Joint Base Lewis-McChord hospital commander under investigation

Col. Christopher H. Warner, commander of Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, was suspended Oct. 2 pending an investigation, according to I Corps.

The investigation is being handled by the Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, said I Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Neil Penttila in an email. Additional details were not shared.

“Of note, the incident under investigation did not happen while he was assigned to JBLM or in command of Madigan Army Medical Center,” Penttila added.

The investigation is unrelated to the hospital and its personnel, according to a separate I Corps statement.

The hospital’s deputy commander, Col. Scott B. Roofe, will take over leading the facility while the investigation proceeds.

“Col. Roofe will ensure that there is minimal impact on the hospital’s mission and operations,” the I Corps statement reads.

Warner only took command of Madigan Army Medical Center this summer, according to a July press release.

He came to the hospital after serving as the military deputy and chief of staff for the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs at the Pentagon.

Warner has also served as the commander of Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart, Georgia. His deployments include two rotations to Iraq.

A career medical doctor, Warner graduated from West Point in 1996 and from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in 2000.

He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Family Medicine.

About Kyle Rempfer

Kyle Rempfer is an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq. Follow on Twitter @Kyle_Rempfer

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