MARION - The man who served as director of the VA Medical Center in Marion where mortality levels skyrocketed in 2006 and 2007 recently announced his retirement, according to Marion's new communications director, Peggy Willoughby.

Robert Morrel served as director in Marion from 2001 until September of last year before being reassigned to the network office in Kansas City following multiple internal investigations.

Those investigations concluded that Morrel was a disruptive force with employees and fostered an adversarial work environment.

He officially stepped down from his position with the VA on Sept. 3.

John Homan