WASHINGTON — The general in charge of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was stripped of his command Thursday after revelations that wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan were receiving slipshod outpatient treatment at the prestigious facility.
Senior Army officials said they had "lost trust and confidence" in Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who led the medical center for six months, after a series of articles in the Washington Post.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday March 03, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 56 words Type of Material: Correction
Walter Reed Army Medical Center: An article in Friday's Section A reporting that Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman had been relieved as commander of Walter Reed implied that the new interim commander, Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, was Weightman's immediate predecessor. Kiley headed Walter Reed until June 2004; there was one commander in between the two men.
The stories detailed the substandard facilities and confusing bureaucracy that wounded troops faced once they were released from their initial treatment.
Weightman acknowledged the problems in interviews after the shortcomings were disclosed, saying the center's outpatient system was overwhelmed by the unexpectedly high number of wounded soldiers returning from war.
But he said that most of the problems predated his tenure, and that he had spent most of his time overseeing an increase in case workers and military officers who handled outpatient services.
Veterans groups welcomed Weightman's dismissal, but noted that the officer chosen to replace him on an interim basis -- Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the head of all Army medical programs -- was Weightman's predecessor at Walter Reed and that he might be responsible for some of the hospital's problems.
"It's good to see someone held accountable," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "But you can't just drop one person and make him the scapegoat."
One military official said the Army was continuing to examine Kiley's oversight of Walter Reed to determine whether he knew of the problems in the outpatient facilities.
"Those questions are being looked at," said the official, who spoke on condition on anonymity. "Is this it? We don't know. Potentially, there could be other heads that roll."
Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey, meeting with Pentagon reporters before announcing Weightman's dismissal, declined to answer questions about the Walter Reed investigation. His spokesman told reporters that any discussion about the medical center's problems was "off the table."
In a statement, the Army said Harvey had set up an "action plan" to find any additional shortcomings.
"We'll fix as we go; we'll fix as we find things wrong," Harvey said in the statement.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates endorsed Harvey's move.
