Walter Reed Army Medical Center facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Medical Center's Building 1 prior to its 2011 closing
Founded	1 May 1909
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Hospital
Role	Militarized healthcare
Motto(s)	"We Provide Warrior Care"
Disbanded	27 August 2011
Commanders
Notable commanders	LTG Kevin C. Kiley (2002 – June 2004; 1–2 March 2007) MG Kenneth L. Farmer Jr. (June 2004 – 25 Aug. 2006) MG. George W. Weightman (25 Aug. 2006 – 1 March 2007) MG Carla Hawley-Bowland (final commander)

Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Health Care System
The WRAMC distinctive unit insignia
Geography
Location	6900 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates	38°58′30″N 77°01′48″W / 38.975°N 77.03°W / 38.975; -77.03
Organization
Care system	Military
Hospital type	General
History
Founded	1 May 1909

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) was a very important hospital for the U.S. Army. It was the main medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located in Washington, D.C., it covered about 113 acres.

This hospital helped over 150,000 active and retired military members. These patients came from all parts of the United States Armed Forces. The center was named after Walter Reed. He was a U.S. Army doctor and sergeant. Dr. Reed led a team that found out how yellow fever spreads. They proved it was carried by mosquitoes, not by touching people.

Over the years, the hospital grew a lot. It started with beds for 80 patients. By the time it closed, it had about 5,500 rooms. These rooms covered more than 28 acres of floor space. In 2011, WRAMC joined with another hospital. It combined with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Together, they formed the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). The old WRAMC campus is now being turned into a new area called the Parks at Walter Reed.

History of Walter Reed Hospital

Early Days at Fort McNair

The story of Walter Reed Army Medical Center began at Fort Lesley J. McNair. This fort is in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest U.S. Army bases still in use. George Washington himself set aside the land for military use.

Fort McNair is located where the Anacostia River and the Potomac River meet. This made it a great spot to defend the nation's capital. The fort has been around since 1791. It was once a place to store weapons. It also held the first U.S. Federal Prison from 1839 to 1862.

Today, Fort McNair is known as a center for defense ideas. It also has beautiful views of the water. The old health clinic at Fort McNair was the first version of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Important officials often chose this clinic for their health care.

Walter Reed's Connection to the Clinic

The health clinic at Fort McNair was called "Walter Reed's Clinic." From 1898 to 1909, it was the General Hospital at what was then Washington Barracks. This was before the fort was renamed in honor of Lt. Gen. McNair. This hospital was the start of Walter Reed General Hospital.

The old clinic building is still there. It is a very important military medical building. It is believed that Walter Reed lived and worked there. He was assigned as Camp Surgeon from 1881 to 1882. Later, he returned as a professor and curator. He did some of his important work on diseases at Washington Barracks. He is most famous for finding out how yellow fever spreads. In 1902, Major Reed had surgery there for appendicitis. Sadly, he died from problems after the surgery in that very hospital.

Hospital Training and Relocation

Since the 1890s, the health clinic trained doctors, corpsmen (medical assistants), and nurses. They learned how to provide military health care. In 1899, a building for the morgue was built. This building now holds the Dental Clinic. In 1901, the hospital became its own separate military unit.

Eight years later, in 1909, this new unit moved. They used horse-drawn wagons and an early steam-powered ambulance. They moved 11 patients from the 50-bed hospital. They went north to a new 65-bed facility. This new place became the Walter Reed Army Medical Center we know today. The old facility at Fort McNair became a smaller post hospital.

Walter Reed General Hospital and WRAMC's Growth

The U.S. Congress approved money to build Walter Reed General Hospital. They provided $192,000 for its construction. The company Marah & Peter designed the building. Cramp & Company won the contract to build it. Construction started in 1907.

The first ten patients were admitted on May 1, 1909. Lieutenant Colonel William Cline Borden was key to making the Medical Center happen. Because of his hard work, the facility was nicknamed "Borden's Dream."

