WASHINGTON – The general who was fired after reports of substandard medical care for veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center said Monday that he agreed with critics that there was a failure of leadership at the facility.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates “called this ‘a failure of leadership.’ I agree. We can’t fail one of these soldiers, one of these patients, and we did,” Maj. Gen. George Weightman told a House panel investigating conditions at the veterans hospital.
Weightman was fired as commander at Walter Reed after The Washington Post published a series of stories about the soldiers’ shoddy medical care.
Weightman argued that most patient care for returning soldiers “is superb.” But he acknowledged he did not realize how frustrated veterans and their families had become in dealing with a gargantuan bureaucracy overwhelmed by injured soldiers returning from war.
“In this, I failed,” he said, adding that he was disappointed that he would be unable to “continue to help” in correcting the problems.
The Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at Walter Reed also heard from the Army’s top brass. Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, said he was “extraordinarily angry and embarrassed” by the disclosures.
“We’ve got no excuse for the past,” said acting Army Secretary Pete Geren, tapped for the job after predecessor Frances Harvey was forced to resign in light of the widening scandal. As for fixing the problems, he said, “The only way we can prove (our resolve) is to show you.”
Congressional members of the panel charged Monday that the revelations were just the beginning.
Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said veterans and their families were “flooding us with complaints” and that “this may be the tip of the iceberg of what is going on all around the country.”
Citing a litany of news stories and congressional reports, Waxman threw doubt on claims by the Army’s higher-ups that they were surprised by The Post’s disclosures two weeks ago.
Waxman said that in addition to several government audits, there was a February 2005 Salon magazine story on poor conditions at the hospital’s psychiatric ward; a 2006 report on problems screening people with brain injuries and a 2005 think tank report criticizing the complex disability program.
“They said, ‘We never knew things were out of hand.’” Waxman said. “I have a stack of reports and articles that sounded the alarm bells.”
Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, Army surgeon general and head of Walter Reed until 2004, apologized for what he called housing conditions that did “not meet our standards.” He said renovations were under way.
He also said a team had been sent to some 11 other installations around the country to make sure there are not similar housing problems.
Separately, Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson said Monday that his office would hire 100 new patient advocates, speed benefit claims and improve medical screenings for veterans at its facilities.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
