission in afghanistan talks about the training of the afghan security forces, its army, and police, as they prepare for the reduction of u.s. and nato troops. if the tenet journal william caldwell is interviewed at the brookings institution by its senior fellow, michael o'hanlon. this is about one hour and a half. this is our exit strategy and our to get home. more than anything ounce, and for those of you not familiar with how military command arrangements work, a general c

this officer, like so many others i have met on bases in baghdad, walter reed, and bethesda naval hospital, spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one, depending on each other, and trusting one another. that is a lesson worth remembering. we are all a part of one american family. we have known disagreements and divisions. we are bound together by the creed that is written in our founding documents and the conviction that the united states of america can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now, let us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, faith in our fellow citizens, and hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of america to this generation and the next. may god bless our troops and may god bless the united states of america. >> we will learn more about this from hillary clinton. she will be testifying at a senate foreign relations committee. if the clinic begins at 7:00 a.m. eastern. later, intelligence committee intervi

when reports exposed bureaucratic shortcomings, the outpatient treatment of wounded warriors at walter reedresponding to both of these critical issues, which only came to my attention through the media, became my top priority, and two of my earliest decisions. over the past four and a half years, i have not only liked what i read, and i hate leaks, maybe more than most. i have great respect for your role as a watchdog on behalf of the american people, and as a means for me to learn of problems the building was not telling me about. we do not always make it easy to do your jobs here, gaining timely and usable information out of the bureaucracy. it is a challenge i share with you on occasion. thanks again for your professionalism and tough questions and hard work. i will close by saying a few words about the man seated next to me, admiral mullen. chairman has spent four years as the military's most senior officer. he played an instrumental role in developing and executing a new strategy in afghanistan, where we are seeing the said sister progress. beyond the wars, mike's fogh this has been a

he did with the usa today, with the fact that you all exposed them for their outpatient care at walter reedenacted the changes that would have benefited -- that would come to benefit all of our troops. i think there is a nice, healthy tension that exists between this building and the press corps. we try to be forthcoming with what we have and do it in a more timely manner than we do. there clearly is a need for operational secrecy. for us to do all the things that the american people want us to do to keep them safe at night. >> we appreciate the hard work you have done of the last four years. we all appreciate the access and the things you have done. we hope the next secretary keeps this up. >> thank you. i do not think you will have a problem with secretary panetta. he knows many of you and enjoys engaging with all of you. >> and of the country is pursuing a number of these libya resolutions in congress. can you talk about what impact any of these may have on the operation itself, and whether or not the secretary or any other people here in those departments are engaging members on the hil

exposed two glaring bureaucratic shortcomings in the outpatient treatment of wounded warriors at walter reed and purchasing life-saving mh-wraps for troops downrange. responding to both of these critical issues which only came to my attention through the media became my top priority and two of my earliest and most significant management decisions. over the past 4 1/2 years i've not always liked what i read, and like anyone else in government, i hate leaks, maybe more than most. but i have great respect for your role as a watchdog on behalf of the american people and as a means for me to learn of problems that the building was not telling me about. i know we don't always make it easy to do your jobs here, gaining timely and usable information out of the bureaucracy and their gatekeepers is always a challenge, a challenge that i shared with you on occasion. so thanks again for your professionalism, tough questions, and hard work. i'll close by saying a few words about the man seated next to me, admiral mullen and his vice chairman, hoes cartwright. chairman mullen has spent four years as the m

one of the special things always, always, would be the way you responded unflinchingly with the walter reed scandal note, and the way you took ownership, the way there was accountability and responsibility and corrective action, and i just want to thank you for that. watching with the troops, things like the army-navy day, where you mingle with them, and the wounded warriors. the way they thought they could approach you and talk to you, and you have my regards for that. i think that is what a real inspirational leader is, but i have to tell you, your pharaoh trips and speeches you have given have been eyebrow raising, jaw dropping, and for me a must do list. from the eisenhower library speech, in which you call for reform, to the most recent one at nato. you have done more of some of these than the air force, but let me get to my question. i would like to really follow-up on the questions raised about nature note, and maybe this will have to be done with your successor. what is nato? what are required to require proof what action should nato undertake? when they ask for a coalition of the w

