“THIS IS FEDERAL HABEAS CORPUS”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Oct. 4, 2016) — The power of attorney for a U.S. Army soldier hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) since Thursday was denied information about his status on Tuesday by the charge nurse at 7 West, the floor to which he was admitted.
“This tells me he did not go voluntarily,” the POA said of his sudden admission late Thursday afternoon. “This is federal habeas corpus.”
Though injured and unable to perform assigned duties, the soldier is still technically on active duty, assigned to Walter Reed, where he resides.
Earlier this year, he was denied the ability to go on leave three times, although it was finally granted on June 20 under what his family perceived as very restrictive and intrusive conditions.
After receiving a call from Sgt. Anthony Hill that the soldier was in the emergency room due to what Hill described as erratic behavior, the POA quickly made arrangements to fly to Washington to see the situation for herself. After her arrival, she showed her power of attorney documentation to the nurses’ station. However, upon calling today for a status update, she was told that no information could be divulged to her regarding the soldier’s current condition.
As reported here, the only documentation the POA was given after asking for medical records on Saturday was a handwritten list of the soldier’s medications signed by the nurse on duty.
“Command is the only one I can release any information to,” the charge nurse told the POA.
“What do you mean that you have an order that you can’t release…?” the POA asked.
The POA believes, as was the case on September 1 when the soldier was forced to report to the Walter Reed emergency room for an “evaluation” without notice under the threat of “negative consequences,” that he did not go voluntarily to the emergency room on Thursday. Another relative on Tuesday independently agreed.
At the beginning of the recording, the POA explained to The Post & Email that during the last call, she was transferred to a fax machine.
On Tuesday the POA was told that the Army Inspector General’s office will “not accept” further complaints from the family about the soldier’s care and Walter Reed’s secrecy because “it’s gone to Capitol Hill.”