The Army fired the commanding general of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Thursday following charges that the world-class Washington facility failed to properly care for wounded soldiewrs.
Army Secretary Francis Harvey informed Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman that the Army had “lost trust and confidence” in the two-star general’s “leadership abilities,” according to an Army release.
The Defense Department and the Army are investigating several problems at Walter Reed and other military hospitals after a series of published reports found problems with the outpatient care.
Among the findings: Servicemen and women were housed in vermin-infested apartment buildings; health care was delayed because of lost paperwork; and visiting family members had to fend for themselves and the wounded because hospital support staff was minimal.
“What makes this so sad is that we have military people doing this to other military people,” said Joe Davis of the Washington office of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Davis welcomed Weightman’s removal and said more firings could follow if other officers knew of but ignored the problems.
Last week, the Army said it disciplined several lower-level soldiers at the Northwest Washington hospital on Georgia Avenue.
Weightman, the commanding general for the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, had headed Walter Reed since August. Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who serves as surgeon general of the Army and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command, will take command of Walter Reed in the interim.
Both men were expected to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates endorsed the change.
Gates said in a statement that the care of the military’s wounded demands the highest standard of excellence.
“When this standard is not met,” Gates said, “I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command.”
Gates has instructed a panel to review treatment at Walter Reed and at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda.
The panel held its first meeting at the Pentagon Thursday and will report its findings in 45 days.