when the severely injured patient is released and transferred from walter reed to the v.a.n johnson city, tennessee, all the information regarding their injury can be terribly difficult to access. that shouldn't be the case. this is why i support chairman culberson's report language which recommends that the department of veterans affairs set aside $70 of the overall $3.25 billion in the information technology account for the virtual lifetime electronic medical record. i would in fact like to strengthen this language by putting in the bill to ensure this money gets spent on integration. the v.a. and d.o.d. maintain the two largest health care systems in the nation, providing health care to six million veterans and over 1 1/2 million active duty service members respectfully. within the v.a. alone there are 1,500 sfailts that provide care to veterans. to provide this care, the d.o.d. and v.a. both rely on electronic health record systems to create, maintain and manage patient health information. but the two agencies for years operated different systems that can't talk to each

he kphepbdz you all as he -- commends you that you exposed some of the poor outpatient care at walter reed and had you not shone the light he could not have enacted changes that were to the benefit of our troops. but this is give and take. it is a nice healthy tension that exists between this building and the press corps. we try to do it and we should be more timely but there is a need for operational secrecy in order us to do all the things that i think the american people wish for us to do to keep them safe in their homes at night. >> first, i want to say thank you very much. we appreciate all the hard work that we know you have done the last four years and i think that we all appreciate the access that we have had and the consistent briefings and things that you have done and we hope that the next secretary and -- keeps that. >> thank you. i don't think you will have a problem with secretary panetta. i think he knows many of you and enjoys engaging with all of you. >> on a more substantive note i know there are a number of these libya discussions, could you talk a little about what if a

you say he's done well at walter reed's -- >> he's announced he's not going to compete. >> huntsman iss not going to play there. >> if he can win iowa -- i'm saying they need to rethink their strategy -- iowa is wide open. if he's getting that sort of reaction there, i understand civil unions will be a huge problem for him, fwu if he iraqis auto win there, he has just trumped mitt romney comes to new hampshire and the huntsman express is on its way. agree with you. if you're huntsman, you don't want to fall into the rudy giuliani trap and say i'm going to leapfrog ahead and play here and here and ignore the opportunity that may exist for you if a place like an iowa. even if you come in second or third, get in where you started out, no-name imt d. if you can position yourself in way that you come out where people go did you see what happened, at least he's in third position. then that leapfrogging effect can have a greater impact down the road if you have something to start with. if you jump in this thing in new hampshire and -- >> that's the problem. if you jump in new hampshire and en

this officer, like so many others i have met on bases in baghdad, walter reed, and bethesda naval hospital, spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one, depending on each other, and trusting one another. that is a lesson worth remembering. we are all a part of one american family. we have known disagreements and divisions. we are bound together by the creed that is written in our founding documents and the conviction that the united states of america can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now, let us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, faith in our fellow citizens, and hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of america to this generation and the next. may god bless our troops and may god bless the united states of america. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> to learn more about the administration's strategy in afghanistan, up tomorrow from

exposed two glaring bureaucratic shortcomings, in the outpatient treatment of wounded warriors at walter reed and resistance to purchasing life-saving mraps for troops downrange. responding to both of these critical issues, which only came to my attention through the media, became my top priority and two of my earliest and most significant management decisions. over the past four and a half years, i have not always liked what i read, and like anyone else in government, i hate leaks, maybe more than most.but i have great respect for your role as a watchdog on behalf of the american people and as a means for me to learn of problems that the building was not telling me about. i know we don't always make it easy to do your jobs here. gaining timely and usable information out of the bureaucracy and their gatekeepers is always a challenge, a challenge that i've shared with you on occasion. so thanks again for your professionalism, tough questions and hard work. i'll close by saying a few words about the man seated next to me, admiral mullen, and his vice chairman hoss cartwright. chairman mullen ha

special things was the way you always, always will be the way you responded ounflinchingly with the walter reed scandal and wait you took ownership, the way you ensured accountability and responsibility and corrective action. i want to just thank you for that. i just watched you with the troops, not only in uniform and so on, but in things like the army-navy game where you mingled with them and the wounded warriors. had such access to you. and the way that they felt that they could approach you and talk to you and the warmth and regard you have. i think that's what a real inspirational leader is which is the difference in management. let me tell you, your farewell trips and speeches you have given have been eyebrow raising, jaw dropping, and for me a much due lift. from the eisenhower speech in which you called for major fiscal reform to the most recent one at nato. you have dropped more bombs in some of these than the air force. let me get to my questions. i'd like to really follow up on really the questions raised about nato. many of this will have to be done with your successor. what is nato

