Army Putting Kiley Back In Charge of Walter Reed
Army Putting Kiley Back In Charge of Walter Reed
Today, the Army announced the commander of Walter Reed hospital, Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, has been relieved of command. According to the press statement making the announcement, Army surgeon general Kevin Kiley will be Weightman’s temporary replacement.
Kiley ran Walter Reed before becoming the Army’s surgeon general. During that time, Kiley ignored multiple complaints about the facility from soldiers and veterans groups. From this morning’s Washington Post:
[A]s far back as 2003, the commander of Walter Reed, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who is now the Army’s top medical officer, was told that soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were languishing and lost on the grounds, according to interviews.
Steve Robinson, director of veterans affairs at Veterans for America, said he ran into Kiley in the foyer of the command headquarters at Walter Reed shortly after the Iraq war began and told him that “there are people in the barracks who are drinking themselves to death and people who are sharing drugs and people not getting the care they need.”
“I met guys who weren’t going to appointments because the hospital didn’t even know they were there,” Robinson said. Kiley told him to speak to a sergeant major, a top enlisted officer. [...]
On Feb. 17, 2005, Kiley sat in a congressional hearing room as Sgt. 1st Class John Allen, injured in Afghanistan in 2002, described what he called a “dysfunctional system” at Walter Reed in which “soldiers go months without pay, nowhere to live, their medical appointments canceled.”
Even now, Kiley has claimed the problems at Walter Reed’s infamous Building 18 “weren’t serious” and he has attacked the media’s coverage of the issue as “one-sided.” “I want to reset the thinking that while we have some issues here, this is not a horrific, catastrophic failure at Walter Reed,” Kiley has said.
UPDATE: John Aravosis reminds us that Kiley took no action when informed that a soldier was sleeping in his own urine.
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Just another boot licking bush suck up that was in charge of most of the mess and now get's to do more pretend clean up to make king george look good. Blessings.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:06 pmHey Kevin, meet me at Starbuck's, stat...
March 1st, 2007 at 7:07 pm... Just like a bad penny... Kiley should be all too familiar with the problem, since he was there just a very short while ago. I wish getting MY facelift was THAT easy.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:09 pmThis is the guy who was in charge before Weightman took over a year ago. The republicans knew about problems for three years. That means this guy was in charge while there was known problems for TWO YEARS!
This IS HUGE. They are putting the original problem back in!!!!!!
March 1st, 2007 at 7:21 pmNo surprise from the absolute worst administration in US history where politics trump competence time and time again. I believe that today ( vs a couple few yrs ago ) many many more our of fine US armed forces members have come around to believe that Bushco is pondscum ( like more and more of the US populace )..
March 1st, 2007 at 7:22 pmZetaTalk: Human Condition
Note: written July 5, 1995
The human condition, on Earth at this time, is deliberately one of confusion. We will examine several situations that may help to clarify the issues at play.
First, humans desire security. The human condition is insecure. From birth, or particularly at birth, the human is acutely aware of its insecure position. Nude, tiny, unable to navigate, utterly dependent on others. The human infant wants to dominate those it is dependent upon. It is natural for the human to want to dominate its environment. The human wants to control the climate, the seasons. Homes are structured to provide summer warmth year round. Food is grown or at least provided as though harvest season were year round. Storms have no effect, nor do catastrophes have effect. There is social security, the umbrella of government aid. Floods and hurricanes are but another reason to open the government coffers. All this is evidence that the human wants to dominate its environment.
Second, the desire to dominate goes outside of inanimate factors. The human wants to dominate the other humans in its vicinity. Starting with the infant’s desire to dominate its mother, all her attention, and on to the stage of public opinion, the human desires to be the focus of attention. The infant wants its cry to bring immediate attention. The adult want its comments to bring rapt attention from others in the conversation group. No difference. Those who can command attention will get their needs met - so goes the logic. The infant displaced by a younger sibling is insecure, as it is no longer the focus of attention.
