Kevin Christopher Kiley | |
---|---|
Born | October 18, 1950 |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1976–2007 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands held | Surgeon General of the United States Army |
Battles/wars | Operation Desert Storm |
Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (4) Bronze Star Expert Field Medical Badge |
Major General (Ret.) Kevin Christopher Kiley [1] (born October 18, 1950) [2] was the 41st Surgeon General of the United States Army and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He was commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and North Atlantic Regional Medical Command twice, from 2002 to 2004, and as acting commander, March 1–2, 2007. He submitted his request to retire from the U.S. Army on March 11, 2007, in the wake of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal, and was removed from his nominative billet as a lieutenant general. Pending retirement, he was assigned to a temporary billet at the General Officer Management Office at the Pentagon in the grade major general. His retirement in the grade of major general was subsequently approved.
Kiley was born in Pennsylvania on October 18, 1950, [3] and graduated from the University of Scranton in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in biology. [4] He received his medical degree in 1976 from Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C. [1] He served a surgical internship at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and then an obstetrics and gynecology residency at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, Texas. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
He is a board-certified OB/GYN and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
His first tour was with the 121st Evacuation Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, where he was the chief of OB/GYN services. He returned to the residency training program at William Beaumont Army Medical Center and served as chief of the Family Planning and Counseling Service. He then served as assistant chief of the department of OB/GYN.
He was assigned as the Division Surgeon of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. He then assumed command of the newly activated 10th Medical Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, serving concurrently in both assignments. He returned to William Beaumont Army Medical Center, where he first served as the assistant chief, then chair of the department of OB/GYN.
In November 1990, he assumed command of the 15th Evacuation Hospital at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and in January 1991, he deployed the hospital to Saudi Arabia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Upon his return, he was assigned as the Deputy Commander for Clinical Services at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
He assumed command of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and what is now the U.S. Army Europe Regional Medical Command in Landstuhl, Germany, serving concurrently as the Command Surgeon, U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army.
Kiley then assumed the duties of Assistant Surgeon General for Force Projection; Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Health Policy and Services, U.S. Army Medical Command; and Chief, Medical Corps. His next tour was as Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School at Fort Sam Houston, where he continued as Chief of the Medical Corps.
Kiley served as commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and North Atlantic Regional Medical Command twice, from 2002 to June 2004, when Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer Jr. took command; [5] and for a single day as acting commander, March 1–2, 2007 (See "Walter Reed Army Medical Center Controversy," below).
In a public statement following his retirement submission on March 11, 2007, Kiley said: "I submitted my retirement because I think it is in the best interest of the Army. I want to allow Acting Secretary Geren, General Schoomaker, and the leaders of the Army Medical Command to focus completely on the way ahead and the Army Action Plan to improve all aspects of Soldier care. We are an Army Medical Department at war, supporting an Army at war – it shouldn't be and it isn't about one doctor." [6] Maj. Gen. Gale S. Pollock assumed the post of Acting Army Surgeon General.
Since his approved military retirement, Doctor Kiley has remained a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and secured a position with the Albany Medical Center in New York as chair of the department of OB/GYN where he continues to see patients. [7]
Among his awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (three oak leaf clusters), Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal, the "A" professional designator, the Order of Military Medical Merit and the Expert Field Medical Badge.
In February 2007, The Washington Post and Army Times ran a series of articles about the shoddy conditions maintained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] Then-Army Sec. Francis J. Harvey had appointed Kiley to return to Walter Reed as acting commander, replacing his original successor at the post, Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who had been fired by Harvey that day.
On the same day, the Post reported that Kiley had been aware of the issues at Walter Reed from his command in 2003. [13] Further reports surfaced that during a visit in 2004 to Walter Reed by Congressman Bill Young and his wife Beverly Young, a soldier was witnessed sleeping in his own urine. Beverly Young, after being ignored by a nurse over the issue, went to Kiley's office to complain. She was quoted on the incident stating:
I went flying down to Kevin Kiley's office again, and got nowhere. He has skirted this stuff for five years and blamed everyone else. [13] [14]
—Beverly Young, wife of representative Bill Young
Kiley called the Post's reporting "a one-sided representation" [15] and "yellow journalism at its worst." [16] In his testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in March 2007, Kiley blamed junior officers for the conditions at Walter Reed. [17]
This article incorporates public domain material from Lieutenant General Kevin C. Kiley, M.D. United States Army. Archived from the original on 2007-03-15.
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) – known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951 – was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on 113 acres (46 ha) in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military. The center was named after Major Walter Reed (1851–1902), an Army physician who led the team that confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes rather than direct contact.
Francis Joseph Harvey served as the 19th Secretary of the United States Army from November 19, 2004, to March 9, 2007.
Major General George William 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.
