Scandal forces out Army secretary

WASHINGTON -- The secretary of the Army resigned yesterday over the widening scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, as new revelations indicated that top-level Army officials had been alerted that some recuperating soldiers were being housed in moldy, roach-infested rooms -- victims of bureaucratic red tape and inadequate staffing.

Francis J. Harvey's resignation occurred a day after Major General George W. Weightman the two-star general in charge of the military's premier medical facility, was fired over the scandal. But outrage over the matter intensified Thursday when Harvey temporarily replaced Weightman with Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley -- the same commander who presided over Walter Reed before Weightman took the helm last year.

Meanwhile, hours before Harvey stepped down, congressional investigators released a 2006 memo to Weightman warning that the outsourcing of some operations at the hospital was leading to a reduction in the standards of care.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates informed reporters of Harvey's resignation at a hastily organized press conference in which he launched a broadside against the Army leadership for not upgrading the appalling conditions, first reported by the Washington Post two weeks ago.

"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. "Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems."

Harvey's surprise resignation was welcome news for members of Congress, military families, and veterans groups who have demanded a major re evaluation of the aftercare for wounded troops. And many observers saw it as striking evidence that the new Pentagon chief will hold officials responsible for missteps.

"It strikes me as quite a breath of fresh air," said Andrew F. Krepinevich , president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, contrasting Gates with his predecessor , Donald H. Rumsfeld . "It is certainly a different approach from what we've seen. Gates seems willing to act and act quickly. "

On Thursday Gates said he would not tolerate foot-dragging on correcting the substandard conditions at Walter Reed. "I don't have very much patience with people who don't step up to the plate and address problems," he told reporters after a meeting on Capitol Hill.

The scandal centers on conditions at Building 18, a former hotel on the Walter Reed campus in northwest Washington. Soldiers are housed there after being released from the main hospital but are still being treated on an outpatient basis. Among the conditions cited in the Washington Post were vermin infestations, plumbing leaks, and unsanitary conditions.

But the complaints went far beyond the accommodations: some soldiers expressed concern about long delays for medical appointments and psychological evaluations, others said patients had to share pain medication, and there were reports that soldiers were drinking to excess in the Building 18 bar.

"First-hand accounts and news reports of conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's outpatient facilities are deeply disturbing, and in this instance the buck stops with Army Secretary Harvey," Representative Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

The Army contended that it was not fully aware of the conditions in Building 18, but information to the contrary emerged yesterday.

Representative Henry A. Waxman , Democrat of California and chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released an Army memo written in September by Colonel Peter M. Garibaldi, Walter Reed's garrison commander.

Garibaldi warned that the Army's decision to privatize some jobs has cost Walter Reed a host of talented professionals, including staff members and support technicians. Between June and September 2006, Garibaldi wrote, the hospital lost at least 60 government employees.

"We face the critical issues of retaining skilled personnel," he wrote, and "patient care services are at risk of mission failure."

When the problem made headlines in the Post and other national media, the Army, under pressure, fired Weightman. But Harvey's decision to replace him with Kiley outraged lawmakers, placing Harvey in the hot seat. "How can a man who stood by for years while American soldiers suffered needlessly be expected to enact real reforms?" Representative Louise Slaughter, Democrat of New York , asked angrily yesterday.

Before Harvey resigned, Waxman and Representative John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat and head of the panel's national security and foreign affairs subcommittee, subpoenaed General Weightman and other top officials in the Army medical corps for a hearing on the matter. The committee, which will convene Monday, has vowed to look into conditions at the outpatient facilities.

Monday's hearing will focus on the decision last year to outsource some of Walter Reed's operations and whether that exacerbated the situation, Waxman's office said.

"The living conditions and outpatient services that have been described at Walter Reed are deplorable," the lawmakers told Weightman in a letter yesterday. "It is our job . . . to ask what happened and how the problems can be prevented in the future."

In his weekly radio address today, President Bush is expected to announce that a bipartisan commission will also investigate the medical treatment for all US troops. In an advance transcript, Bush called the problems at Walter Reed "unacceptable" and said the commission will review all aspects of soldiers' care, from the battlefield to their return to civilian life.

"This country has a moral obligation to provide our servicemen and women with the best possible care and treatment," Bush said. "They deserve it, and they will get it."

The Army yesterday also named a new commander of Walter Reed, Major General Eric B . Schoomaker, currently head of Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, M d.

Schoomaker "has the right blend of leadership, professional expertise , and personal experience for this position," said General Richard Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, in a statement.

Harvey, a former executive at Westinghouse and a former special assistant to the secretary of defense, will leave his post, effective immediately. Undersecretary of the Army Pete Geren will serve as acting secretary until a new secretary is in place.

Gates indicated yesterday that a permanent replacement will be named swiftly. "This flagship institution must have its new leadership in place as quickly as possible," he told reporters.

Bender can be reached at bender@globe.com.