John has all the details. This guy should not only be fired, but also charged with treason. Treating our soldiers, who have gone to fight in this bullshit war, like this is a crime. And where are the "we love the troops and you don't" right-wingers on this? They are silent as usual. They are just as bad as Weightman.
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MG Weighman is not a bad person, and he does care about Soldiers who were injuried in Iraq. Some problems are complex and take time to fix. Some problems have snowballed for some time because the infrastructure is overwelmed. And I'm sure most of this problem was inherited. Weighman has been in command of this hospital for less then a year. It is very easy to blame it all on him because he has rank and visibility. I can assure you that he is NOT incompetent and he DOES care. I have served under Gen Weighman in the past and he is EXTREMELY competent. You can blame it all on him if you like, but the issues are always much more complicated in reality then they seem when you read the news. I would like to see how someone like you would fix the problem in this situation. It is always easy to write angrily on your blog that a monkey could fix the problem, but the problems are complex, and believe it or not, there are limitations built into the system. I TOTALLY agree that our Soldiers deserve better, but you can't blame all the problems at Walter Reed on one person. There are many people to blame here. But pointing fingers doesn't get anything fixed. The officers and NCOs at the lowest levels within Walter Reed need to step up and make things happen. Believe it or not there are people who are directly responsible for making sure that the facilities are maintained at Walter Reed. You can fire MG Weightman if you want, but that alone will fix nothing. Just remember that!
I agree that Maj. Gen. Weightman is an honest and compentent leader. I have been following the story, and I think it is a crying shame that he is taking the wrap. MG Weightman needs to know that some Americans see it for what it is. The problems would have been fixed, but like you said...it takes time. It seems that the soldiers and their families needed to blame someone. Actually, the focus should be on Pres. Bush and his decision to send these soldiers into a country for his own profit. Now, North Korea is testing nuclear weapons, but the US watches aimlessly. Did we ever find evidence of nuclear weapons in Iraq? You know that is supposedly the reason we are at war. So, the soldiers are pointing the blame at the wrong George W. I can not wait for the day that America holds "The President" responsible for this mess!
Wow jamie! I think you might be able to use aspirin to reduce your chances of suffering a brain aneurysm, at least consider it over the next couple of days.
I served with then General Weightman during his command of 30th Medical Brigade in Heidelberg, Ge and the only thing I can said is that MG Weightman is a very caring individual and the kind of leader that make things happens no matter what. It is to my surprise to learn that he's been blamed for a problem that obviously is been accumulating from many years ago. Whatever the problem is right now at Walter Reed it did not just start happening, MG Weightman is been in command for less than six months and now he is blamed for what had happened for the longest.
This is a political issue that is turning to the innocent and pointing the finger to the leader that has nothing to do with this. I understand that wounded soldiers are suffering for the lack of care at the hospital but this situation did not just start happening in the past six months, if we must blamed someone, blame it on those leaders that left the command with honor even though the hospital was in the shape that it is today, and I wonder how often did the President or the former Secretary of Defense visited the hospital and ignored the condition this was, Think about that
I was saddened today to hear that MG Weightman has been relieved of command. He is such an asset to the Army family--soldiers, their families, retirees, etc. etc. He is one of the BEST leaders I know--talented, dedicated, self-less, caring--I could go on and on about his many wonderful attributes. I'm just sorry you obviously haven't met him or watched him in action. He's one of the Army's finest. I've known him for years, worked with him, observed him, and yes--I've judged him based on all this. He doesn't deserve to be relieved.
This is a very sad day for the Army.
Jane I. (Lieutenant Colonel, Ret.)
I had the honor of serving with George Weightman for two years during the initial stages of Iraqi Freedom. Simply put, he is one of the finest, most selfless leaders I have ever seen. It is a very sad day for our nation when a spendid leader like this is the one left "without a chair when the music stops". In typical Washington DC fashion, the higher ups trot out a sacrificial lamb to place on the alter of left wing media appeasement when Gen Weightman has been in command of Walter Reed for a limited time. Where is the outrage for the PREVIOUS commanders of Walter Reed, who was at the helm for YEARS prior when these conditions started and fermented? Where is the outrage for the the years of underfunding of the DoD health services and service infrastruture that is the root cause for such conditions? Where is the outrage for a disjointed personnel and disability processing system that requires the services to "warehouse" the injured young people of our nation injured while they go thru drill after drill of paperwork to give them the benefits and entitlements they need? You think Walter Reed is unique? Visit ANY aging DoD medical center and look at the facilities. LOOK AT THE ABYSS OF THE SEAM BETWEEN THE DOD MEDICAL AND PERSONNEL SYSTEMS. THAT IS WHERE THE CAUSE OF THE TRAGEDY AT WALTER REED LIES. Look to the breaucrats residing in the Pentagon who control the resources, organize and run the personnel and medical systems...the same people who stand before the media and decry the outrage at Walter Reed. Give me a break!
