Sex, Lies And Basic Training

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Army Times
December 15, 2008
Pg. 8
Sex, Lies And Basic Training
Leonard Wood cases top list of trainee abuse by instructors
By Gina Cavallaro
Drinking parties. Sex in thelaundry room. Social dates and text messaging. Sex in a truck. In a bathroom. And in the barracks.
Between February 2007 and November 2008, 12 drill sergeants and advanced individual training instructors at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., admitted in court-martial proceedings to having engaged in such forbidden sexual and social relationships with trainees.
Each soldier pleaded guilty to at least one count of violating Regulation 350-6 -- wrongfully engaging in a personal and social relationship with a trainee -- and dozens of other related offenses on and off post between December 2005 and August 2008.
Fort Leonard Wood officials told Army Times there is "no clear pattern" in the conduct of the cadre over the two and a half years, indicating they all appeared to have acted alone. There were no allegations made against any officers in the Fort Leonard Wood cases, according to officials there.
"While we have had instances of misconduct, we've trained hundreds of thousands in gender integrated training, and 99 percent of our soldiers are training to standard," said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley, commander of Accessions Command, a subordinate command of Army Training and Doctrine Command.
"What you're hearing about and learning about is the end result of due process," he said.
More than 600,000 enlisted soldiers were trained by tens of thousands of drill sergeants at the Army's five basic training posts during the eight years of data provided by TRADOC.
Only two of those posts -- Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Jackson, S.C. -- have women in basic training.
Freakley pointed to the exhaustive training all enlisted soldiers and officers get on a regular basis in sexual abuse and misconduct, concluding that even in the Army, where the issue is addressed on a continual basis, people cannot be controlled at every turn.
"I guess we're going to have to go back to the base of the apple tree in the Garden of Eden to answer the question," he said.
Officials said lapses in discipline were personal, informed decisions on the part of the offenders and not for lack of training.
"Human nature is still human nature, whether you're civilian or military. We are all subject to the fallacies of the world, if you will, or the weakness of who we are as human beings," said Col. Randall Twitchell, commander of 14th Military Police Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, which conducts basic and advanced individual training.
After sweeping up the ashes from the 1996 drill sergeant sex scandal at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., in which a pattern of sexual abuse by one individual resulted in 18 rape convictions, the Army instituted new rules, and drill sergeant candidates were more closely scrutinized.
The Drill Sergeant School has brought in outside experts to teach its sexual abuse prevention classes, and drill sergeants are trained and re-trained on their responsibilities throughout their two-year assignments, with strong emphasis on the consequences of breaking the Army's rules governing behavior with trainees.
Even the trainees have more rights and resources than they once did.
Still, data provided by TRADOC, which recruits and trains soldiers, shows that in the eight years between Oct. 1, 2000, and Sept. 30, 2008, 107 drill sergeants were charged with sexual misconduct under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, resulting in disciplinary action that included 52 courts-martial, confinement for many and dozens of bad-conduct discharges.
Fort Leonard Wood had the most cases with 38; followed by Fort Jackson with 24, including two rapes; Fort Lee, Va., with nine; Fort Gordon, Ga., with eight; and Fort Eustis, Va., with six including one for rape.
The vast majority of the offenses, according to the data, were for consensual sex. But Army leaders say there is no such thing as consensual sex between a drill sergeant and a trainee. It is against Army regulation.
"Drill sergeants have a position of trust, and because of that, there cannot be any interaction between cadre and a soldier in training, this includes socializing, riding in personal vehicles, lunch or any fraternization at any level," said Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Newsome, commandant of the Drill Sergeant School at Fort Jackson, where about 1,800 drill sergeants are trained each year.
Avoiding personal contact
The behavior of drill sergeants who decide to go astray "disgusts me," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan Godwin, command sergeant major for the 796th MP Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood. He was a drill sergeant from 1994 to 1996 at Fort McClellan, Ala.
"The drill sergeant family that is here training America's sons and daughters is just that, a family, we're a team. Unfortunately we have those out there that will not live up to and inculcate the Army values," he said.
The start of a personal relationship between trainees and their instructors can arise from a seemingly innocent conversation about home, family or interests. Drill sergeants are instructed, beginning in Drill Sergeant School and throughout their rotation on the trail, to avoid any personal contact whatsoever.
