Group of soldiers punished after sexual misconduct probe…with a big twist
MG Miyako Schanely
An Army sexual misconduct probe has taken the career of not just a general officer this time but a female general officer, among 14 others.
An investigation into an Army Reserve command’s mishandling of sexual harassment and assault allegations found significant shortcomings in the unit’s practices and resulted in a total of 15 soldiers being punished, including a major general.
The inquiry into the Illinois-based 416th Theater Engineer Command started in early 2020 following allegations that the unit’s leaders had improperly conducted internal investigations of sexual assault allegations rather than refer them to outside investigators, as required by Pentagon policy.
“The investigation revealed numerous shortfalls and found various individuals and units improperly handled reports of sexual assault and harassment,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Mosser, deputy commander of Army Reserve Command, during a Monday press briefing ahead of the investigation’s release.
The 416th TEC’s commander, Maj. Gen. Miyako Schanely, has relinquished command and received a formal memorandum of reprimand from Gen. Joseph M. Martin, the Army vice chief of staff.
Martin also sanctioned two other senior leaders for their performance failures, though officials declined to name the individuals.
Amy Braley Franck, a civilian victim advocate with the 416th TEC, told the Associated Press last year that the command launched internal investigations into at least two sexual assault complaints rather than refer them to Army CID, as required.
In another case, the command put an alleged victim on a firing range with a person she previously accused of sexual harassment, which made her fear for her safety, the AP reported.
The investigation found that Schanely, who had been suspended in June, failed to properly implement the Sexual Harassment Assault Response Prevention program at the unit.
In addition to Schanely and the two unnamed leaders, twelve soldiers and three civilians face adverse administrative action from Army Reserve Command following the investigation, according to Mosser.
Of the twelve punished soldiers, seven received general officer memorandums of reprimand, and five received adverse counseling statements.
The investigation also found the command had “challenges” in maintaining the staffing and resources necessary to properly administer its SHARP program, Mosser said.
The general did not specify any changes that Army Reserve leaders would make to address the staffing problems, citing a lengthy “vetting process” that keeps positions vacant “longer than we would like.”
Administrative punishments such as GOMORs can — but don’t always — halt a soldier career progression.
Mosser emphasized that commanders could utilize the GOMORs and counseling statements to involuntarily separate the soldiers from the military, but he told Army Times he “can’t comment on” whether any of the soldiers are currently face separation proceedings.
General officers in the military’s reserve components have resigned over similar allegations in the past.
The Wisconsin National Guard’s commanding general stepped down in 2020 after an investigation into how his command handled sexual assault claims. And a Florida Army National Guard general resigned and retired in 2019 amid an investigation into similar claims, though investigators could not substantiate the allegations.
The 416th Theater Engineer Command is based in Darien, Illinois, and has more than 10,000 assigned soldiers distributed throughout the western part of the country.
Sexual assault remains a critical issue across the Army. Soldiers made 3,250 reports of sexual assault during fiscal year 2020, according to Defense Department data.
Thanks to Jeff LPH 3 for sending the story in.
MG Schanely had been a poster child and barrier breaker. In 2014 when she got her first star the Army highlighted her being “the first female engineer in the Army Reserve and second in the Army to make general officer.” They also noted that she was “only the second Japanese-American woman to reach the flag rank.” Her career began when she graduated West Point in 1986.
Category: Army, Army News, Dick Stepping
I’d hit it.
TW,
Not in 4 years, you won’t.
True stereotype, that many asians appear youthful beyond their age,
that is, until about age 60,
when many crinkle up overnight.
And this reprimanded General is getting there,
but hard to say if lavish retirement
or guilt stress will dominate the wrinkles.
Haha, she love me short time.
This story reminds of how Title IX cases have been so abused by renegade colleges, principally against male students. Veritable kangaroo courts devoid of due process with unbelievably harsh judgments rendered.
College sexual harassment cases should be held in an appropriate manner and forum, just as it was appropriate to bring in CID in the present story… as described by regulations.
I don’t think she was ever the goldfish of the pond.
Them damn Engineers! Pappy, get yore people under control!
Looks like the Ms Gnrl can add another FIRST (ht 2 Roh-Dog) to her resume’ of FIRST for this and that. And she may need that resume’ soon as she searches for new, gainful employment. I’m sure that the spin will be a failure on the part of subordinates, or that she was the “fall guy (girl?)” to cover for mistakes made by the men she had to answer to. Expect a position to open up as “Military Expert Analyst” for a National News Organization in 5.4.3.2…
I never realized how hard it must be to read the reg, follow the reg.
It never failed me in 29 years, but hey, what do I know?
Army regs are generally clear in their intent, small words are used, and require little to no interpretation. One would think a general officer would be able to read and comprehend them, or have an aide read it and put it on powerpoint.
She seems to have missed all combat deployments according to her BIO and lack of Bronze Star for support.
Vital duties on the home front, you know…
Look, there has been going on the last 20 years with all the soldiers diddling each other you can’t have time for everything.
She made the rank of MG sans being deployed to the Middle East? If so then I wonder who she knew and/or blew to end up with that accomplishment?
Commissioned in 1986.
And somehow missed out on Desert Shield/Storm, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, OEF, OIF, OIR.
That’s some impressive deployment dodging over a 37 year career.
Them sandwich’s are not gonna make themselves.
She’s wearing a GWOTEM in the picture above so Kuwait maybe?
For those interested.
The 1 July 2020 link/article below goes into detail as to what happened.
It all started with the Company Commander and 1SG of the 738th Engineer Company, a subordinate unit of the 416th ENCOM and a US Army Female Specialist (E4) assisting another Female Specialist who was getting fitted for a new uniform.
You Be The Judge.