was mindful this past tuesday when i went to walter reed and visit some of our wounded soldiers there. and our emerging threats here yesterday on involving terrorist threats, national defense university noted that al qaeda no longer exists in afghanistan. any reasonable number. ultimately clearly we deployed to afghanistan to eliminate al qaeda and denied the region as a source of terrorist activity there. our troops clearly have performed the mission incredibly well. al qaeda has gone from afghanistan, but obviously new terrorist threats are being cultivated in other troubled spots like pakistan and yemen and north africa. the president and-n his strategy that he released last night is going to bring home 33,000 troops by next summer. my question is, i know that you have talked about the number there is to ensure that we have enough troops to support another wave of heightened violence. soy that our claimed victories there won't be lost. i have to say i really remain unconvinced as both a member of the armed services committee and house intelligence committee, i have transparency int

when i go to walter reed or bethesda and i think about all the lies that you guys have saved, it makese proud of what you do right here. today, your new aluminum lithium alloy is making some of the world's most advanced airplanes lighter. and tougher. and more cost-effective than ever. times change, and you have seen times change. alcoa has grown hazmat -- caller: has grown as america has grown. -- alcoa has grown as america has grown. some ways -- sometimes the old ways of doing things just will not cut it anymore. for a while, at you guys lost market share completely. you got your team together and redesigned it and now you have 80% of the market back. [applause] wind change happens, you have a choice. you can either keep on doing what you are doing and hope things work out, or you can make a decision to not only meet the challenge of the future, but you can help set the pace. that is true for this company and it is true for america. for better or for worse, our generation has seen more than our fair share of economic change. revolutions in technology have changed the way be lived an

when you go to walter reed, when you go to fort drummond and you look into the eyes of the young men and women returning from afghanistan and iraq, you can see the pain. this is what we are called to deal with today. america's troops have served with honor and distinction, accomplishing tremendous progress in iraq and afghanistan. while we have gone to great lengths ensuring that they have what they need to accomplish the mission, it is the will and determination of the -- of the average service member that is winning the fight for our country. the current washes has demanded much of the soldiers, sailors, airmen overseas to carry out their mission under constant threat from enemy fire, i.e.d.'s and other dangers, all the while away from their family and friends back home. in short, the men and women of the armed forces are winning this fight through their incredible personal sacrifice. as we all know, this sacrifice often includes great costs to the physical well-being of returning veterans swlts mental health concerns from -- as well as mental health concerns from ptsd and traumati

you responded unflinchingly with the walter reed scandal and the way you took ownership, the way you assured accountability, responsibility, and corrective action, and i want to thank you for that. i have watched you with the troops, not only in uniform, but in things like the army-navy game, where you meet with them. there is such access to you, and the way that they thought they could approach you and talk to you, and the warmth and regard you have. i think that is what a real inspirational leader is, which is the difference in management. the farewell trips and speeches you have given have been eyebrow raising, the jaw dropping, and for me, and must do list. from the eisenhower library speech in which you call for major reform, to the most recent one at nato. you have dropped more bombs in some of these than the air force. but let me get to my question. i would like to follow up on the questions raised about nato. what is nato? what are going to require of nato members? what action should nato undertake? let me go to something very specific. there are big policy questions to be so

president obama visited the walter reed medical center. he'll meet with the vice president. vice president patent held previews this week on debt and deficit reduction, amy to produce the deficit reduction deal to pass that would allow it to a ceiling pass to august. white house coverage continues today at 12:40 p.m. eastern. do you see former chairman alan greenspan. the republican leadership conference in new orleans today for the gop presidential candidates michelle bob mann, ron paul and rick santorum. we had that for you in a competing network, sees -- c-span. [no audio] >> as a way for the event to get underway, house and senate are done for the week. next he could have come a patent and trademark overhaul bill, a measure that to assist epa approval process for offshore oil and gas during an the 20 tows defense department spending bill. next tuesday can assemble a vote on leon panetta as defense secretary. robert gates stepping down from the position on june 30th. a procedural vote on multiyear reauthorization of the congress to prevent economic development administrat

host: for those treated at walter reed -- we are focusing on the work of walter reed army medical center. joining us now for the next seven or eight minutes, colonel norvell coots. how long have you been out walter reed? guest: i have been here a little over three years now. host: san antonio, texas. go ahead. caller: this will never work. they sent a general down to the army hospital command. in less than one year. nobody won services from their command to take over. they cannot go back. they will be stuck with it. host: next call is boston, massachusetts. democrats line. chris. caller: i had a couple of questions regarding my real dramatic brain injury. my understanding it is hard to diagnose regular traumatic brain injury in does not show up on a conventional mri or ct scan. i am wondering if the army is looking into new types of imaging techniques such as diffusion temperature imaging, a genetic transfer imaging, magnetic functioning, or functional techniques? guest: well, i cannot answer that question specifically, because i am not the technical expert. i know there were a lot of ne