In 1923, General John J. Pershing signed an order. This order created the "Army Medical Center" (AMC) on the same campus. At this time, the Army Medical School moved there. It became the "Medical Department Professional Service School" (MDPSS) in the new Building 40. General Pershing lived at Walter Reed from 1944 until he died there in 1948.

The Walter Reed General Hospital (main building with cupola in distance at far left) in September, 1919. This was the first version of WRAMC.

In September 1951, a new order combined the WRGH with the AMC. The whole group of 100 rose-brick buildings was renamed. It became the "Walter Reed Army Medical Center" (WRAMC). In June 1955, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) moved into a new building. In November, the MDPSS was renamed the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). In 1964, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing (WRAIN) was created. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower died at WRAMC on March 28, 1969.

A large new WRAMC building (Building 2) was built starting in 1972. It was ready by 1977. The WRAIR moved to a new facility in Maryland in 1999. This was at the WRAMC Forest Glen Annex. Later, Building 40 was planned to be updated by a private company.

In 2007, WRAMC partnered with the University of Pennsylvania. This partnership made special proton therapy available. This treatment helped U.S. military personnel and veterans. It was offered at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.

WRAMC's Closure in 2011

President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush visit Sgt. Patrick Hagood of Anderson, South Carolina on October 5, 2005.

On May 13, 2005, the Department of Defense made an announcement. They suggested replacing Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The plan was to build a new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). This new center would be at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. This location was about seven miles from the old WRAMC.

This plan was part of a program to combine military medical facilities. The new center would have staff from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. On August 25, 2005, the BRAC Committee approved the plans. The move of services from the old WRAMC to the new one happened slowly. This was to make sure patients still received good care. Thousands of service members, retired personnel, and their families depended on WRAMC.

Operations at the WRAMC facility ended on August 27, 2011. The Army stated that the cost of closing the hospital and combining it with the Bethesda Naval Medical Center more than doubled. It went from the original estimate to $2.6 billion.

Other Organizations at WRAMC

Besides the main hospital, the WRAMC campus hosted other important groups. These organizations worked closely with the hospital.

• The North Atlantic Regional Medical Command
• The North Atlantic Regional Dental Command
• The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP)
• The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
• United States Army Institute of Dental Research (USAIDR)
• The DOD Deployment Health Clinical Center
• The National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM) was in the same building as the AFIP. The NMHM later moved. It reopened on September 15, 2011, at Fort Detrick Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring, Maryland.
• The Borden Institute, which focused on military medical research and education.
• The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) was once in Building 40. This research institute moved to WRAMC's Forest Glen Annex in 1999. In 2008, control of the Annex went to Fort Detrick. This was done to prepare for WRAMC's move in 2011.

Commanding Officers

After 1992, officers from any part of the Army Medical Department could lead medical facilities. However, every commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was a member of the Army Medical Corps (doctors).

