Sex scandal rocks Texas Air Force base; allegations lead to charges against 4 instructors

[Blue_Tires]

SAN ANTONIO - From a chapel pulpit on Lackland Air Force Base, where every American airman reports for basic training, Col. Glenn Palmer delivered his first order to nearly 600 recruits seated in the pews: If you're sexually harassed or assaulted, tell someone.

"My job is to give you a safe, effective training environment," Palmer said firmly.

What the colonel did not mention directly in his recent address was a widening sex scandal that has rocked the base, one of the nation's busiest military training centers. Allegations that male instructors had sex with, and in one case raped, female trainees have led to criminal charges against four men. Charges against others are possible.

The most serious accusations surround an Air Force staff sergeant scheduled to face a court-martial in July on charges that include rape and multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault. The other three defendants were charged with lesser crimes ranging from sexual misconduct to adultery. All of the defendants were assigned to turn raw recruits into airmen in eight weeks of basic training.

A two-star general is now investigating alongside a separate criminal probe, which military prosecutors say could sweep up more airmen. Advocates for female service members and members of Congress have started taking notice.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/160297765.html?c=y&page=all&prepage=1

[TBMASE]

1. Aside from the rape, anyone who's been to basic training

knows the DIs have sex with the female recruits. It was an open secret when I was at Ft Dix in 1986, Ft Eustis in 87

[HockeyMom]

2. My daughter is going there

28 years old and married. Joining the Guard. I told her she was crazy and sent her this link. She is not answering me about this. Maybe I should have sent this link to her husband instead? Her father, a Nam Vet, Faux Watching, Republican thinks it is great. Hmm. you were MALE and unmarried 17 year old when you enlisted. Your daughter is FEMALE and married. He wants to live vicariously through his daughter. The militiary was the best time of his life. Maybe he should have stayed in the military, but he would not have married me, or had his daughters.

[malthaussen]

3. How can anyone who went through Vietnam be a RW supporter?

It boggles the mind. Unless he had an easy gig?

-- Mal

[HockeyMom]

4. Exactly

He was a jet plane mechanic on Guam during Nam. He never fired a shot in his life. I think that is why he is so obsessed about the military, and guns. All the Nam Vets I knew, who were actually in the trenches and life and death situations, were very much anti-militiary.

The fact still remains that I am very worried about my daughter even just being the Guard, here on US soil, or with a Republican President in office, being sent to Iran or Syria.

[TBMASE]

6. My father and godfather were lifers after vietnam

both were Air Cav. A lot of people I knew while in reserve service were vietnam vets, loved the military and were very RW

[malthaussen]

7. Oh, I know it happens...

... I just don't understand it.

-- Mal

[Sirveri]

9. To be fair, older and married she'll probably be fine.

Also, it's the guard, lots of older more mature folks in there. You're also assuming she doesn't know how to defend herself or deal with these sorts of issues. Maybe she doesn't, I obviously don't know her as well as you do, but at 28 she's going to live her life the way she wants to. As for me, I had to join for economic reasons, she'll quickly find out that the military really sucks for plenty of reasons other than this. But maybe she'll love it, who knows, there are plenty of dig its currently serving.

I think the best thing you can do here is to tell her you're worried because you love her, not try to outright brow beat her into not joining up with this, because that probably won't do anything other than piss her off and make it harder to talk in the future. But that might just be me projecting my own outlook onto it.

[TheDebbieDee]

5. I went to Basic at Ft. Jackson, SC from Dec 82 to Mar 83...............

My basic training unit had several recycles/washes from the previous basic training cycle. Apparently, the IG had swooped in on that cycle and relieved several Drill Instructors and the CO in that unit after it was found out that one of the DIs was dating one of the trainees (it was training company in which all the trainees were female).

It was an incident that was well-publicized on post, and a couple of the DIs wound up getting court-martialed, mostly to serve as an example to all the other training companies.........

Well, as my company went to thru all the assorted ranges, the personnel at these ranges were terrified of us. They wouldn't speak to us any more than was absolutely necessary - these people wouldn't even look us females in the eye!

ETA: Also, my daughter finished up basic training at Lackland AFB on Jun 4th or 5th. She didn't report having any problems of that nature.........

[Meiko]

8. I don't know it

I went to basic at Lackland and never heard of anything like this. Back when I was there females were not allowed to have male DI's and the male side was the same, no female DI's for the men. Some of the problem is the coed mindset the military has adopted. I mean if you have a couple of guys in total control of 50+ young girls anything is possible.

[sandersmab]

10. Need Information

I was one of the females stationed at Fort Eustis, VA in H Co, 71st Trans. BN in 1986, that was being abused by the acting 1st Sgt. You don't happen to recall his name do you?