Washington – The commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center was fired Thursday after the Army said it had lost trust and confidence in his leadership in the wake of a scandal over outpatient treatment of wounded troops at the hospital complex in Washington.
Army Maj. Gen. George Weightman, who assumed command of Walter Reed in August, will be temporarily replaced by Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley. But the appointment of Kiley, who had been the facility’s commander before Weightman, surprised some Defense Department officials because soldiers, their families and veterans’ advocates have complained he was long aware of problems at Walter Reed himself and did nothing to improve outpatient care.
The action came 10 days after a Washington Post series exposed squalid living conditions for some outpatient soldiers at Walter Reed and bureaucratic problems that prevented many from getting the care they need.
“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.
The Army is already cracking down on some staff following the reports of poor care. A number of soldiers have been reassigned from their duties at Walter Reed.
Thursday, an independent review panel Gates appointed to investigate outpatient care at Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center held its first meeting at the Pentagon.
The group will “identify any critical shortcomings and opportunities to improve the rehabilitative care, administrative processes, and quality of life for injured and sick members of the armed forces” at Walter Reed and, though there have been no complaints of poor care there, at the Naval hospital, said William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
