Another "Firing" (resignation) and Subpoenas re Walter Reed

Another firing! This time Army Secretary Francis J Harvey. They still haven't got to Kiley! And the President chimed in finally. And Congressman Henry Waxman,Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Comittee orders Subpoenas.

From the AP:

Army secretary resigns in scandal's wake
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey abruptly stepped down Friday as the Bush administration struggled to cope with the fallout from a scandal over substandard conditions for war-wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Harvey's departure, announced on short notice by a visibly agitated Defense Secretary Robert Gates, was the most dramatic move in an escalating removal of officials with responsibilities over one of the military's highest-profile and busiest medical facilities.

Hours earlier, President Bush ordered a comprehensive review of conditions at the nation's network of military and veteran hospitals, which has been overwhelmed by injured troops from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gates said Harvey had resigned, but senior defense officials speaking on condition of anonymity said Gates had privately demanded that Harvey leave. Gates was displeased that the officer Harvey had chosen as interim commander of Walter Reed — Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the current Army surgeon general and a former commander of Walter Reed — has been accused by critics of long knowing about the problems there and not improving outpatient care.

"I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed," Gates said in the Pentagon briefing room. He took no questions from reporters.

Harvey was at Fort Benning, Ga., on Friday morning when he cut short his visit to return to Washington to meet with Gates.

On Thursday, Harvey fired the medical center's previous commander, Maj. Gen. George Weightman, for failures linked to the outpatient treatment controversy. Many had speculated that Weightman would be relieved of command, but Harvey's departure was a surprise. His last day in the job will be March 9.

And from Rep. Waxman's Committee web site:

Friday, March 02, 2007
Former Head of Walter Reed Hospital to Testify Before National Security Subcommittee

Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman John Tierney sent a letter to Major General George W. Weightman, former Commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, regarding the privatization of support services at Walter Reed and its impact on the conditions at Walter Reed. In addition, Chairman Waxman signed a subpoena to compel Major General Weightman's testimony at the Subcommittee’s March 5 hearing, but the subpoena was not served when new Acting Secretary of the Army Peter Geren authorized General Weightman to testify before the Committee without compulsory process.

Witness list:

Specialist Jeremy Duncan
Annette McLeod, Wife of Cpl. Wendell “Dell” McLeod
Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon
Lieutenant General Kevin C. Kiley, M.D., U.S. Army Surgeon General
Major General George W. Weightman, Commander (former), Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Ms. Cynthia A. Bascetta, Director, Health Care, U.S. Government Accountability Office
General Richard A. Cody, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army

I'm sure there's more to come. It's Kiley's turn.

General Relieved of Duty at Walter Reed

It was inevitable that someone would be fired. Don't know if this General had anything to do with the problem or not. It could be someone taking the fall, again.
The General, a doctor, was only there for 6 months. His name: Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman. Now he may be to blame and that remains to be seen, but why do I get this feeling that he is a scape goat!

Here's some of the AP article:

Walter Reed general loses his command
The Army on Thursday fired the general in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, saying he was the wrong person to fix embarrassing failures in the treatment of war-injured soldiers that have soiled the institution's reputation as a first-class hospital.

Less than a week after Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Walter Reed and said those responsible would be "held accountable," the Army announced it had relieved Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman of command. He is a physician who had headed the hospital for only six months.

In a brief announcement, the Army said service leaders had "lost trust and confidence" in Weightman's leadership abilities "to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care." It said the decision to fire him was made by Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey.

The Army and the Defense Department began investigations after The Washington Post published 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.

The problems at Walter Reed pertain not to the quality of medical care for wounded soldiers but rather to the treatment of those who are well enough to be outpatients, living in Army housing at Walter Reed. One building was singled out in the Post reports as being in bad repair, including having mold on interior walls.

Gates issued a brief statement Thursday endorsing Harvey's action against Weightman.

"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," 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."

This is just part of the problems with the Vets. This firing does not address the issues of getting the right disability payments and it doesn't address the other VA hospitals nation wide. The problems are systemic. And I think the people are working with what they have and probably have been turned down numerous times for the help they need. Also I believe these problems were there befor Maj. Gen. Weightman ever came to Walter Reed.

Funny thing though...his first name is George and his initial is W.