European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 26, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday March 26 2007 stars and stripes pages House votes to cancel closing of Walter Reed stars and stripes the House on Friday voted to keep Walter Reed army medical Center open despite military plans to close the facility by 2011 the Washington times reported saturday the times wrote that the Deci Sion Marks the first time con Gress has tried to reverse a Deci Sion made by the base realign ment and closure commission Congress and president Bush in 2005 approved the commissions recommendations in the brag plan Walter Reeds functions would be taken Over by the National naval medi Cal Center in Bethesda which is scheduled to build a billion expansion and a new Dewitt Hospi Tal at fort Belvoir in Virginia but the future of the Amend ment is Uncertain the times re ported the Senate version of the funding Bill which passed the appropriations committee on thurs Day does not include a measure to keep Walter Reed open the president said Friday that he will veto the Bill if it reaches his desk because of its limits on the War in Iraq the paper quotes do Dele Gate Eleanor Holmes Norton a Democrat and the districts non voting representative As saying that the Burden would be on the Senate to include a similar Amend ment having gotten it in Over Here the Senate would be under huge pressure to explain Why Treyve taken it out Norton contends that putting Walter Reed on the list of installations to be closed in 2011 contributed to the deterioration of care for wounded soldiers there it is understaffed she is reported As say ing because it is doomed to close a investigating no veterans Hospital Charlotte vet Erans affairs department is Send ing investigators to the Salisbury veterans Hospital on monday to Check reports of poor care and a key lawmaker with a oversight plans congressional hearings in mid april on the Hospital the inspection follows Char Lotte observer stories about a 2005 investigation that found two veterans who died at the Hospital had received shoddy care and an other review last year that found other problems with care from wire reports Tillman probe to reveal missteps Dod investigation will say nine officers should be held accountable by Lolita c Baldor and Scott Lindlaw the associated press Washington nine officers including up to four generals should be held account Able for missteps in the aftermath of the Friendly fire death of army Ranger Pat Tillman a former us football Star accidentally killed by his comrades in Afghanistan a Pentagon investigation will recommend senior defense officials said Friday the de sense department inspector general will cite a Range of errors and inappropriate conduct As the military probed Tillmans death on the Battlefront in 2004 said one defense official the official who like the others requested anonymity because the army has not publicly released the information said it appears senior military leaders May not have had All the facts or worked hard enough to get the facts of what happened on april 22 2004 when Tillman was killed by members of his own Pla Toon a specialist at the time of his death he was posthumously promoted to Corporal Tillmans Case Drew worldwide attention in part because he had turned Down a Multi Mil lion Dollar contract to play defensive Back for the Arizona cardinals of the National football league in order to join the army rangers after the sept 112001 attacks dozens of soldiers those immediately around Tillman at the scene of the shooting his immediate superiors and High ranking officers at a command Post nearby knew within min utes or hours that his death was fratricide photography plus Williamson stealth Media an inspector generals report on the aftermath of the Friendly fire death of army Ranger Pat Tillman will be released monday even so the army persisted in telling Tillmans family he was killed in a convention Al ambush including at his nationally Tele Vised memorial service 11 Days later it was five weeks before his family was told the truth a delay the army has blamed on proce Dural mistakes the latest investigation has focused on How High up the Chain of command it was known that Tillmans death was caused by his own comrades officers from the rank of colonel and up will be blamed in the report according to one officer who has been informed of the findings according to the officials the report will not make charges or suggest punishments but it will recommend the army look at hold ing the nine officers accountable one defense official said it appears the in Spector general will not conclude there was an orchestrated coverup in the investigation Tillmans father Pat said Friday he had no intention of commenting on the inspector generals report until he had heard an army Brief ing on monday that Day the army plans to release the report and a second related to the killing the other report is by the army criminal investigation command which will focus on whether a crime such As negligent homicide was committed when Tillmans own men shot him one defense official said it appears the investigation did not find any criminal intent in the shooting to Date the army has punished seven peo ple for the Tillman killing but no one was court articled four soldiers received relatively minor punishments under military Law ranging from written reprimands to expulsion from the rangers one had his pay reduced and was effectively forced out of the army the army which requested the inspector general review last year said in a statement released Friday that it plans to take appropriate actions after receiving the inspector Gener als report the officials declined to name any of the officers the report will implicate the commander of Tillmans 75th Ranger regiment was col James c Nixon last year he was named director of operations at the Center for Spe Cial operations at Macdill air Force base Fla the reports findings were first reported on Friday by lbs news democratic rep Mike Honda the Congress Man who represents the san Jose Region where Tillman grew up and where his parents live said he regretted that the family did not have the Chance to review the findings before they were leaked Kadenas new teen Center will open monday in converted gym by David Allen stars and stripes Kadena air base Okinawa teenagers on Kadena will have a place of their own starting monday the grand opening of the teen Center millennium in the Nakay Oshi youth Complex is scheduled 3 to pm in the former fal con gym building 439 across from the Kadena base Library on Kuter Boulevard designed for teens Ages 13 to 18 the Center includes a cybercafe with 18 computers a game room with snack bar a do Booth and dance floor a gym a Small theater a band practice room come to our office on 2281 Chuo Okinawa City Orinza 2f Felt wwwv1financecom to pickup your Quik calf or Call 9210907 and video games the centers teen program also will feature academic and personal develop ment programs enrichment pro Grams and special theme nights said Fletcher wooden manager of the Center we converted the old Falcon gym Complex for about and a lot of sweat equity wooden said on a reopening tour of the facility you  get this amount of work done with just what was appropriated he said the Complex will also be used for youth sports involving children Ages 6 to 18 but mostly its a place for the older teens to come and hang out with their friends and keep Busy he said one innovation is the dance dance revolution music video game that involves a special dance pad we dont want any Couch Pota toes wooden said the project has been in the works for about a year and a half basically we were running out of space for the teens at the old youth Center which was shared with the younger kids wooden said Jamie Schachter Kadenas flight chief for family member programs said teens preferred to have a place of their own they didst think it was very Cool to hang out with 6yearolds she said the youth program serves about 6000 different users a year among other new things the Center will offer is a theater area for special movie nights a mar tial arts room and a staff lounge something weve never had before Schachter said theres also a lot of outside space for volleyball and other activities the cybercafe will feature 14 computers connected to the inter net and four additional computers for use for Homework and Digi Tal Art Schachter said were hoping that by being in new digs Well get even More new users coming out Here she said we want it to be a place where the teens will be comfortable in just hanging out and socializing that Why the new name for the Complex Nakayoshi is Apt she said it Means close friends email David Allen at initial probe of veterans Home sees Little fault the Washington Post Washington a senior Pentagon official said Friday that a preliminary investigation of conditions at the armed forces retirement Home has found Little evidence to substantiate allegations of serious medical problems the Pentagon launched the investigation last week after the government accountability of fice sent a letter warning that Resi dents of the veterans facility May be at risk the letter cited allegations of rising deaths rooms spattered with human waste and veterans suffering from bedsores including one with a Maggo infested wound the Gao said the allegations were made by medical personnel who treat residents at the Home which is run by an Independent Federal Agency that reports to the Pentagon the sprawling facility in Northwest Washington houses More than 1100 military Veter ans four doctors sent by the Penta gon to inspect the facility wednes Day wrote a report that listed few problems our Brief inspection suggests mat the allegation of a Maggot in tested pressure sore will be substantiated but the other allegations probably discredited the report says