Chief of AF Sexual Assault Prevention Branch at Pentagon Arrested for Sexual Assault

[Gravedigger]

I don't think this statement is justified at all. Just because one makes an alleged mistake, it does not mean we are all bad people. However, one person made an alleged poor decision and we will definitely all pay for it. Someone said it earlier on another thread..."they won't do something effective, but they will do something visible." My outlook is bleak for what the future holds.

That's what pisses me off and what I was trying to convey, though poorly, in my previous post. Assuming he is found guilty, and probably even if he isn't, the effects of this incident will be far-reaching. All of us are cast into the fire simply for wearing the same uniform. I am betting there won't be many options for anyone accused of sexual harassment/assault/battery in the future after the last two years of very public black eyes. I don't foresee many Generals putting their necks on the line from this point on, regardless of the evidence.

I have seen a number of cases where people have been falsely accused, and that sucks, this case (based upon little evidence, biased news articles, and my gut feeling) seems like the dude is guilty. If he wasn't beaten up and still at the scene when the cops arrived...maybe it's a different story.

[Alpharatz]

I count 19 ellipses...good work.

Well, thanks I guess.......What's an ellipse?

[Napoleon_Tanerite]

The workplace witch hunt of 2012 just went nuclear.

http://www.militaryt...ng-images-women

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a close-up and comprehensive inspection of all military offices and workplaces worldwide to root out any “materials that create a degrading or offensive work environment.”

Ya, things are going to get ugly. SecDef says "go find some witches" you better believe nobody is coming home before they find some.

[BitteEinBit]

This is all for show...DoD has to look like they are doing SOMETHING. We aren't going to fix this problem overnight...probably not even in the next decade. I hate to say it but this sh*t will keep happening as long as we have TDYs to exotic places where people go and blow off steam. People are going to keep drinking and making bad decisions...drunk women are still going to keep going home with dudes thinking they are going to get tea and scrumpets and then get surprised there are no scrumpets. Dudes are still going to go TDY to Thailand and party with the local girls (and ladyboys if you're not careful) and help populate Asia. We are humans, and the media all over the world glamorizes sex and sexy things. It is what sells. Those quiet guys you think are poster boy/girl Air Force are probably some of the dirtiest people out there. Don't be fooled. Sure, there are some straight arrows out there...but come on, that Squadron Bar Daily Photo thread is almost always in the top 10 threads. In fact, I'm going to visit it right now....

[Fud]

Those quiet guys you think are poster boy/girl Air Force are probably some of the dirtiest people out there. Don't be fooled.

Best post on the thread so far IMHO. You hit the nail on the head in every way.

[Ravens52]

This is all for show...DoD has to look like they are doing SOMETHING. We aren't going to fix this problem overnight...probably not even in the next decade. I hate to say it but this sh*t will keep happening as long as we have TDYs to exotic places where people go and blow off steam. People are going to keep drinking and making bad decisions...drunk women are still going to keep going home with dudes thinking they are going to get tea and scrumpets and then get surprised there are no scrumpets. Dudes are still going to go TDY to Thailand and party with the local girls (and ladyboys if you're not careful) and help populate Asia. We are humans, and the media all over the world glamorizes sex and sexy things. It is what sells. Those quiet guys you think are poster boy/girl Air Force are probably some of the dirtiest people out there. Don't be fooled. Sure, there are some straight arrows out there...but come on, that Squadron Bar Daily Photo thread is almost always in the top 10 threads. In fact, I'm going to visit it right now....

Here here! Ain't nobody got time for scrumpets!

[BB Stacker]

Just a friendly reminder that from 2007 up until last year Art 120 (the UCMJ Article concerning rape and sexual assault) was written in such a way that anyone being prosecuted under that article was guilty until proven innocent. This was thanks to a Congressional "ready, fire, aim" approach to writing laws:

The rewritten sexual assault law puts judges “in an impossible position,” the top military appellate court warned. Military lawyers find it “cumbersome and confusing,” a Pentagon task force noted. It leads to “unwarranted acquittals,” Defense Department officials added. And some judges call it unconstitutional.