Third, love comes into play. Love, or empathy, is something felt at an early age. Empathy is not an emotion reserved for the intelligent, sentient being alone. Love and empathy are felt by all forms of life, even plant life, to some degree. It is a factor of life. It is intrinsic to life. Love and empathy pull the human into a conflict situation with its desire for security, to be the center of attention. Decisions are made to share the spotlight, to share resources. These decisions vary greatly, among humans. Some humans consider others on the same plane as the self. Other humans rarely, if ever, consider others, and never on the same plane as the self.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:23 pm"Your fired"
"Get back here"
The problem is- the whole damn thing is broken and rotten to the core.
No differences between Dems and Repubs.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:24 pmBut does he have experience in Arabian horse trading associations?
March 1st, 2007 at 7:25 pmIs it really that difficult to put in a work order to repair the facility?
Is it really that difficult to delegate that order, and follow up on it?
Am I missing something?
March 1st, 2007 at 7:25 pmRachel,
Studies in twins reaveal they naturally wait their turn to be changed, fed, etc.
I think people can be taught to temper those desires to dominate and control so much.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:29 pm"...he has attacked the media’s coverage of the issue as “one-sided.â€
Um, one-sided in favor of the sick and injured, you f*cking moron.
Whose side are you on Kiley?
March 1st, 2007 at 7:37 pm#6 Thanks for spamming all the threads with the same OT cut and paste.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:39 pm#7 how do you figure that?
March 1st, 2007 at 7:39 pm#11 good point.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:41 pmhe has attacked the media’s coverage of the issue as “one-sided.â€
Which means he wants a FoxNews-style "fair and balanced" coverage: They will present an "opposing" view as if this issue had two sides, and the "other" side were equally valid. He wants prevarication not objective coverage.
Mr. Kiley, better stop talking about the press, their coverage, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. Maybe -just maybe- if you improve things the media coverage will be kinder. What a concept, I know.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:47 pmThis is just F*CKING GREAT...JUST F*CKING GREAT.
Why don't they just let Jack The F*CKING Ripper and Typhoid Mary take the place over.
The are letting Col. Sanders guard the God damn chicken coop. The problems are bad enough, but they hope to fix the problem by putting the original problem back in place. UN_F*CKING_BELIEVABLE!
March 1st, 2007 at 7:51 pmJUST F*CKING GREAT!!
So, the problems will remain. What a crock.....
March 1st, 2007 at 7:52 pmThis is how Bush "runs the company like a business." Anybody realize when he said that that the only two businesses he ever started both went bankrupt?
March 1st, 2007 at 8:16 pm...Kiley took no action when informed that a soldier was sleeping in his own urine.
Too engrossed in the Pet Goat story he was reading? Oops, no, that was somebody else.
March 1st, 2007 at 8:47 pmAll of us should be ashamed that we could allow on our watch anything less than firstclass treatment and conditions for the injured men and women we allowed to be sent into harms way.
This is just one more example of the ineptness and violation of the oath of office of George Bush. One more, after one more, after one more. And then he puts Kiley back in charge of Walter Reed??!! Jesus, God!
When will Congress fire him? It would seem that the House leadership, when asked about impeachment, repeats the mantra of “we do not want to overshadow the efforts to move forwardâ€. You cannot move forward in the dark, and that’s where Bush has us.
Who will serve when called with this idiocy in Iraq is written into America's history books with the epilogue " And Congress and the people did nothing but hold hearings".
March 1st, 2007 at 9:19 pmINPEACH NOW!
Kiley is a doctor Weightman is a doctor. Doctors should not be in charge of caring for people.
If you can stomach it take a gander at the rightest blogs and count how few of them have linked to any part of this story,
March 1st, 2007 at 10:06 pmWeightman may have deserved to be relieved of command. But he was there six months; the problem he inherited dates at least from the start of the Afghan war. Those who created the problem he inherited should also be relieved, as should those to whom they reported. They signed off on the performance of the team in charge at Walter Reed.
The ensign in the engine room may screw up; the ship captain still takes the heat. That's the flip side of the coin of the chain of command. Can't have one without the other. Like Abu Ghraib, this is NOT a problem generated by NCO's and file clerks.
