George W. Weightman
Encyclopedia
Major General
George W. Weightman was a U.S. Army Family Medicine
physician who was commander of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center
(WRAMC). He was relieved of his WRAMC command on March 1, 2007, in the wake of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal
. He took command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in November 2007 and retired from active duty on 31 March 2009.
at West Point, New York in 1973 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant of Infantry and stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he served in the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. He was awarded a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1982 and completed his Family Practice residency training at Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon
, Georgia. He was then assigned to Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point, New York, where he served as Chief, Department of Primary Care and Community Medicine. In 1989, he became the 82nd Airborne Division Surgeon and served with the All Americans during Operations Just Cause and Desert Shield/Storm.
Subsequently, he served as Family Practice Residency Director at Womack Army Medical Center
before commanding the Medical Element, Joint Task Force Bravo
, Soto Cano, Honduras. He then commanded the McDonald Army Community Hospital, Fort Eustis, Virginia and the 30th Medical Brigade in Heidelberg, Germany. In July 1999, he became the Chief of the Medical Corps Branch at United States Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, Virginia. From May 2002 to October 2002, MG Weightman served as Assistant Surgeon General for Force Projection and then he was the Commanding General, 3rd Medical Command (Forward), and Coalition Forces Land Component Command Surgeon for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later served as Commanding General, 44th Medical Command/Corps Surgeon, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
. MG Weightman assumed command of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center on August 25, 2006. He served as the Commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Fort Sam Houston
, San Antonio, Texas from August 2004 until July 2006. He commanded the Walter Reed Army Medical Center
in Washington, D.C.
from 25 August 2006 until 1 March 2007 when he was relieved of command in the wake of the Walter Reed neglect scandal
over conditions at the medical center. He took command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in November 2007.
Additional military schools include the Infantry Officer Basic \ Advanced Courses, the Army Medical Department Officer Basic \ Advanced Courses, Airborne and Jumpmaster Schools, the United States Army Command and General Staff College
, and the United States Army War College.
Weightman is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Weightman is married to the former Joan Peters from Youngstown, Ohio
. They have three children.
The Army announced it had relieved of command Maj. Gen. Weightman, a physician who had headed the Walter Reed Army Medical Center for only six months. In a brief announcement, the Army said service leaders had "lost trust and confidence" in Weightman's leadership abilities "to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care." It said the decision to fire him was made by Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey.
"I endorse the decision by Secretary of the Army Fran Harvey to relieve the Commander, Major General George W. Weightman of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a government. When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command." -Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Expert Field Medical Badge
, Senior Parachutist Badge with combat star, Honduran Parachutist Badge he is also a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
George W. Weightman was a U.S. Army Family Medicine
Family medicine
Family medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It is a division of primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, sexes, diseases, and parts of the body...
physician who was commander of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
(WRAMC). He was relieved of his WRAMC command on March 1, 2007, in the wake of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal
Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal resulted from a series of allegations of unsatisfactory conditions and management at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. culminating in two articles published by The Washington Post in February 2007...
. He took command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in November 2007 and retired from active duty on 31 March 2009.
Biography
Weightman is a native of Eden Mills, Vermont. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point, New York in 1973 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant of Infantry and stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he served in the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. He was awarded a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1982 and completed his Family Practice residency training at Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in 1917. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal Center and was once the home of "The Provost Marshal General School" . The fort is located in Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie,...
, Georgia. He was then assigned to Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point, New York, where he served as Chief, Department of Primary Care and Community Medicine. In 1989, he became the 82nd Airborne Division Surgeon and served with the All Americans during Operations Just Cause and Desert Shield/Storm.
Subsequently, he served as Family Practice Residency Director at Womack Army Medical Center
Womack Army Medical Center
Womack Army Medical Center is a United States Army-run military hospital that is located on Fort Bragg in near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The facility is named for Medal of Honor winner Bryant H. Womack. It contains 138 beds with 66,542 patients visit the hospital's emergency room; a total of...
before commanding the Medical Element, Joint Task Force Bravo
Joint Task Force Bravo
Joint Task Force Bravo is one of three Task Forces under United States Southern Command . JTF-B is headquartered at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras , located 10 miles south of the Honduran city of Comayagua.-Mission:JTF-Bravo conducts joint, combined and interagency operations, and supports...
, Soto Cano, Honduras. He then commanded the McDonald Army Community Hospital, Fort Eustis, Virginia and the 30th Medical Brigade in Heidelberg, Germany. In July 1999, he became the Chief of the Medical Corps Branch at United States Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, Virginia. From May 2002 to October 2002, MG Weightman served as Assistant Surgeon General for Force Projection and then he was the Commanding General, 3rd Medical Command (Forward), and Coalition Forces Land Component Command Surgeon for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later served as Commanding General, 44th Medical Command/Corps Surgeon, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
. MG Weightman assumed command of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center on August 25, 2006. He served as the Commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
, San Antonio, Texas from August 2004 until July 2006. He commanded the Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from 25 August 2006 until 1 March 2007 when he was relieved of command in the wake of the Walter Reed neglect scandal
Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal resulted from a series of allegations of unsatisfactory conditions and management at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. culminating in two articles published by The Washington Post in February 2007...
over conditions at the medical center. He took command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in November 2007.
Additional military schools include the Infantry Officer Basic \ Advanced Courses, the Army Medical Department Officer Basic \ Advanced Courses, Airborne and Jumpmaster Schools, the United States Army Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
, and the United States Army War College.
Weightman is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Weightman is married to the former Joan Peters from Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. They have three children.
The Army announced it had relieved of command Maj. Gen. Weightman, a physician who had headed the Walter Reed Army Medical Center for only six months. In a brief announcement, the Army said service leaders had "lost trust and confidence" in Weightman's leadership abilities "to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care." It said the decision to fire him was made by Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey.
"I endorse the decision by Secretary of the Army Fran Harvey to relieve the Commander, Major General George W. Weightman of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a government. When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command." -Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Decorations and Badges
The Expert Infantryman BadgeExpert Infantryman Badge
The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a military badge of the United States Army. Although similar in name and appearance to the Combat Infantryman Badge , it is a completely different award: while the CIB is awarded for participation in ground combat, the EIB is presented for completion of a...
Expert Field Medical Badge
Expert Field Medical Badge
The Expert Field Medical Badge is a United States Army decoration first created on June 18, 1965. This badge is the non-combat equivalent of the Combat Medical Badge and is awarded to medical personnel of the US Military who successfully complete a set of qualification tests including both written...
, Senior Parachutist Badge with combat star, Honduran Parachutist Badge he is also a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.
See also
- Walter Reed Army Medical CenterWalter Reed Army Medical CenterThe Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...