"The best thing you can do is have a female battle buddy because she's going to pick up on signals being given by a female trainee that a male would just be clueless to," said a former drill sergeant who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic.
He described a tactic allegedly used by some female trainees to gain attention that he and other drill sergeants call "parade pretty" in which the woman will "pop her hip out, throw their hand on their hip or angle their leg out" when they're being addressed.
"The male drill sergeant will continue to talk to her and not notice, but a female will pull her aside and let her have it," the former drill said.
Since the Aberdeen scandal, conditions for reporting have been beefed up, chaplains are regularly made available and soldiers are strongly encouraged to speak up to those outside their immediate chain of command when they think something is wrong, even with another trainee.
"Each of these soldiers is teamed up with a battle buddy. Wherever they go, they are together. That assists a great deal, too," said Brig. Gen. David Phillips, commandant of the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood.
Staff Sgt. Leslie Ledding's military occupational specialty is firefighter, but she's been a drill sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood since April 2007. Giving her derelict fellow drill sergeants no slack and deriding them for giving all drill sergeants a black eye, Ledding pointed out that the misconduct is always an informed decision.
"When a drill sergeant begins an improper relationship with a soldier, they know full well they are not supposed to. So they do so in full knowledge that what they're doing is wrong and they know what the potential outcome is," said Ledding, Fort Leonard Wood's 2007 drill sergeant of the year. "I'm always be baffled by that."
'Repugnant to the core values'
The revelation of disciplinary lapses by the very soldiers entrusted with the Army's newest recruits comes at a time when the Army has openly admitted it has a continuing and rising problem with sexual assault and abuse in its ranks.
Acknowledging it has a sexual assault rate that is double that of the other services, the Army's top leaders held a weeklong mandatory gathering of division and above Army leaders in September. They rolled out a new sexual assault prevention and response campaign with a zero tolerance message.
Anny Secretary Pete Geren addressed the leaders and even raised the ugly subject in his keynote address at the October symposium of the Association of the U.S. Anny.
"Sexual assault is a crime that is repugnant to the core values that define our Army... a profound disgrace because we're a values-based organization," Geren said.
At Fort Leonard Wood, one sexual misconduct case is pending court-martial, and other investigations into the same types of offenses are ongoing, Chief of Military Justice Capt. Mary Leavitt said.
At the training companies, where most drill sergeants never incur an offense, there is a call to renew the commitment to the youngest soldiers and each other.
"We do everything within our power to prevent these things from happening. We watch each other closely. So when someone's behind the scenes, and they're doing these things, it's not openly being done," said Regimental Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Kirkland from the MP School. "It's a criminal mind and they're taking advantage of some breakdown in our control measures."
The offenders
The following details of the 12 drill sergeants and AIT instructors convicted at Fort Leonard Wood from February 2007 to November were provided by Leavitt.
Staff Sgt. Willie Myles, 82nd Chemical Battalion. In June and July 2006, he had sex with a trainee, twice in the barracks while other trainees served as lookouts and once at a hotel off post. He also disarmed the alarm system and diverted other fireguards to meet privately with a trainee. In March 2007, he pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 350-6, disobeying an officer, making a false official statement and adultery. He was sentenced to reduction to E-3, seven months' confinement and a bad-conduct discharge.
Sgt. 1st Class Erin Nichols, 43rd Adjutant General Battalion. In March 2007, he engaged in sexual touching, intercourse, oral sex, kissing and personal conversations with a trainee. In July 2007, he pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 350-6. He was sentenced to reduction to E-3, 90 days' hard labor and 30 days confinement.
Staff Sgt. Chad Smith, 79th MP Battalion. From January to March 2007, he had sex with a trainee twice. He pleaded guilty in July 2007 to violating Regulation 350-6, making a false official statement and adultery. He was sentenced to reduction to E-l, eight months' confinement and a bad-conduct discharge.
Staff Sgt. Travis Dauer, 82nd Chemical Battalion. From July to November 2006, he had sex with four different trainees in laundry, supply, hotel and hospital rooms, his truck and his home. He pleaded guilty in February 2007 to violating Regulation 350-6. He was sentenced to reduction to E-l, 18 months' confinement, total forfeiture of pay and a bad-conduct discharge.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Sillaway, 10th Infantry Regiment. From December 2005 to March 2006, he had personal and sexual relationships with three trainees in locations on and off post, including in a vehicle while another trainee drove and three times at a fellow drill sergeant's apartment with the consent of the drill sergeant. He was caught asking each of the trainees to deny the relationship. In May 2007, he pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 350-6. He was sentenced to reduction to E-l, one year of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge.
