Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Opens

U.S. military officials are celebrating the opening of the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, the Associated Press reported. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta presided over a dedication ceremony yesterday. He called the center "a 21st-century place of miracles." The hospital is a merger of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center. The merger is a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act. The new facility is staffed by Army, Navy and Air Force members.