Years ago, I appeared on a network television program that included then-Undersecretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. When my turn came, I suggested that high-level U.S. politicians have little genuine concern for the fate of our military personnel. Too often, I said, it appears that the government regards our fighting men and women merely as numbers.

Eagleburger hesitated and then said, "That comment is not worthy of an answer" and moved on to another subject.

I made no friends at the show that day and was never invited back. But the public had a different reaction. Every letter I received supported my position. Several callers praised my "courage." Some insisted I had tried to raise an issue that "seriously needs light."

It is hardly a secret that those in uniform often suffer from neglect or bureaucratic bungling. And Eagleburger was simply doing what U.S. administrations have been doing for too long: brushing off the question of our ill treatment of the men and women who fight for us.

The question for today is why the mistreatment of military personnel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center — and possibly Veterans Administration facilities — went unnoticed for so long and by so many. Why have higher-ups refused even to acknowledge problems so long-standing and serious?

I spoke with a veteran last week. He was afraid to be identified by name for fear his treatment for diabetes might be cut off.

"At the Veterans Medical Center in Brooklyn, we're treated like we are nuisances." he said. "We sit around for hours waiting to be seen, and then we wait again before we can get our medicine. I served my country, and now this is how I'm being treated.... Sometimes the hospital makes us feel like we were fools for going in the military in the first place."

To digress, but only a little, I want to point out that this medical issue is only part of the larger question of our poor treatment of soldiers. A technician for a medical lab told me her brother, who served two tours in Iraq, has been called up again: "We sent him personal items because the military didn't supply them. We even sent blankets when there weren't enough to go around. My brother was driving vehicles without adequate steel plates to ward off bombs in the road.... It just seemed that nobody cared about the soldiers doing their duty in Iraq," the woman said.

Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates forced the resignation of Army Secretary Francis Harvey for his failure to respond adequately to reports of substandard conditions at Walter Reed. Such reports are just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently problems exist in countless military environments.

"(I)f it's this bad at the outpatient facilities at Walter Reed, how is it in the rest of the country? Because Walter Reed is our crown jewel," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on a recent Sunday morning television program.

Schumer called for an independent commission that might be headed by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. (I parted company with him there. I no longer trust Powell because he was the point man for President Bush in the WMD debacle. I believe in loyalty, but not when it exceeds reason.)

We owe much to our soldiers, especially in an era when we are dependent on a volunteer military. Time for a widespread and thorough investigation that will lead to many long-needed changes.