March 1st, 2007 at 11:08 pmWHERE DOES Bushland Uber Allies GET THESE ABYSMAL F*CK-UPS like Weightman and Kiley? Even that NAZI MONSTER Josef Mengele WAS MORE COMPETENT THAN THESE TWO BOOBS, AND PROBABLY A HELL OF A LOT MORE COMPASSIONATE--TO HAVE A BRAVE SERVICEMAN LIE IN HIS OWN URINE--SWEET JESUS GOD ALMIGHTY!!!!! THAT ALONE IS GROUNDS FOR HAVING Kiley and Weightman WHIPPED TO WITHIN AN INCH OF THEIR MISERABLE LIVES!!!!!
March 1st, 2007 at 11:55 pmhttp://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3456
--------------------------------------------------------------
War Resisters -- Support the Troops Who Refuse to Fight
The Army has re-filed charges against Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq, following mistrial. Find out the latest developments in his case and how you can help.
It takes courage to say that you will not fight -- especially if you are a soldier. As more members of the U.S. military step forward for peace, the peace movement must step forward to support them.
Large numbers are now refusing to serve: The Department of Defense estimates that there are about 8,000 AWOL service members. The GI Rights Hotline http://www.girights.objector.org/
(800-394-9544) is currently receiving about 3,000 calls a month.
March 1st, 2007 at 11:55 pmI've heard that SecDef Gates is extremely upset about Kiley being put back in charge. I don't think we've seen the last of the people getting fired over this.
March 1st, 2007 at 11:58 pmhttp://www.vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project
The Occupation Project
THE OCCUPATION PROJECT is a new effort initiated by UFPJ member organization Voices for Creative Nonviolence. The plan is to unfold a campaign of sustained nonviolent civil disobedience aimed at ending the U.S. war in and occupation of Iraq. The campaign begins with occupations at the offices of Representatives and Senators who refuse to pledge to vote against additional war funding.
Several UFPJ member groups, including CodePink, Peace Action, Veterans for Peace, After Downing Street, and a host of local groups from North Carolina to Alaska are all involved in this effort. United for Peace and Justice, as a national coalition, has also endorsed The Occupation Project.
Your group can find out more about this initiative, including how you can get involved, by visiting their website. Or you can contact the organizers via phone at 773-878-3815 or via email, occupationproject at vcnv.org
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And if you haven't already:
Click here and sign Peace Action's "No War with Iran!" petition today!
http://www.peace-action.org/Iranpetition.html
This petition to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice rejects any U.S. military action against Iran and demands direct negotiations. Copies will go to Chairs of the Senate
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:39 amhttp://www.vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project
The Occupation Project
THE OCCUPATION PROJECT is a new effort initiated by UFPJ member organization Voices for Creative Nonviolence. The plan is to unfold a campaign of sustained nonviolent civil disobedience aimed at ending the U.S. war in and occupation of Iraq. The campaign begins with occupations at the offices of Representatives and Senators who refuse to pledge to vote against additional war funding.
Several UFPJ member groups, including CodePink, Peace Action, Veterans for Peace, After Downing Street, and a host of local groups from North Carolina to Alaska are all involved in this effort. United for Peace and Justice, as a national coalition, has also endorsed The Occupation Project.
Your group can find out more about this initiative, including how you can get involved, by visiting their website. Or you can contact the organizers via phone at 773-878-3815 or via email, occupationproject at vcnv.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------
And if you haven't already:
Click here and sign Peace Action's "No War with Iran!" petition today!
http://www.peace-action.org/Iranpetition.html
This petition to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice rejects any U.S. military action against Iran and demands direct negotiations. Copies will go to Chairs of the Senate
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:40 amrachel;is it possible for you to post this stuff just once,and be done with it?
March 2nd, 2007 at 1:01 amIt's not so important that you have to post it on every thread.
Is it really so shocking that wounded and maimed vets are living in these conditions. What more can be expected from this admin.? What I don't understand is this feeling that at the mere site of a uniformed soldier everyone within 100 yds. must drop everything and applaude until their palms are bloody. While the nation plays the "support the troops" game with fake slogans and mock outrage, soldiers die everyday in Iraq. People's sons and daughters. But instead of being complety outraged, we stand and applaude.
March 2nd, 2007 at 4:49 amImpeachment of President Bush though completely warranted is not practicable in the little time left to do it. Remember Vice-President Cheney must be disposed of by impeachment first. Regrettably the two of them can do unlimited damage in the remaining months left and perhaps the only solution is to put a ring around them as was done with President Nixon so that his rasher impulses were not allowed to emerge from the White House. In the case of Cheney and Bush, such an intervention would be a godsend. Worth widespread distribution of the Medal of Freedom?
