When American soldiers bathe in Iraq, where a grimy film coats every surface, they are reminded by bathroom signs not to ingest anything that comes from the tap.

So when Christopher Wilson left the Army after two tours in Iraq and sought medical care for his service-related injury at the Department of Veterans Affairs, he expected a cleaner environment than what he encountered April 5 at a VA clinic in Salt Lake City.

Wilson was shocked by what he found inside a clinic room during his appointment, he told local media: an overflowing trash can, medical instruments strewn about on the counter and a filthy sink. He snapped photos of what he saw.

Those photos rocketed across social media Friday, prompting an apology from the hospital system’s chief of staff and triggering an investigation.

“I figured that they would say, ‘Oh, this room is not clean,’ and take me somewhere else, but they just kind of blew past it, didn’t acknowledge it,” Wilson told CBS affiliate KVFS, adding he was at the clinic for treatment of his ankle.

His father, Stephen Wilson, posted the pictures to Twitter on Friday, and described the environment as “unprofessional, unsanitary and disrespectful,” calling on President Trump to get involved.

White House chief of staff John Kelly is in the running to become President Trump’s new Veterans Affairs secretary, The Wall Street Journal reports. “There have been discussions among the senior staff and the president directly about the possibility of Gen. Kelly going there [to the VA],” one source familiar with the situation was quoted as saying. Anthony Tersigni, the president and chief executive of Ascension, has also reportedly been floated as a candidate after Trump’s first pick, White House physician Ronny Jackson, withdrew his nomination last week amid allegations of misconduct. The White House has yet to comment on whether Kelly might be tapped for the job. But Trump, who has reportedly been known to butt heads with Kelly since he took over as chief of staff last year, was quick to respond to news reports saying the retired Marine general called him an “idiot” and “unhinged.” “The Fake News is going crazy making up false stories and using only unnamed sources (who don’t exist). They are unhinged,” he tweeted.

A U.S. service member was killed and another was wounded Monday during a combat operation in eastern Afghanistan.

The wounded service member, who is in stable condition, was taken to Bagram Airfield's hospital for treatment, according to an April 30 press release from U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.

In addition, several Afghan National Security Force members were killed or wounded in the operation, the release states.

Military officials have not released the identity of the service member who was killed.

"My thoughts and those of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan are with the families and friends of our fallen and wounded service members," Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, said in the release.

This is the second U.S. combat fatality to occur this year in Afghanistan.

Sgt. 1st Class Mihail Golin of Fort Lee, New Jersey, died Jan. 1 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, after his dismounted patrol came under attack by enemy small-arms fire, according to Pentagon officials. Golin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The U.S. formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in late 2014, but troops still participate in two operations -- Operation Resolute Support, the NATO's train, advise and assist mission; and Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. counter-terrorism mission against al-Qaida, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and other organizations.