The Air Force Times is reporting that Army Secretary Francis Harvey's resignation was requested before it was offered. In fact, Harvey was at Ft. Benning in Georgia and was summoned back to the Pentagon to meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Friday afternoon, in time for his exit to make the evening news.
After the meeting with Harvey, Gates issued the following statement:
Gates was unhappy with the Army’s response to revelations, reported by Army Times and The Washington Post, that wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington were consigned to squalid quarters and mired in administrative red tape while awaiting care and evaluation for benefits.“I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed,” Gates said in the Pentagon briefing room.
“Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems,” Gates said.
“Also, I am concerned that some do not properly understand the need to communicate to the wounded and their families that we have no higher priority than their care, and that addressing their concerns about the quality of their outpatient experience is critically important.
“Our wounded soldiers and their families have sacrificed much and they deserve the best we can offer.”
Secretary Gates took no questions from reporters, but if he had, certainly the press corps would have clamored to know if Kiley is next.
None the less, my Magic 8-Ball says Kiley will be gone by the evening news Wednesday - at the latest. (And if I'm wrong, which I'm not, well I'm due to miss. I've been on a roll lately with the predictions...)
