There was a moment of silence on the other end and he said, “Yes. Please come see me as soon as you can.”
That afternoon, I made my way to the Operations Group and sat down with Lt Col D. He told me there had been accusations against Lt Col L and he was assigned to investigate them. Turns out the head lawyer told him I might be someone to speak to.
I told him my story and told him about my nurse friend. He interviewed her as well.
Lt Col L had been reported by a Technical Sergeant for harassment. He put a hand on her thigh and when she said to remove it, he replied, “Too late.” She was not impressed and turned him in. That was the start of the investigation. Several women were interviewed and had things to say.
About a month later, my friend and I were star witnesses in an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury. The charge we testified for was Failure to Maintain a Proper Work Environment, or some other such name. Because his comments were made to me during an exercise in an official workplace and his comments to my friend were at her workplace, our stories showed that he was taking advantage of his position and rank.
But why a trial? Well, it turns out that somewhere along the trail of young women that he pursued — and that were interviewed — he had an affair. With a married airman in his chain of command. For my nonmilitary friends, this is a big no-no. It’s called fraternization. Fraternization and adultery are punishable by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
The airman in question was granted immunity from any wrongdoing in order to testify against him. The trail of stories and evidence was enough to convince the convening authority (the officer who convenes the court martial) that this man needed to be tried.
I never had to testify in the actual trial. I believe they used our testimony as part of the body of evidence, but the trial itself was over the UCMJ offenses.
A few weeks later, I walked into the base club, where I saw Lt Col D and the head lawyer having a drink. They called me over and told me the results of the trial.
Lt Col L ended up spending four months in Leavenworth. He retired with his retirement pay.
The panel of officers appointed as the jury had no problem convicting him because there was a compelling piece of evidence. A photograph. You see, the airman described a mole on a particular part of Lt Col L’s anatomy. And the prosecutor had pictures taken for evidence.
So ironic that the guy who asked me about nude pictures ended up being convicted by a nude picture.
A few years after this event, I ran into the Logistics Group commander, whom Lt Col L worked for. She recognized me immediately. She asked me why none of us young women had said anything. Her concern was that she felt the leadership had failed us and that we hadn’t felt comfortable because of Lt Col L’s rank to report his behavior.
I replied that had we each only known of one or two others who had been involved. We didn’t realize the extent of his actions. With my mouth I had, at least for myself, finished the problem.
The lesson learned….if someone harasses you, they are harassing someone else as well. Speak up! Someone might not have the voice you do.
Tantrums and Tales 