Walter Reed General Relieved of Command

The United States Army has reported that Two-Star General George W. Weightman has been relieved of command, following disclosures about inadequate treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital

The firing of Major General George W Weightman, who was commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Hospital was announced by Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey.

"Major General Weightman was informed this morning that the senior Army leadership had lost trust and confidence in the commander's leadership abilities to address needed solutions for soldier-outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center." said the statement, according to The Washington Post, It said Lt. General Kevin C. Kiley, who serves as Surgeon General of the Army and Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command will take over temporarily as commander of Walter Reed "until a general officer is selected for this important leadership position.

Wrightman has headed Walter Reed since August, 2006.

This action came ten days after a series by The Washington Post exposed the poor living conditions for wounded outpatient soldiers. Defense Secretary Robert m. Gates later described the situation and :unacceptable". A review panel was appointed to look into it and vowed rapid correction.

On February 20, the American Legion issued a statement that was reported on the PRNewswire-USNewswire, which read, "Every American serviceman and woman wounded or injured in the line of duty deserves the absolute best care, under the best circumstances, for as long as necessary to effect a complete recovery. Certainly, according to the Washington Post, it appears that those military men and women assigned to Building 18 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are not receiving that level of care. The American Legion is giving those allegations the utmost priority and is investigating conditions at Walter Reed. Out professional staff will prepare a comprehensive and documented report of its findings and will release those findings to the cognizant committees in Congress and the U.S. Army."

In a statement today, the Army said it is "moving quickly to address issues regarding outpatient care at Walter Reed Medical Care'.

The top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years, reports The Washington Post.

Surprise was expressed last week. by officials of Pentagon and Walter Reed officials, by reports of the living conditions and bureaucratic nightmares faced by wounded soldiers staying at the medical facility. The commander of Walter Reed, Lt. General Keven C. Kiley, was told as far back as 2003 "that soldiers who had been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were languishing and lost on the grounds", according to interviews with the Washington Post.

Weightman served as the commander of Walter Reed for less than sever months. He assumed the post in August, 2006. The Vermont native graduated from the U.S. Medical Academy in 1973 and received his medical degree from the University of Vermont in 1982. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he was th command surgeon for the Coalition Forces Land Component.

Kevin C. Kiley, his replacement, obtained his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington. He has served as division surgeon for the 10th Mountain Division, commander of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and command surgeon for the U.S. Army Europe and the 7th Army.