“The law is an abomination as it is now written,” said Charles Gittins, a former military judge advocate who’s now a defense attorney.

Individual military judges likewise assail the new law. One, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Raymond Beal II, called it “horribly flawed.” Another, J.A. Maksym of the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, blasted it as “poorly written, confusing and arguably absurd.” Yet another, Air Force Col. Don Christensen, called it “almost incomprehensible.”

“If you had 100 monkeys with a typewriter, they'd probably come up with something like this,” Christensen declared during a 2009 aggravated sexual assault case.

<...>

“I'm not a member of Congress, and that's their job to do what they think is necessary,” Christensen, the Air Force judge, said during a trial. “I just think it's a prime example of what happens when legislation is influenced by what they see on ‘Oprah’ and what advocacy seekers propose, as opposed to what's really necessary.”

So I can't wait to see what Congress comes up with this time.

Edited May 9, 2013 by BB Stacker

[Blue Scourge]

We lucky few at Osan had mandatory "Wingmen activities" all day today. Anyone want to take a stab at the topic of repeated conversation?

[Guest LumberjackAxe]

I think given the recent news, the public perception is that sexual harassment is a rampant problem in the military. The Secretary will HAVE to do something, otherwise it looks like he doesn't care that all these assaults are happening under his watch. It could be more CBTs, or more mandatory annual training, or some other BS that probably won't have any real effect, but it will at least look like he making an effort to stop it. I think something like that just happened to my buddy in my squadron.

He was under investigation for some outlandish and outrageous accusations (some of which were sexual), and given the back story, it was pretty obvious the "victim" made these claims up to get back at him. The investigation concluded a few days ago, and all the accusations were found to be baseless and were dismissed... BUT he got an LOA for two violations that they "uncovered" during the investigations (that weren't even in the original complaint!).

I think that's because (total speculation, I am not a lawyer) the CC needed to have at least some sort of reprimand for the accused, otherwise it would look like he's covering up his sexual deviant friend like a good ol' boy club.

I get the feeling that something similar will happen Air Force wide, otherwise it will look like out leadership tolerates this behavior. Even if it is more BS CBTs, annual prevention training, etc..., it will still appear to the public that we are combating sexual assault. If we don't have some sort of response like that, then it will appear to the public that we are a bunch of cowboys covering up for boys. Perception is reality.

[afnav]

It didn't take long, but there are now OP-EDs out linking the sexual assault stats, the fact that the sexual assault guy gets arrested for sexual assault, and the 17 dead bodies at Minot.

The press, political pundits, and the politicians are jumping on the USAF like a gang bang. Before it's over, there might be a few less GOs running around.

[Napoleon_Tanerite]

It didn't take long, but there are now OP-EDs out linking the sexual assault stats, the fact that the sexual assault guy gets arrested for sexual assault, and the 17 dead bodies at Minot.

The press, political pundits, and the politicians are jumping on the USAF like a gang bang. Before it's over, there might be a few less GOs running around.

This is concerning-- last time the AF looked this bad in the public eye the SECAF and CSAF got fired.

[10percenttruth]

This is concerning-- last time the AF looked this bad in the public eye the SECAF and CSAF got fired.

I know, let's stand up a new MAJCOM! That'll fix everything!

Aerospace Chastity & Virtue Command, perhaps?

Any takers on a patch design?

[10percenttruth]

Or the Air & Space Sexual Harassment Obliteration Liaison Executive?

Edited May 9, 2013 by 10percenttruth

[Whitman]

I'm sure Gen Welsh had no clue so much of his time would go towards dealing with this nonsense. He has so many great ideas and has already made significant strides (no blues on monday and killing the Capt promotion boards) but this is a huge set back. This just illustrates the importance of hiring the right people.

