The Coffeespy

What’s happened at the biggest name in Army hospitals since the story broke?  Walter Reed’s commanding officer, Major General George Weightman, and Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey lost their jobs.  MG Weightman was a no-brainer, but why Mr. Harvey?  Well, Mr. Harvey laid the blame for the conditions at Walter Reed on “some NCOs [noncommissioned officers] who weren’t doing their job, period.”  Brilliant analysis, Mr. Harvey.

The former commander of Walter Reed, General Kevin Kiley, is now the Army Surgeon General.  Kiley commanded Walter Reed from 2002-2004.  Interesting to find out the problems have been there since his tenure.  From an Early Birded story in the Washington Post:

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), the ranking Republican on the committee, cited an Oct. 12, 2006, Army memo indicating that a review team found problems with billeting, staffing and other issues at Building 18, the outpatient residential facility whose substandard conditions have been at the heart of the recent scandal. Both Weightman and Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, the Army surgeon general, who previously commanded Walter Reed, acknowledged under questioning that they had been briefed on the findings.

“You knew these were problems,” Davis said. “You may not have known specifically what it looked like, and you may not have been able to put faces and stories behind it, but there was an ongoing concern.”

Kiley told Davis that his staff “informed me that the Walter Reed staff was working it, that they recognized that there were issues, and that they were taking action.”

I try not to name call in my blog because I feel it detracts from the atmosphere of reasoning.  Name calling is inflammatory and sets people who disagree in a defensive posture, almost guaranteeing no one is going to be able to see things another way.  However, Kiley is a true imbecile.  Or, to use a scientific term, a nimrod.  To hide behind “my people told me it was wrong, sure, but they said they were fixing it so it’s not my fault” means Kiley understands the position as commander of the post is not necessary.  If Kiley’s not making sure things are getting done, then what’s the purpose of his post?!  Is he just a set of ears that nods like a bobble head doll?  This is a three-star general saying things this stupid.

Fire Kiley.  He’s obviously not the calibre of soldier we need as Surgeon General of the Army.

Who, then, do you put in charge of this mess?  How about this guy:

Shannon was shot in the head during a firefight near Ramadi, Iraq, in November 2004 and has languished at Walter Reed ever since, awaiting plastic surgery so he can be fitted with a prosthetic eye. Paperwork for his retirement from the Army has been on hold.

But his ire yesterday was less about his own treatment than about the sense of betrayal he feels for younger soldiers he has tried to shepherd through the bureaucracy at Walter Reed.

“I will not see young men and women who have had their lives shattered in service to their country receive anything less than dignity and respect,” said Shannon, who at times said he is having difficulty controlling his anger.

He said some injured troops encounter so much bureaucracy that they give up and forgo benefits to which they are entitled. “I have seen so many soldiers get so frustrated with the process that they will sign anything presented to them, just so they can get on with their lives,” he said.

That’s the kind of indignant practicality I want on my side.  Find a guy like this and put him in charge.

Rapid update: I just read this… read the whole thing.  It confirms it: Kiley is a nimrod.  Weightman still deserves to be fired, but I wouldn’t say dismissed from the Army.  He has taken responsibility, apologized, and by the accounts writted, was sincere.  Kiley?  Get him out of the Army.