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 Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey.
The Army and the Defense Department began investigations after The Washington Post published stories last week that documented problems in soldiers' housing and in the medical bureaucracy at Walter Reed, which has been called the Army's premier caregiver for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The problems at Walter Reed pertain not to the quality of medical care for wounded soldiers, but rather to the treatment of those who are well enough to be outpatients, living in Army housing at Walter Reed. One building was singled out in the Post reports as being in bad repair, with mold on interior walls.
Gates issued a brief statement yesterday endorsing Harvey's action against Weightman.
"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," Gates said. "When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command."
It was not clear whether Gates insisted on Weightman's firing, but a Pentagon official said he had been actively involved in the decision.
Being relieved of command means Weightman is almost certain to have lost his future in the Army.
A native of Vermont, he graduated from West Point in 1973 and received his medical degree from the University of Vermont. He later served as the surgeon for the 82d Airborne Division, including during Desert Storm.
He has held a number of medical commands, including service as a leading surgeon during the initial stages of the Iraq war.