Eric B. Schoomaker is a former United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 42nd Surgeon General of the United States Army and Commanding General, United States Army Medical Command, and a practicing hematologist. He previously served as Commanding General, North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He assumed the post of U.S. Army Surgeon General on December 11, 2007.
William Cline Borden was an American surgeon who was a key planner behind the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Borden was also dean of the School of Medicine at George Washington University.
Major General Kenneth Lloyd Farmer Jr. commanded Walter Reed Army Medical Center and North Atlantic Regional Medical Command from June 2004 to August 2006.
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal refers to a series of allegations of unsatisfactory conditions, treatment of patients, and management at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C. culminating in two articles published by The Washington Post in February 2007. Several cases of patient neglect and shoddy living conditions were reported as early as 2004. "Soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injuries or stress disorders, others with amputated limbs, have languished for weeks and months on end in vermin-infested quarters waiting for a decision on their military status and a ruling on the level of benefits they will receive if they are discharged and transferred to the civilian-run Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system." When the scandal broke, soldiers were pressured to keep quiet and punished with daily inspections for speaking to the press. Significant public and media attention was generated, which in turn prompted a number of congressional and executive actions, including resignations of several high-ranking officers.
Lieutenant General Michael S. Tucker is a retired United States Army general who served Commanding General of the First United States Army from 2013 until 2016. He formerly served as the Commanding General of the 2nd Infantry Division.
Gale S. Pollock is a retired United States Army major general who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States Army from October 2006 to March 2007, and also as chief of the Army Nurse Corps. She became acting Surgeon General of the United States Army for nine months following the 20 March 2007 retirement of her predecessor, Kevin C. Kiley, due to fallout from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal. She was the first woman and the first non-physician to hold the position.
Lieutenant General George Peach Taylor Jr. USAF (Ret.) was the 18th Surgeon General of the United States Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. General Taylor served as the senior Air Force officer responsible for comprehensive management of the Air Force Medical Service. In this capacity, he advises the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff, as well as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, on matters pertaining to the medical aspects of the air expeditionary force and the health care of 2.6 million Air Force beneficiaries. The Surgeon General has authority to commit resources for the Air Force Medical Service, to make decisions affecting the delivery of medical services, and to develop plans, programs and procedures to support worldwide medical service missions. The Surgeon General exercises direction, guidance and technical management of more than 42,000 people assigned to 74 medical treatment facilities worldwide. From September 7, 2010 – December 22, 2010 he served as the acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Charles H. Roadman II was the 16th United States Air Force Surgeon General (1996–1999), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D.C. His father, Charles H. Roadman (1914–2000), was also an Air Force flight surgeon and command pilot.
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Ronald Ray Blanck, D.O. was the 39th Surgeon General of the United States Army, from 1996 to 2000. He is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and is the only such physician ever appointed Surgeon General of the Army. He was also president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth from 2000 to 2006. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
James Benjamin Peake was the sixth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, serving from 2007 to 2009. In 2004, he retired from a 38-year United States Army career. He also served as the 40th Surgeon General of the United States Army.
Lester Martínez López is the first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland. His responsibilities included overseeing the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, which develops antidotes and vaccines for diseases soldiers might face on the battlefield.
Major General Enrique Méndez Jr. Grau, was a United States Army officer who was also the first Puerto Rican to hold the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. He was also the Dean and President of the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. Also served as Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico.
James K. Gilman, a retired United States Army Major General and physician from Hymera, Indiana, became the first chief executive officer of the NIH Clinical Center Jan. 9, 2017. The NIH Clinical Center is the nation's largest hospital devoted to clinical research.
Roger A. Lalich is a retired brigadier general in the National Guard of the United States and former assistant adjutant general of the Joint Staff of the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard. In addition, he served as the State Surgeon of Wisconsin.
Patricia D. Horoho is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 43rd Surgeon General of the United States Army and Commanding General of the United States Army Medical Command. She was the second female Nurse Corps officer to hold the title of Army surgeon general but the first to be appointed and hold the position for a full term. In 2016, she was inducted into the United States Army Women's Foundation Hall of Fame.
Monte Baldwin Miller was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who served as surgeon general of the United States Air Force from 1988 to 1991.
Walter Lawrence Reed was a major general in the United States Army who served as Inspector General of the Army from 1 December 1935 to 23 December 1939. His father was Army Medical Corps officer Major Walter Reed, namesake of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was born in Fort Apache, Arizona and moved to Washington, D.C. where he spent most of his early life. Reed fought in the Spanish–American War and traveled across the country and to the Panama Canal Zone. He then began working as an inspector during World War I and became the inspector of Base Section Number 5 in February 1919 then worked in the American Expeditionary Forces office. For his work he earned the Distinguished Service Medal. Reed attended various military schools before returning to the Inspector General's department. In 1935 he became the inspector general of the United States Army. He retired in 1940, but was recalled to active duty during World War II, filling a role in the War Department until 1946. Reed died in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1956.