Fired Walter Reed head takes over at Detrick

[GreatAmerican]

<p>[Fired</a> Walter Reed head takes over at Detrick - Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Army Times](<a href=“http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_weightman_071113/]Fired”>http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_weightman_071113/)</p>

<p>

The two-star general who was fired as the head of Walter Reed Army Medical Center amid reports of shoddy treatment of wounded soldiers has regained favor and will oversee U.S. biological weapons defense research as commander of Fort Detrick in Frederick, the Army said Tuesday.</p>

<p>Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, a physician currently assigned to the Army surgeon general’s office in Falls Church, Va., will command both Fort Detrick and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command headquartered there, Department of the Army spokesman Paul Boyce said…

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[Zaphod]

<p>Huh? How does that work? </p>

<p>First I’ve ever heard of someone being relieved for cause and then actually getting another command.</p>

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Boyce said Army leaders reached a different conclusion about his suitability for Fort Detrick after reviewing Weightman’s efforts at Walter Reed and in the surgeon general’s office to improve care of soldiers, veterans and their families.

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<p>So why was he fired? He either was a complete failure (go back and find the Walter Reed thread) or did what is described above. Sound contradictory to me…</p>

<p>Wow. :eek:</p>

[JustAMomOf4]

<p>of course he was fired - someone had to be.</p>

<p>

For instance, during Weightman’s brief tenure at Walter Reed, the ratio of staff to soldiers improved from one-to-125 to one-to-25 or 30, Boyce said.</p>

<p>“The U.S. Army leadership has reviewed senior leadership responsibility and accountability surrounding the care of soldiers and family at Walter Reed … and they have confidence in Gen. Weightman’s ability to command the U.S. Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick,” Boyce said.</p>

<p>He added that Weightman, 56, “has been held in high esteem all along by the military medical community.”

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Weightman had been at Walter Reed six months when Army Times and The Washington Post began publishing stories in February

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<p>6 months isn’t really long at all to affect change.</p>

<p>Apparantly - as usual - there are two sides to every story.</p>

[atrmom]

<p>Unfortunately, everything hit the fan on Weightman’s watch even if it wasn’t a very long one. By all accounts, he’s a good man and the staff was happy with his leadership. The real villian in the this piece is General Kiley. He lived across the street from Building 11 and yet, never darkened the door. Kiley was on his second tour at Walter Reed when he was “asked to retire” so he was far more aware of the problems.</p>

[Zaphod]

<p>Then it would seem that, for once, a person who was fired with less-than-solid cause is actually getting a break. That is exceedingly rare in the military (or at least it used to be). In general, if you get fired you can kiss your career goodbye.</p>