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Walter Reed topic of five hearings next week

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal involving the living conditions, medical treatment and retirement process of wounded combat veterans will be the subject of five congressional hearings next week, including one on Monday that is expected to include testimony from the hospital commander who was relieved Thursday.

Army Maj. Gen. George Weightman, who since August had been the hospital commander and also head of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, is one of the witnesses scheduled to appear Monday before the House subcommittee as it holds a hearing in the Walter Reed auditorium.

The House Oversight and Government Reform national security subcommittee, long known for its investigative hearings into defense-related matters, has scheduled a first panel of witnesses that includes Army Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon, a 43-year-old wounded soldier, and Annette McLeod, the wife of Army Cpl. Wendell McLeod, another wounded soldier. Both have been quoted in the media about problems at the hospital.

Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, whom the Army has asked to step in as Walter Reed commander, also will testify. Kiley has become a lightning rod for congressional criticism because he was the Walter Reed commander from 2002 to 2004 and was responsible for the outpatient program that is now the center of attention.

Also on Monday, the House defense appropriations subcommittee will hold a closed-door briefing with Pentagon officials about Walter Reed. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., is looking specifically at whether more money is needed to take care of some of the problems with poor housing and administrative backlogs. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to write its version of the 2007 wartime supplemental spending bill Wednesday, providing an opportunity for Murtha’s panel to add money if there is a defined need.

The Senate Armed Services Committee plans a Walter Reed hearing on Tuesday, with defense and Army witnesses. Kiley, Weightman and Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody are invited.

On Wednesday, the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee has scheduled a hearing on military medical programs, spanning all of the services but certain to include focus on Walter Reed.

On Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee has scheduled its hearing about the larger issue of how the military is helping wounded service members during their recovery. Scheduled to testify are the Pentagon’s top personnel official, David S.C. Chu; the Pentagon’s top health care official, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr.; and the Pentagon’s senior facility official, Philip Grone.