Top General at Walter Reed Medical Center Fired Due to Reports of Conditions
Hospital Said to Be Mouse and Roach Infested
The investigation into conditions at Walter Reed Medical Center was only begun, but the Army informed Weightman this morning that the Army had "lost trust and confidence in the commander's leadership abilities to address needed solutions for soldier-outpatient care" at the hospital. The decision was made Wednesday.
Francis J. Harvey, the Army's civilian overseer, made the decision yesterday. "We'll fix as we go," he said. "We'll fix as we find things wrong. Soldiers are the heart of our Army and the quality of their medical care is non-negotiable."
Major General Weightman had been the administrator at the hospital for only the past six months, although allegations of problems at the hospital date back to 2003. Weightman came to Walter Reed after serving as commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School in Texas.
On his parting, Weightman left a note for staff at Walter Reed. "I want to inform all of you personally that as of today I have been relieved of command here at WRAMC," he wrote. "I thank all of you for the professional support and dedication that you have brought to all of our issues and that I am confident that you will continue to do a great job as we work our separate lanes to enhance warrior care at WRAMC. You're a great team and I have been honored to work with you.
Weightman will be replaced temporarily by Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, the head of the U.S. Army Medical Command. Kiley is a past administrator of the Army hospital, and had - during his tenure - been criticized for failing to address the same issues Weightman was fired for.
Among those who brought the conditions at the medical center to Kiley and other Walter Reed officials was Joyce Rumsfeld. On a tour of the facility, the wife of then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked a hospital worker if the patients she was seeing on her visit had been hand-picked to show off the best of the hospital. She was told yes.
Current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has vowed to improve the situation at the hospital and is "moving quickly" to set up an independent panel to investigate, according to the Army statement released today.
Sources:
www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255800,00.html
Published by Eric Fleming - Featured Contributor in Technology
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