Leaders of Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Image	Rank	Name	Begin date	End date	Notes
	Major General	Carla G. Hawley-Bowland	December 2007	29 July 2011	She was the last commander.
	Major General	Schoomaker, Eric B.Eric B. Schoomaker	March 2007	November 2007	Later became the Surgeon General of the Army.
	Lieutenant General	Kiley, Kevin C.Kevin C. Kiley	1 March 2007	2 March 2007	Also served as Surgeon General of the Army at the same time.
	Major General	Weightman, George W.George W. Weightman	August 2006	1 March 2007
	Major General	Farmer Jr., Kenneth L.Kenneth L. Farmer Jr.	June 2004	August 2006
	Major General	Kiley, Kevin C.Kevin C. Kiley	June 2002	June 2004	Later became the Surgeon General of the Army.
	Major General	Harold L. Timboe	May 1999	June 2002
	Major General	Leslie M. Burger	November 1996	May 1999
	Major General	Blanck, Ronald R.Ronald R. Blanck	October 1992	October 1996	Later became the Surgeon General of the Army.
	Major General	Richard D. Cameron	May 1989	October 1992	Later Commanding General, United States Army Health Services Command.
	Colonel	James E. Hastings	March 1989	May 1989
	Major General	James H. Rumbaugh	August 1988	March 1989	Died while in command.
	Major General	Louis A. Malogne	June 1983	August 1988	Retired for medical reasons; died shortly after.
	Major General	Méndez Jr., EnriqueEnrique Méndez Jr.	October 1981	June 1983	Later Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs).
	Major General	Mittemeyer, Bernard T.Bernard T. Mittemeyer	June 1980	September 1981	Later became the Surgeon General of the Army.
	Major General	George I. Baker	March 1978	June 1980
	Major General	Robert Bernstein	June 1973	February 1978	Previously Command Surgeon in Vietnam.
	Major General	William H. Moncrief	May 1972	April 1973
	Brigadier General	William H. Meroney	April 1972	May 1972
	Major General	Colin F. Vorder Brugge	January 1971	March 1972
	Major General	Carl W. Hughes	November 1970	January 1971
	Major General	Glenn J. Collins	June 1969	October 1970	Previously Commanding General of the 44th Medical Brigade.
	Major General	Phillip W. Mallory	May 1967	June 1969
	Major General	Douglas O. Kendrick	June 1965	March 1967
	Major General	Achilles L. Tynes	September 1962	May 1965
	Major General	Clinton S. Lyter	May 1961	September 1962
	Major General	C. F. St. John	July 1959	April 1961
	Major General	Heaton, Leonard D.Leonard D. Heaton	April 1953	June 1959	Later became the Surgeon General of the Army.
	Major General	Paul H. Streit	September 1951	March 1953

Leaders of The Army Medical Center

Image	Rank	Name	Begin Date	End Date	Notes
	Major General	Paul H. Streit	January 1949	February 1951
	Major General	George C. Beach	March 1946	November 1948
	Major General	Shelly U. Marietta	February 1941	February 1946
	Brigadier General	Raymond F. Metcalfe	December 1939	January 1941
	Brigadier General	Wallace C. DeWitt	August 1935	December 1939	A hospital was named after him.
	Brigadier General	Albert E. Truby	January 1932	July 1935	He worked with Walter Reed on yellow fever experiments.
	Brigadier General	Darnall, Carl R.Carl R. Darnall	December 1929	December 1931	A medical center is named after him.
	Brigadier General	James M. Kennedy	March 1926	December 1929
	Brigadier General	James D. Glennan	March 1919	March 1926

Leaders of Walter Reed General Hospital

Image	Rank	Name	Begin date	End date	Notes
	Brigadier General	James D. Glennan	March 1919	March 1926
	Colonel	Edward R. Schreiner	August 1918	March 1919
	Colonel	Willard F. Truby	November 1917	August 1918
	Colonel	Charles P. Mason	October 1916	November 1917
	Major	Percy M. Ashburn	September 1915	October 1916
	Colonel	John L. Phillips	May 1914	September 1915
	Colonel	Henry C. "Pinky" Fisher	August 1913	May 1914
	Colonel	H. P. Birmingham	October 1912	May 1913
	Colonel	Charles Richard	September 1911	September 1912
	Colonel	William H. Arthur	1 June 1908	11 July 1911	He worked with Major Walter Reed in the 1890s.

Images for kids

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  Main Building

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  East wing of Main Building

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  West wing of Main Building

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  Great Lawn

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  Buildings 8 and 9

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  Building 12

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  Borden Pavilion

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  Building 7

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  Vaccaro Hall

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  Abrams Hall

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  Wagner Sports Center

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  Mologne House

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  Power plant

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  Doss Memorial Hall

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  Walter Reed Monument

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  Delano Hall

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  Building T20

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  Armed Forces Institute of Pathology

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  Building 21

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  Memorial Chapel

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  Fisher House

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  Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

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  Building 52

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  Old Red Cross Building

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  Campus map

See also

• List of former United States Army medical units
• National Register of Historic Places listings in the upper NW Quadrant of Washington, D.C.