WASHINGTON, March 1, 2007
Army Ousts Head Of Walter Reed Hospital
General In Charge Is Relieved Of Command Due To Inadequate Treatment Of Soldiers
-
Play CBS Video Video Walter Reed Head Fired The general in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center was fired at the urging of Defense Secretary Robert Gates after a series of newspaper articles exposed shoddy conditions. David Martin reports.
-
-
A guard stands at an exit for the U.S. Army's Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington on May 13, 2005. The Army said Thursday that the two-star general in charge of the medical center has been relieved of command following disclosures about inadequate treatment of wounded soldiers. (AP)
-
Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman (NARMC)
-
-
Interactive Military 101 Basic training to learn all about America's fighting force.
The Army and the Defense Department launched a series of investigations after The Washington Post published a series of stories last week that documented problems in soldiers' housing and in the medical bureaucracy at Walter Reed, which has been called the Army's premier caregiver for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, said before the action against Weightman was announced that an outside review panel created by Gates would hold its first meeting on Friday at the Pentagon. Headed by two former Army secretaries, Togo West and Jack Marsh, the panel is to review treatment and administrative processes at Walter Reed and at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md. Gates has instructed the group to report its findings publicly within 45 days.
Being relieved of command means Weightman is almost certain to have lost his future in the Army.
A native of Vermont, he graduated from West Point in 1973 and got his medical degree from the University of Vermont. He later served as the surgeon for the 82nd Airborne Division, including during Desert Storm.
He has held a number of medical commands, including service as a leading surgeon during the initial stages of the Iraq war.
Weightman's duties at Walter Reed will be assumed temporarily by Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the commander of U.S. Medical Command, until a permanent replacement is found, Harvey said.
"The Army is moving quickly to address issues regarding outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center," the announcement said.
Last week the Army took disciplinary action against several lower-level soldiers at Walter Reed, but officials have declined to publicly confirm any details of those actions.
The Army Times reported Wednesday that soldiers at Walter Reed have been ordered not to talk to the media. The Pentagon also restricted media coverage of all Defense Department medical facilities, suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, the Times reported.
At a breakfast meeting with reporters Thursday, in which he refused to discuss any aspect of the Walter Reed investigations, Harvey said the Army also was reviewing conditions at its medical centers elsewhere in the country. He would not be more specific.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More From U.S.
