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Looks like sh*t is starting to stink at D Co.


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Damn son, why you posting this drama so late at night? I got work in the morning.

I'm a habitual sh*t-stirrer.

 

I stir sh*t, habitually.

 

Admittedly, I don't know this young LT remarkably well. Our paths have crossed a few times, and those who know her well speak highly of her.

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I've known her for nearly 15 years and we crossed paths again at Rucker. We used to talk about how one day we'd both be Army Aviators, when we were 14. This is...tragic. She is one of the smartest, most responsible, got-her-ducks-in-a-damn-row people I know. The Army threw away a damn fine soldier, Leader, and Aviator and will be worse off for it.

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Just finished the video. How is it possible that she is getting screwed this bad? How is "Lt. Jenkins" able to escape seemingly un-scathed out of this whereas the LT in the video is being involuntarily separated?

 

I'm actually blown away by this. Is there anything that can be done now?

Just watched the entire hour and yes, I believe those idiots rubberstamped what some junior captain investigating officer said without EVER looking at any of the evidence themselves. I don't know her from Adam, but I can absolutely see this occurring. And let us NOT pretend that non legal (or legal sometimes...but much less) know what is in a reg (there are A LOT of regs).

 

What can you do--spread it. What will get a bureaucracy to move in an opposite direction and stop its inertia? The frigg'n press. May not make a difference, but I twittered the youtube link out to her Congressional delegation, the SMA, and several news orgs (I started it at 30:10 in the link). If only one of them looks at this, they will most likely get the same inclination (that she was rail roaded because of overwork and ineptitude). Messed up if 50% of this is correct-and I suspect she is on the up and up.

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Maybe US Army WTF moments will get wind of this and post stuff. They love stirring the pot, and I think this situation definitely warrants some pot stirring. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, there's a good chance it's a duck. I hope it's not too late.

Already happening.

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LT #1 cheats on test.

LT #2 reports her (apparently multiple people saw her cheating).

 

LT#1 in retaliation says that LT #2 is having an "inappropriate relationship (though NOT sexual in nature)" with LT #2's stick buddy. There is no evidence to support this. LT #2 is happily married to a deployed MAJ and raising their 6 year old son solo while he is deployed.

 

LT #1, #2, and aforementioned stick buddy are all investigated. The investigating officers are all buddies, potential conflict of interest. LT #1 is allowed to continue flight school. LT #2 and stick buddy are told they will be involuntary separated from the Army. Again, no evidence of any sort of misconduct.

 

LT#2 appeals, brings forth plenty of evidence of threats from LT#1, brings it up the chain who completely ignore her. CDR and above never look at her file, basically didn't grant her the time of day.

 

LT#2 goes to her Congressman who queries Ft Rucker, who fails to respond. IG wouldn't do anything because Congressman is already involved. All this takes place over a 1.5 year time period and both LT #2 and stick buddy were still forced out of the Army. She was forced to clear post this past week, DD214 is in hand hence the video.

 

-------------------

 

If still TLDR, one LT reported another one for cheating on a flight school test. First LT retaliated by claiming the other LT was having an inappropriate relationship with her stick buddy. Cheating LT is still in flight school and the other two got involuntarily separated. D co and higher didn't even grant them the time of day to actually read their appeals, lots of conflicts of interests, etc.

 

^This is all from the video. I have no inside knowledge of the investigation, and can't say anything about D co is true or not. I do know Army WTF moments has made contact with her and she is sending them the full 15-6 and all evidence for her and against her, so it will be interesting to see what this independent third party has to say.

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Watched the video, a few of the guys named are my former classmates from the academy. After having done a whole lot of 15-6 investigations as a Commander all I have to say is if even half of this is accurate someone is about to have a lot of "splainin" to do. I see this being like the Oprah Winfrey show but instead of cars everyone in the CoC gets a GOMOR. Probably the legal office too. Interested to see what comes out of this.

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Was Lt #1 a West Point Graduate or have political connections? Just curious.

 

Assuming what LT#2 stated was true; in this case I think it's more likely she was fooling around with someone in the CoC or, like you said, has connections. So many things appear wrong with this whole situation. Like the fact that just because legal was busy, she was denied legal representation. In addition the I/O should never be the commander, or anyone in the CoC, because of the conflicts of interest. The commander should never speak directly to the soldier under investigation because of conflict of interest when it comes time to recommend punishment. In fact NO commander should even speak to the I/O prior to the conclusion of the investigation because of undue command influence issues. I avoid my I/Os like the plague, can't tell you how many of them have tried asking me questions and I have to plug me ears like "lalalala I can't hear you please leave and don't come back until the investigation is done." Any of those alone would be enough to start congressional inquiries. But, that being said, there are always 3 sides to the story.

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This is not the first time I know of a female flight student drummed out of D Co based only on rumors from fellow students who did not like her. Is it a trend? Maybe. I hope it gets looked at, at least, because careers and lives have been ruined on simple hearsay.