Staff Sgt. Flexner Masadao, 10th Infantry Regiment. From September to November 2006, he drove three female trainees off post in his personal vehicle, engaging in sexual touching with one of them and serving alcohol. He also mistreated seven trainees who accused him of grabbing, stroking, kissing, placing his hand under clothing, rubbing near a crotch and rubbing a breast, as well as making sexual comments in front of other trainees. In June 2007, he pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of violating Regulation 350-6, maltreatment and aiding absentees, but he was found guilty of all charges in court-martial proceedings. He was sentenced to reduction to E-l, three years' confinement and a bad-conduct discharge.
Staff Sgt. Steven Schrank, 169th Engineer Battalion. In August 2008, he helped a trainee go absent without leave and engaged in a personal relationship with her, including sexual intercourse, texting, driving her in his personal vehicle, taking her to his home, going on dates and social outings, and talking on the phone. He pleaded guilty in November to violating Regulation 350-6, making a false official statement and adultery. He was sentenced to reduction to E-l, eight months' confinement, forfeiture of pay for eight months and a bad-conduct discharge.
Staff Sgt. Edward Smart, 796th MP Battalion. In June and July 2008, he had sexual intercourse with trainee at his home. In November, he pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 350-6 and adultery. He was sentenced to reduction to E-l, 90 days' confinement and a bad-conduct discharge.
Staff Sgt. Marc Kiriou, 796th MP Battalion. In July 2008, he entertained three male trainees and one female trainee at his home, had sex with the woman and served alcohol to all of them, including an underage man. In November, he pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 350-6, making a false official statement and adultery. He was sentenced to reduction to E-1, 10 months' confinement, forfeiture of pay for 10 months and a bad-conduct discharge.
Staff Sgt. Michael Spears, 577th Engineer Battalion. In September 2006, he met a trainee at an off-post club, drove her to his home, had sex with her, and later tried to get the trainee to delete text messages and deny the relationship. In March 2007, he pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 350-6, making a false official statement and adultery. He was sentenced to reduction to E-3 and five months' confinement.
Sgt. Colbey Strange,169th Engineer Battalion. In late 2006 and early 2007, he had a sex with a trainee twice. In July 2007, he pleaded guilty to violating Regulation 350-6, disobeying an officer and adultery. He was sentenced to reduction to E-3, forfeiture of two-thirds of pay for three months and 90 days' hard labor.
Staff Sgt. Heriberto Rosa Hernandez, 43rd Adjutant General Battalion. As a processing noncommissioned officer in the reception battalion from January 2006 to March 2007, he had inappropriate relationships with three trainees and indecently assaulted one of them. He pleaded not guilty to violating Regulation 350-6 and adultery, but was found guilty of the charges in court-martial. He was sentenced to reduction to E-2, 60 days' confinement and a nonpunitive discharge.
Sexual Misconduct: 15 Posts, 107 Cases
Data from Army Training and Doctrine Command shows that between Oct. 1, 2000, to Sept. 30, 2008, 107 drill sergeants at 18 basic and advanced individual training sites at 15 posts were charged with sexual assault or misconduct involving soldiers in training. The charges have resulted in 52 courts-martial proceedings and dozens of disciplinary actions.
Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Drill sgts. charged: 38; Disciplinary action: 19 courts-martial (15 for consensual sex), 10 Article 15s, 3 general officer memos, 7 administrative separations
Fort Jackson, S.C. Drill sgts. charged: 24; Disciplinary action: 17 courts-martial, 3 Article 15s, 1 general officer memo, 1 administrative separation
Fort Lee, Va. Drill sgts. charged: 9; Disciplinary action: 1 court-martial, 2 Article 15s, 5 general officer memos, 2 administrative separations
Fort Gordon, Ga. Drill sgts. charged: 8; Disciplinary action: 5 courts-martial, 2 Article 15s, 2 general officer memos
Fort Eustis, Va. Drill sgts. charged: 6; Disciplinary action: 3 courts-martial, 1 Article 15, 2 administrative separations
Fort Huachuca, Ariz. Drill sgts. charged: 5; Disciplinary action: 4 Article 15s, 1 administrative separation
Fort Bliss, Texas. Drill sgts. charged: 4; Disciplinary action: 3 courts-martial
Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Drill sgts. charged: 3; Disciplinary action: 2 courts-martial, 1 administrative separation
Fort Benning, Ga. Drill sgts. charged: 2; Disciplinary action: 1 Article 15, 1 administrative separation. 1 general officer memo
Fort Rucker, Ala. Drill sgts. charged: 2; Disciplinary action: 1 Article 15
Fort Sill, Okla. Drill sgts. charged: 2; Disciplinary action: 2 administrative separations
Fort Bragg, N.C. Drill sgts. charged: 1; Disciplinary action: 1 Article 15
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. Drill sgts. charged: 1; Disciplinary action: 1 court martial
Presidio of Monterey, Calif. Drill sgts. charged: 1; Disciplinary action: 1 court-martial
Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Drill sgts. charged: 1; Disciplinary action: no action
Source: Army
 
