Army surgeon general resigns over Walter Reed

Kiley's departure is the third amid complaints over the treatment of injured soldiers.

Published March 12, 2007 5:12PM (EDT)

The only surprise is that it took this long: Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, who was reportedly told of problems at Walter Reed months if not years ago, has submitted his letter of resignation.

Kiley becomes the third Army official to lose his job amid fierce criticism of the way injured soldiers have been treated. Army Secretary Francis Harvey fired Walter Reed commander George Weightman earlier this month. When Harvey replaced Weightman with Kiley -- who ran Walter Reed before becoming the Army's top medical officer -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates forced Harvey out of his job.

It appears that Kiley's departure was about as voluntary as Harvey's; a senior Defense Department official tells Reuters that Acting Army Secretary Pete Geren asked for Kiley's resignation Sunday.


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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