 

She makes an excellent point about GOMORs at the end of her video. Since they are administrative and non-judicial, they can be issued scary easy, and if they are filed permanently they are career enders. i don't think going away from GOMORs completely is the answer, I think the power to formally reprimand an officer should remain, especially when there is no ability to UCMJ. However, a permanently filed GOMOR should fall under UCMJ, since it carries the same weight and consequence as UCMJ action.

 

Things like this is why I was a hermit as a WO1 in flight school. I was friendly with my classmates but largely kept them out of my social life. There are too many examples of students losing their career over something they wouldn't even get counseled for in the real army. The CG at the time I went through had a hard on for kicking out flight students, and he wielded his GOMOR signing pen openly. It didn't matter if you were guilty or innocent, if you did something he simply didnt like, you were gone. His liberal use of the GOMOR definitely got rid of a few dirtbags, but in the collateral damage several excellent officers and pilots were lost. The same issues she described existed at that time. D CO used SMO as investigative officers, hearsay statements were admitted as evidence against the accused, members of the chain of command would make sexist and derogatory comments, and the legal office was unable to assist students, as were the legal offices of Benning. The removal of evidence, the unwillingness of command to speak to soldiers regarding the issue, and the lack of awareness by BN and BDE regarding the issue is something I have not seen.

 

Also new to me was the suggestion that a relationship with a stick buddy could be characterized as inappropriate, and I agree with her rationalization at the end that even if she had a relationship with him, it would not violate the Army's policy on fraternization. In fact, if relationships with stick buddies and fellow flight students were grounds for removal, half of the people I knew in flight school should have been kicked out. I know of half a dozen that got married to a flight student.

 

I am going to keep an eye on this, because I want to know the outcome. D CO has been dirty for a long time, and I am glad the "Spotlight" and "Limelight" is finally on them.

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This is not the first time I know of a female flight student drummed out of D Co based only on rumors from fellow students who did not like her. Is it a trend? Maybe. I hope it gets looked at, at least, because careers and lives have been ruined on simple hearsay.

 

She makes an excellent point about GOMORs at the end of her video. Since they are administrative and non-judicial, they can be issued scary easy, and if they are filed permanently they are career enders. i don't think going away from GOMORs completely is the answer, I think the power to formally reprimand an officer should remain, especially when there is no ability to UCMJ. However, a permanently filed GOMOR should fall under UCMJ, since it carries the same weight and consequence as UCMJ action.

 

Things like this is why I was a hermit as a WO1 in flight school. I was friendly with my classmates but largely kept them out of my social life. There are too many examples of students losing their career over something they wouldn't even get counseled for in the real army. The CG at the time I went through had a hard on for kicking out flight students, and he wielded his GOMOR signing pen openly. It didn't matter if you were guilty or innocent, if you did something he simply didnt like, you were gone. His liberal use of the GOMOR definitely got rid of a few dirtbags, but in the collateral damage several excellent officers and pilots were lost. The same issues she described existed at that time. D CO used SMO as investigative officers, hearsay statements were admitted as evidence against the accused, members of the chain of command would make sexist and derogatory comments, and the legal office was unable to assist students, as were the legal offices of Benning. The removal of evidence, the unwillingness of command to speak to soldiers regarding the issue, and the lack of awareness by BN and BDE regarding the issue is something I have not seen.

 

Also new to me was the suggestion that a relationship with a stick buddy could be characterized as inappropriate, and I agree with her rationalization at the end that even if she had a relationship with him, it would not violate the Army's policy on fraternization. In fact, if relationships with stick buddies and fellow flight students were grounds for removal, half of the people I knew in flight school should have been kicked out. I know of half a dozen that got married to a flight student.

 

I am going to keep an eye on this, because I want to know the outcome. D CO has been dirty for a long time, and I am glad the "Spotlight" and "Limelight" is finally on them.

Someone mentioned earlier that the Lieutenant who reported the incident originally is married (I believe the Lieutenant also said this in her video) so if that's accurate that's where the whole inappropriate relationship thing came in. I agree that GOMORs are dangerous. I've only ever seen 1 filed locally. In fact, there are so many different ways the Army can get one over on you administratively that a formal court martial is rarely needed. The Army is quickly becoming a zero defect culture. Previously your Lieutenant files would have been masked so she would have been able to recover from a GOMOR, but now that they aren't, even one bad OER can do you in.

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The Army is quickly becoming a zero defect culture.

 

Not sure if I agree with this exactly. It's something but it's not about zero defects. The system has always been exploitable to those who play politics well. Sometimes the soldiers with the least defects think they can get by simply by being a good soldier but when situations like this come up, that has little to do with whether they continue in the Army. It was like that when I was in, I heard plenty of stories of it being similar before my time, not surprised it's still the same way.

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I know the other officer involved. Such a shame to lose a couple of good officers and pilots. I'm glad this is getting some attention.

The stick buddy? Pure curiosity, is he an LT or a WO?

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