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this article was fine but the author should have done some more research on this topic for sure, especially on the soldiers listed. some of these guys are still in the military and even though yes they messed up they deserve a second chance too. some were going through rough time and had things going on like normal humans but everyone wants to consintrate on the bad. they arent bad people they messed up. let it go and stop publishing there names for chirst sake. your ruining more lives and embarassing the families. your no longer making an example of them your just making people mad. :cen:
 
They have disgraced the Army. I don't think they deserve any second chances. They ruined and publicly embarrassed the Army. I don't see why they shouldn't deserve the same.
 
was this the answer though. broadcaster their names far and wide for everyone and there mom to freaking see. i dont think so. not all of these men and women are out of the military. if you read the actual court transcripts youd know what really happened and would more or less change your opinion. i am not defending those DS's that abused their powers to get what they wanted from the females or males in their companies but some on here were in trouble because they were an instructor or DS, and the person they fooled around with was a "trainee". not even a trainee under their command anymore. yes the army needs to take some measures to fix these issues but so long as there are females in this world there will always be males trying to get in our pants. its the way things go. some mentioned did disgrace themselves like i said not all. and one of these is a good friend and college of mine. its totally different when its someone that you know.....
 
I just happened on to this thread! These people are supposed to train our new soldiers the ARMY VALUES! They should be held to a higher standard than a civilian.

I whole-heartedly agree with putting their names in the article!

I'm still trying to memorize all the values, general orders and Soldier's Creed that they are supposed to ensure I know before I graduate. Shame on them! :twisted:
 
this article was fine but the author should have done some more research on this topic for sure, especially on the soldiers listed. some of these guys are still in the military and even though yes they messed up they deserve a second chance too. some were going through rough time and had things going on like normal humans but everyone wants to consintrate on the bad. they arent bad people they messed up. let it go and stop publishing there names for chirst sake. your ruining more lives and embarassing the families. your no longer making an example of them your just making people mad. :cen:

These individuals were NCO's. They were charged with training Soliders and acting as leaders and mentors. They deserve no second chances,they knew it was wrong they did it anyway.

Their families? Gimme a damn break. They did this to their families. They breached the trust of their Command, Their Billet and especially the trust of their trainees. The deserve the scorn.
 
A youth blogger had posted a similar article on twitter. :???: lots angry responses there too but agree.. should be zero tolerance and too bad if names were publicized. What about the women that hadn't reported their rapes?
 
As someone that lives in this area and has dealt with the Military for years, this article bothered me, in more then one way. Yes, these DS should be ashamed of their behavior. They are entrusted with the lives of these individuals. They only have but so many weeks to get them trained, and trained well enough to be able to do the job they have to do to save their butts when the time comes. How they found the time to do anything else, I am not sure. As for mentioning their names, I can understand the one point, however, for those of you that don't realize it, this is a VERY small town, and everyone knows everyone, so their lack of judgment and stupidity, should not fall back on their wives and children. They didn’t do anything, why should they suffer anymore then they already have? The one last thing that I felt the article missed was that while I realize that this is problem that is wide spread, the Military, is Huge, and what about the Hundreds of Excellent DS and other trainers that would never act like this. This article only presented one side. During this time in society, lets not give our own Military any more punches then they are already taking, only what they deserve.
 
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LDRSHIP is an acronym for the seven basic values of the United States Army[1][2][3], and stands for
  1. Loyalty - Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers.
  2. Duty - Fulfill your obligations.
  3. Respect - Treat people as they should be treated.
  4. Selfless Service - Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
  5. Honor - Live up to all the Army values.
  6. Integrity - Do what’s right, legally and morally.
  7. Personal Courage - Face fear, danger, or adversity [physical or moral].
Every single one of these Drill Sergeants was an NCO and is expected to uphold the Creed of the Non Comissioned Officer. Read it sometime if you have not. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCO_Creed

As NCO's we are held to a higher standard than the enlisted soldiers for a reason. When promoted to NCO rank (E5 SGT in the Army) we are given authority to direct our soldiers with lawful orders. Additionally, we are responsible for the conduct of the soldiers under our care. This goes to the core of any military system. These "gentlemen" abused their authority by having inappropriate relationships with the trainees under their care. Bottom line, they KNEW what they were doing was wrong, yet they CHOSE to do it anyway. As showme points out, there are many more Drill Sergeants who have not, and will not abuse their authority in this manner. They did the crime, now it's time to do the time. The worst part about this is what happened to the families of the soldiers convicted. They are the ones suffering because their soldier was a bone-head.
 
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