Westphal, Austin visit wounded warriors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
November 26, 2012
By U.S. Army
LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Germany (Nov. 26, 2012) -- Under Secretary of the Army Joseph W. Westphal and Army Vice Chief of Staff General Lloyd J. Austin III visited wounded warriors, Nov. 23, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, or LRMC.
During an AFN interview at the conclusion of his visit, Westphal was asked about the prioritization of medical care for wounded warriors as the Army faces budget constraints and possible sequestration.
"It is a priority -- not a negotiated priority," Westphal responded, adding that, "A wound to a Soldier is a wound to the Army. A wound to the Army is a wound to the nation. We'll never compromise our care for our wounded warriors."
Westphal and Austin visited LRMC after spending Thanksgiving with Soldiers in Afghanistan. Westphal said morale was high and Soldiers are seeing good results as they prepare for the 2014 withdrawal of NATO forces.
Westphal praised the continuum of military medical care from combat zones, to LRMC, to long-term definitive care at stateside hospitals, such as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
"It's miraculous for us to see how effective this process is," Westphal said. "Soldiers deserve such care because of what they are doing for Americans now, and have been doing for more than 237 years."