March 2nd, 2007 at 7:01 amThe only thing that I find positive in all this madness is the limitless incompetence of these two men. "Those whom the gods intend to destroy they first make mad."
Musical chairs, if you will.
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:52 amKiley was in charge of WR until about 6 months ago. Weightman should have been fired - but I think Kiley's days are numbered - and so they should be.
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:52 amKiley is the one who boasted about jogging around the property, including bldg 18. He had to have seen wounded soldiers trying to cross the campus, but he, like Bush, is apparently more interested in completing his morning fitness routine.
[...] is being replaced for now by Army surgeon general Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley. As ThinkProgress documented yesterday, Kiley has known for years about the neglect and deplorable conditions at Walter Reed. [...]
March 2nd, 2007 at 9:53 amThat's disgusting.
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:04 pm[...] also claimed the replacement of Maj. Gen. George Weightman with Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley at Walter Reed was “a good first step.” Imus responded, “It’s an absurd [...]
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 pm[...] top medical official, was appointed acting head of Walter Reed hospital. As ThinkProgress documented yesterday, Kiley has known for years about the neglect and deplorable conditions at Walter Reed. [...]
March 2nd, 2007 at 1:09 pm[...] Army Putting Kiley Back In Charge of Walter Reed: Today, the Army announced the commander of Walter Reed hospital, Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, has been relieved of command. According to the press statement making the announcement, Army surgeon general Kevin Kiley will be Weightman’s temporary replacement. [...]
March 2nd, 2007 at 4:30 pm[...] Army Putting Kiley Back In Charge of Walter Reed (tags: BullShit) [...]
March 3rd, 2007 at 1:24 amI was once under gen kiley's command in Europe he's a man of integrity and supports his troops...relax everyone he'll fix this mess... from the lowest sgt to the SGM he'll handle it... WHOAH
March 6th, 2007 at 12:24 pmI was assigned with Kiley to Korea when both of us were captains. While a little pompous, he is smart and full of integrity. I believe that he'll get it done. This isn't the only building in the Army to be falling down around it's occupant's ears! The "bad building"/"decrepit facility" issue is Army-wide. And the Medical Department has not been overfunded - they spend their money on primary treatment for the most part. Building buildings has not been high on their priorities, because when you have to choose between an CT scanner that will save lives, and a single new building when you need to build 30 new buildings - the CT wins every time.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:47 pmJust to educate the ignorant, LTG Kiley was the not the commander just before MG Weightman took over 6 months ago. That commander was MG Kenneth Farmer, who retired last summer. LTG Kiley was the commander of WRAMC for the 2 years prior to MG Farmer's command. MG Weightman would surely have been in line to become the next Army Surgeon General if he had not been condemned to be the fall-guy by SecArmy Francis, who was weak at best. It is too bad MG Weightman had to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had a brilliant career and possesses incredible medical operations and health care provision experience needed to successfully command the US Army Medical Command. All of these facilities problems did not occur overnight - the civilians and contractors who manage facilities at WRAMC are primarily to blame because they are the closest to the problem and in the best position to fix them as the first line of report. Even so, in the Army commanders are responsibile for the failures of those under their command, regardless of their knowledge of the situation. MG Weightman did the honorable thing accepting responsibility but his subordinates let him down BIG TIME.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:30 pmWorking for the Army Medical Department for 25 years before retiring I can tell you it was the most enjoyable organization to work for until the Clinton Administration came along. The last REAL Army Surgeon General we had was Lieutenant General Frank F. Ledford (1988-1992). After him it just appeared to me that leadership and management went down hill. A high level of military officers and civilian managers I worked with soon retired, resigned or found positions elsewhere in the Government or private industry. As for WRAMC, this situation should never have happened. In closing that should tell you about the management and leadership.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:40 am[...] didn’t take long at all for the blogosphere to explain why Kiley was a bad choice: He’d ignored complaints of poor conditions when he ran Walter Reed from 2002 to [...]
March 12th, 2007 at 1:53 pm