Army medical commander retires over Walter Reed fiasco

The bloodletting continued at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Sunday with the retirement of Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, whose selection as temporary chief of the beleaguered facility two weeks ago caused an outcry and contributed to the departure of then-Army Secretary Francis Harvey.

"I submitted my retirement because I think it is in the best interest of the Army," Kiley said Sunday in a statement. "I want to allow Acting Secretary [Pete] Geren, General [Eric] Schoomaker, and the leaders of the Army Medical Command to focus completely on the way ahead and the Army Action Plan to improve all aspects of soldier care. We are an Army Medical Department at war, supporting an Army at war -- it shouldn't be and it isn't about one doctor."

Kiley, who until this weekend was Army surgeon general and the commanding general of the Army Medical Command, is the third high-level official to lose his job over revelations of shoddy conditions and soldiers' difficulty in accessing care at Walter Reed. Maj. Gen. George Weightman was fired as Walter Reed chief on March 1 in response to reports that appeared in the Washington Post.

Kiley, who had served as head of the facility from 2002 to 2004, was named by Harvey as the temporary commander. But the appointment backfired when critics said Kiley was an inappropriate choice for the role.

Harvey resigned the following day. "I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed," Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters at the time.

The Army then announced that Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker would lead Walter Reed.

At a House Government Oversight and Reform Committee hearing the following Monday, Kiley was criticized for not acting on scattered reports of poor conditions during his tenure at Walter Reed. His testimony sometimes struck an off note with lawmakers, such as when he said that as Weightman's supervisor he had been aware of problems at the facility but had been "involved with other issues at the next level up."

Lawmakers and members of the media also questioned why Weightman, who led Walter Reed for about six months, was dismissed while Kiley was protected.

Kiley's dismissal clears away one of the last top officials closely associated with problems at the facility.

On Sunday, Geren ordered that an advisory board be convened to recommend potential candidates from the Army Medical Department for the role of surgeon general. The nominee must be approved by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Deputy Surgeon General Gale Pollock will fulfill the duties of Army surgeon general and commanding general of the medical command until Kiley's replacement is selected.