“A Failure Of Command’ — How One Soldier’s Sexual Harassment Case Forced A Reckoning Among Leaders In The Army Reserve”
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-reserve-416th-sexual-assault/
Ninja,
Holy crap.
Not too “SHARP”,
on about 4 different levels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Corporation
A woman has her collar bone broken during a consensual encounter and no other people in the company find that peculiar? Then, during another consensual encounter, the same female has her arm broken? And no one notices?
What kind of guy is this who can brutalize another soldier, sexually or otherwise, with impunity?
Worst of all, getting Durbin and Duckworth in the story is worse than the kiss of death.
There are some villains in the story and it sounding like Amy Braley Franck is a loose canon on deck. Bringing AP into a story pretty wells douses her credibility.
Jacked up…
Talk about a unit that is AFU!
With all of those leaders being fired, the troops must spend every drill period in a Change Of Command Ceremony. Makes you wonder what kind of back door shenanigans are going on that people are willing to risk their careers to cover up the misdeeds of others.
Just from hearing the number of Commands being relieved in one state after another, it sounds like the Reserves has a serious misunderstanding of how to implement SHARP.
To me it is baffling how anyone could possibly think it is within their purview to investigate such a claim. Even a unit that has people trained in investigative techniques would not feel they could possibly investigate themselves! Now, I can understand a 15-6 type investigation because it is simply asking an uninvolved senior person to examine whether procedures and regulations were followed. The normal outcome is either that yes, they were and either a material failure occurred (which needs more investigation) or that no they weren’t and either more training is needed or someone should be removed from responsibility. Occasionally it determines that something much more serious is going on and involves more senior personnel of which the investigator is not qualified to investigate.
Maybe having sisters, changes my perspective on how female Soldiers should be treated. But investigating yourself never ends up good!
That’s what I don’t get either. No quicker way for a CGO to tank their career than to fuck up a harassment or assault case. Far easier to pass that off immediately and get it off your plate.
I can sort of understand the CO’s dilemma though.
Sue tells Jane “I was raped by Bob.”
Jane tells Capt. Smith “Sue was raped by Bob.”
Capt. Smith asks Sue “Were you raped by Bob?” and Sue answers “No, sir, I was not, it was consensual.”
So at this point, has a crime even taken place?
According to the purported victim and the accused, no crime took place.
It’s not like Jane actually WITNESSED Bob raping Sue. If that were the case then Sue’s denial that the encounter was rape would not matter in terms of the investigation.
Now, the SHARP rules have changed the equation a bit if they specifically say that even an uncorroborated 3rd party allegation must be investigated by CID (which apparently they do.)
But on the face of it, if the victim herself refuses to make a report or move forward with the investigation, what is a commander to do?
It’s been the case since at least I was first a commander, decades ago, that Sex crimes and harassment within the unit are a no go zone.
My sole experience in AR unit for about a year showed me that they tend to not give crap about regulations and just do whatever. A good command environment can keep things from slipping but that clearly wasn’t the case here.
GOMOR strikes again
Sauce for gander, sauce for goose now.
being stupid while female is no longer safe it seems
It seems a pretty simply regulation to follow…Don’t self investigate and report potential issues REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE COMMANDER THINKS IT’S AN ACTUAL CRIME to CID immediately.
I think the entire point with the regs is to remove the unit and its commanders from any aspect of the investigation, thus removing the burden that comes with the “we investigated ourselves and cleared ourselves of any wrongdoing” stigma that has surrounded the Army, and the military in general, for its piss poor handling of SHARP style investigations.
I know some women like a more forceful variety of sexual conduct…I’ve yet to meet one who likes her arms broken or her collarbone snapped during that conduct.
And now because they didn’t follow the regs they lose their careers.
In these cases there is so much volatility it’s not worth attempting to self investigate and it’s not allowed in any event.
When the victim is not comfortable with the unit and its command it’s also entirely likely the victim won’t be honest simply out of an effort to avoid retaliation and the further victimization of losing their own career.
Report this stuff as required, if CID finds nothing so be it.
I wonder if the reluctance to call in CID is for fear that while investigating the assault allegation, the Chain of Command is worried that they will dig up some unrelated misconduct or violation of Army regs?
Certainly in theory, if the commander believes that he has been above-board and doing the right thing, he shouldn’t fear any kind of inquiry, but how many times have we seen an investigation into one item of dirty business turn into a witch hunt or a determination to ‘find something’, no matter what?
This is another example of why men and women should be segregated in the military.
Just curious why the non Caucasian side is always touted in bi-racial folks. They also noted that she was “only the second Japanese-American woman to reach the flag rank.”. My bi-racial son tells me as far as race, he identifies as an “American”.
What we’re seeing is a lot of instances where units would rather handle it in-house, rather than air their dirty laundry for everyone to see.
The mentality is, if we handle it in-house and we make it go away it didn’t happen. Therefore we don’t need to report it. Therefore we look like we are golden. Therefore no one sticking their nose in our business.
Then there is the opposite, we had a single male Reservist that was sleeping with a married female Reservist (Whether he knew was married or not is up for debate). Well her husband, showed up while she was on Annual Tour, and surprised her at her room. Caught the two together, she yelled rape, as she had been drinking and claimed he took advantage of her.
Didn’t matter what those in the know said in statements in support of the male. They went after the kid and nailed his ass to the cross. What the complete outcome was I’m not aware of, but I never saw him again. She on the other hand was promoted, left the unit for a few years then came back.
Too many young guys don’t learn the lesson about not shitting where you eat until it’s burned them some….
They don’t talk about all the “gay” sexual assaults. VERBOTEN
I remember seeing the write-up on one of those some years ago not long after the Clinton Curse began.
Her Haircut Sucks…
What, you have a problem with Moe Howard?
Ok, I larfed.
Playing catch up