I understand that command is command and in the end, it boils down to commanders taking the heat for success or failure of the mission. But to do this - this transparent, scapegoating firing of a man our nation and owes more than they could ever repay is a sad day for our republic. George Weightman cut thru more service BS and "party lines" to integrate and blend the land medical forces during Iraqi Freedom than anybody could ever imagine. I saw it because I was there. Many American young men and women are alive today because of what he did in that campaign. He'd never tell you this because he's just too damn professional and a gentleman to take credit for it. And he'll soldier on with this event also. He will maintain faith in our nation, his God and his family - it is simply his way. Thank God we have men and women such as George Weightman who serve our nation and the people far beyond the trust and faith the nation bestows upon them. To relieve him on account of a mission and conditions he inherited and was working behind the scenes to address, is the height of institutional hubris and hypocrisy. WHAT A VERY SAD DAY FOR OUR NATION and the DoD medical service..
Greetings, I have the distinct pleasure of knowing MG Weightman on both personal and professional levels. A better man I have not met, and never a more caring leader. My wife, also an Army officer, cried for two days upon hearing the charges heaped on GW's shoulders. We have seen much of the military medical system in our professional capacities. George Weightman makes everything he touches better- and all those he interacts with.
I have told all who ask me on the subject that MG Weightman is a guy you'd like to have a beer with, and ask his perspective on any number of topics- much as I would my father or brothers. Professionally, I trust him with my life... trust I do not extend to all of the leaders appointed over me.
At Fort Sam Houston, MG W would go and visit patients in the minutes between other obligations. He would sneak down to a clinic and do primary care for trainees because he loves being a doctor. He has been a second father to my wife- and an inspiration to more people than I can list. He truly has my respect.
The military medical community is faced with the upward spiraling costs of health care, outsourcing, and increased patient volume. There is a direct increase in funding for health care- but housing functions are harder to tie to GWOT expense- and a function of IMA. If a commander is diverting all of his allocated funds to ensuring medical care is appropriate (who wants a second-rate surgery?), and those that allocate funds don't provide funds for renovations- what is he to do?
Interestingly, the Surgeon General's residence (next door to MG Weightman's house), 200 meters from the billeting in question, was renovated in 2004. In testimony before Congress, gentleman George has accepted blame for conditions at Walter Reed, and personally apologized to families and Soldiers. I know that those apologies were heartfelt. He has said that if firing him helps Soldiers, then it's the right thing to do. Conversely, the Surgeon General, who lived 200 meters from building 18, in newly renovated quarters- and was the commander of WRAMC at the start of OIF, and then responsible for all Army healthcare as TSG denies any responsibility for the quality of care or living conditions where he lives. He is also content to let GWW take the fall after six months, instead of allowing his own final year of service to bear any culpability.
My vote is to fix blame with LTG Kiley. My personal opinion, from knowing the man, is that he doesn't care one iota about Soldiers- at least if they are placed on the scale against his hubris. Let GWW fix the problem- he's the best man for the job.
When I was depolying to Macedonia in 1999, then, COL Weightman asked me what I needed to successfully care for patients during my deployment. I told him, and within a few weeks I had that piece of equipment, which the organization I was assigned to had never had before. That equipment did make a difference in the lives of soldiers I cared for. His caring and "can-do" attitude changed the way I thought about things in the Army and have carried through with me to this day. General Weightman is the kind of boss who makes you want to be a better clinician and take better care of your patients. It is hard to find leaders like that.
Building 18 has been in disrepair since I stayed there in the late 1990s.
Sadly, I believe that General Weightman is the man that could have turned things around at Walter Reed. It is a sad day for the Army Medical Department.
Too bad for the Weightmans. Wow, talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just about the time DOD and the Army decide to hold senior leaders accountable for their positions/offices, not only their actions, MG George Weightman assumes command of North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, and therefore the responsibility for Walter Reed. Anyway, in the face of a humiliating relief from command due to "lack of confidence" from his superiors (whoever they are), MG Weightman has displayed his genuine (to those of us who know him) humility, compassion, and integrity by assuming 100% responsibility for well, everything that is wrong with Walter Reed, the Army, and the way the US treats veterans. What a great human being and leader! He could have pointed out the obvious limitation to his culpability (as many others in recent similar situations have done), but he did not. All of us, including every senior public official whether in uniform or not, should look to MG Weightman's words, actions, and manner as models. Others talk about the Army values, including "Honesty", "Selfless service", "Integrity" and "Personal Courage". MG Weightman obviously lives them, and has shown all of us, in a very public and painful way, what those terms can mean, and their cost. I hope he and his family may derive some comfort from the realization that there are many, many of us who remain awestruck for his sacrifice and truly grateful for his example. God bless him.
The person with the right skill set to fix the problems in outpatient care at Walter Reed, unfortunately, was Major General George Weightman...
I am happy to know that the name MG Weightman is in the same sentence with words like “fired†and “disgraceâ€. The grief that he caused others due to his lack of common sense is now upon him and his family. Forever will it be known that MG Weightman was fired! You can check in your Army Values on the way out the door,
I served under MG Weightman ever since he was LTC Weightman and he has always been an outstanding leader who all soldiers under his command could turn to if they had any issues or problems that could not get solved at the lower level. It was very disturbing to hear that the blame for all that has happened over the years at WRAMC has been placed on him. This is utterly ridiculous and anyone with a shred of common sense can see that. Those who choose to blast him should open there eyes and stop believing everything they read in the Post.
It's not a blast, he's an idoit. He has become to high on himself.
Wow, I have to speak out. I served under MAJ Weightman in the 82d. He is truly a caring and devoted leader. I can't believe he's been made a scapegoat like this. What a waste.
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