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Politics

Gates fires Army secretary

By WASHINGTON POST
Published March 3, 2007

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the Army secretary Friday and President Bush vowed to investigate as his administration scrambled to contain fallout over allegations of substandard treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The Army also named Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker as the new commander for Walter Reed, only a day after picking Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley as a temporary chief.

Gates was displeased that Army Secretary Francis Harvey had chosen Kiley, who commanded Walter Reed from 2002 to 2004. Kiley, the current Army surgeon general, 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 Friday in announceing Harvey's resignation.

Pentagon officials indicated that Harvey was forced to resign because Gates was angry with how the Army handled allegations of poor care detailed in Washington Post stories. The facility's commander, Maj. Gen. George Weightman, was dismissed Thursday, and a captain and several lower-level soldiers were reassigned.

An emotional Harvey, who was named secretary in 2004, appeared both apologetic and defensive Friday. "It's inexcusable to have soldiers in that type of building," he said, explaining why he resigned. But he also said the Post stories lacked balance.

"Where's the other side of the story?" he said, his voice rising. "Two articles in your paper have ruined the career of Gen. Weightman, who is a very decent man, and then a captain ... and the secretary of the Army."

In a sign of the seriousness with which Bush takes the situation, the White House announced that the president would soon name a commission to look into whether there are similar problems at other military and veterans hospitals.

Administration officials took the unusual step of releasing early the text of Bush's regular Saturday radio address, in which the president will vow to ensure that the government meets the physical and mental health needs of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Most of the people working at Walter Reed are dedicated professionals," Bush is to say, according to the text. "Yet some of our troops at Walter Reed have experienced bureaucratic delays and living conditions that are less than they deserve. This is unacceptable to me, it is unacceptable to our country, and it's not going to continue."

Taken together, the developments Friday highlighted the anger at the highest levels of the administration over the problems at Walter Reed, as well as the political danger for the White House.

Veterans groups remain among the few strong supporters of the war and have been an important part of the president's political base, yet they and military families have been outraged since the problems at Walter Reed first became public two weeks ago.

Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the reports had angered members across the country and the group hopes Vice President Dick Cheney will address the issue when he speaks to its conference Monday. "Nobody would believe the military would do this to their wounded. We want accountability."

At least two committees are mobilizing to investigate the Walter Reed situation. Friday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued a subpoena to compel Weightman to testify at a congressional hearing Monday.

The committee also released an internal Army memorandum reportedly written in September in which the Walter Reed garrison commander, Col. Peter Garibaldi, warned Weightman that "patient care services are at risk of mission failure" because of staff shortages brought on by privatization of the support work force at the hospital.

White House officials said politics played no role in their decision to form the new commission, saying Bush was genuinely outraged by the conditions at Walter Reed. They indicated he learned about them only from the recent news reports.

"Once the Walter Reed stories ran, there was a collective feeling in the building, and certainly from the president, that whatever reasons or excuses, it was unacceptable," said Tony Fratto, deputy White House press secretary.

It appears that Schoomaker has his work cut out for him. On Friday, soldiers in Building 18, the site of the worst problems, were told to pack their things so the dank structure besieged by mold, leaks and rot could be renovated. Some were moved to another building on post, and others were driven to a nearby hotel.

One soldier who has been living in Building 18 for 16 months waiting to be treated for back problems was told to report to barracks in Fort Meade, Md., according his father. The injured soldier arrived at Fort Meade Friday afternoon with his gear but was unable to move in - the building at Fort Meade had no elevator and the soldier could not climb the stairs.

Hospital chief

Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker

Age: 58

Experience: Currently commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command at Fort Detrick, Md., home to biological weapons defense research.

Family: He is the younger brother of Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff. Peter Schoomaker is stepping down next month and was not involved in the decision to select him for the Walter Reed job, according to a senior Pentagon official.

[Last modified March 3, 2007, 01:16:52]