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WALTER REED CHIEF RELIEVED OF HIS COMMAND --
Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman takes the fall.
Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman
Video on this story here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfMAR07/nf030207-10.htm
Story here...
http://www.abcnews.go.com/
Politics/wireStory?id=2916142
Story below:
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Army hospital chief removed from post
By Andrew Gray
Reuters
WASHINGTON - The head of the U.S. Army's top hospital was removed from
his post on Thursday after troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were
found to be living in shoddy conditions and struggling with a complex
bureaucracy.
An Army statement said top officials had lost confidence in Maj. Gen.
George Weightman's ability "to address needed solutions for soldier
outpatient care" at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington,
D.C.
"The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the
highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a
government," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
"When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct
corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of
command," he said in a statement.
Problems at the hospital were brought to light by a Washington Post
investigation published last month. It found that recuperating soldiers
were living in a dilapidated building infested with mice, mold, and
cockroaches.
The newspaper also found wounded troops forced to untangle a web of
bureaucratic red tape to obtain benefits and treatment as they coped
with physical and psychological trauma.
Government investigators found the typical soldier must file 22
documents with eight different commands to enter and exit the medical
processing system, the Post reported.
The Army has said it already has fixed many of the problems with the
substandard building and is working to improve its administrative
procedures quickly.
REVIEW ORDERED
But Gates pledged last week that commanders would be held accountable
for the failings at the hospital. He also ordered an independent review
into outpatient care of wounded troops.
"Maj. Gen. 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," the
Army statement said.
Several lower ranking people at the hospital have also been relieved of
their duties, Gates said last week.
The Army said its surgeon-general, Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, would take
temporary command of Walter Reed.
President George W. Bush's administration has frequently praised U.S.
troops for their sacrifices and insisted they will have the best
possible treatment.
Outpatients at Walter Reed are largely troops who have received initial
medical care but require further treatment before they can go home or
return to duty. The average outpatient stay lasts 10 months, the
Washington Post said.
More than 10,000 U.S. troops in the Iraq war have been wounded so
seriously that they were not able to return to duty within 72 hours,
according to Pentagon statistics. The figure for the war in Afghanistan
is more than 600.
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Larry Scott --