[zach braff]

Our boy wrote about this. I disagree very much with the stuff he says about the GOs' overturning of verdicts (sorry but it seems the witchhunt led to the convictions, not the facts), but he makes some good points on the culture in Camp Air Force and some interesting suggestions I think many on here would agree with.

http://www.jqpublic-blog.com/?p=383#more-383

zb

[Beaver]

Or the Air & Space Sexual Harassment Obliteration Liaison Executive?

I laughed.

[joe1234]

Our boy wrote about this. I disagree very much with the stuff he says about the GOs' overturning of verdicts (sorry but it seems the witchhunt led to the convictions, not the facts), but he makes some good points on the culture in Camp Air Force and some interesting suggestions I think many on here would agree with.

http://www.jqpublic-...?p=383#more-383

zb

I think the main source of outrage that everyone seems to miss with GO's overturning the verdicts is how completely fucked the military justice system is, that convictions can be handed down without any real evidence, and that a dude with stars can simply erase everything that happened. It's the idea that a GO can literally just look at a conviction and say "he's a good bro HE WOULDNT DO THIS" and then wish away any conviction they want. It doesn't help that it also looks like cronyism because of officers protecting officers and fighter jocks protecting fighter jocks, meanwhile some E-4 could have the exact same case brought against him, and that guy would be serving time with a dishonorable discharge.

To be frank, it seems like the vast majority of people (who actually care about the AF) have generally lost faith in the judgment of our general officers, but there's no outlet in which to bring down the hammer. And honestly, I really can't blame them. We constantly complain about poor leadership at the top, but there's not much you can actually do until someone dies, or we go get our asses kicked in a conflict that reveals the deep rot going on in the service. There have been numerous scandals and firings with GO's over the past 10 years, and it doesn't seem to be getting much better.

[Fud]

This just got a little weirder...apparently, he may have assaulted a man in drag.

http://militarycorruption.com/krusinski2.htm

[Beaver]

This just got a little weirder...apparently, he may have assaulted a man in drag.

http://militarycorruption.com/krusinski2.htm

The Enquirer said aliens from Mars may have visited earth.

[FUEL]

Don't usually get my news from the Huff, but there seems to be a trend here... A Fort Hood sexual assault prevention coordinator charged with "abusive sexual contact."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/army-sexual-assault_n_3275941.html#slide=1599290

This should at least hint that the "training" we are getting is inconsequential and a waste of time if it is impotent for those charged with developing and instructing said training.

[Napoleon_Tanerite]

I know, let's stand up a new MAJCOM! That'll fix everything!

Aerospace Chastity & Virtue Command, perhaps?

Any takers on a patch design?

OOOH! Let's give them an IG-like mission, they can even have special uniforms! Surprise will be one of their core TTPs!

Edited May 15, 2013 by Napoleon_Tanerite

[whodat]

I guess the Army was feeling left out on all the publicity the AF has been getting... This will only make the media frenzy 10x worse.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/14/us/army-sexual-assault-investigation/index.html

[HU&W]

More sexual assault training will be coming. Ordered by SECDEF.

[BitteEinBit]

What are they going to do? Add more slides to the CBT? Gather all the males in the briefing room again and tell us it still isn't okay to call women bitches?

What the f*ck are we supposed to call them then?!? All jokes aside...the next few months are going to be painful with all this new sexual assault prevention training. The irony of all this happening just after celebrating "Sexual Assault Prevention Month" in April....SMH. Are they offering early retirement?!?

[pawnman]

Don't usually get my news from the Huff, but there seems to be a trend here... A Fort Hood sexual assault prevention coordinator charged with "abusive sexual contact."

http://www.huffingto...l#slide=1599290

This should at least hint that the "training" we are getting is inconsequential and a waste of time if it is impotent for those charged with developing and instructing said training.

What's the over-under on the base commander being fired for allowing this to happen?