Friday updates

Well, leading off we have AF Major General Phillip Stewart. The general was accused of sexual assault, conduct unbecoming an officer,  and one specification of dereliction of duty. Prior to the trial, he pleaded guilty to the other specification, as well as an adultery charge.

A panel of eight officers found Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart not guilty of sexual assault on Saturday, following nearly two weeks of court proceedings at Joint Base San Antonio.

A military judge sentenced Stewart to a formal reprimand, restriction to Joint Base San Antonio for two months and forfeiture of $10,000 worth of pay every month for six months, the base said in a press release.Military.com

He was eligible for up to a 63 year sentence had he been found guilty of all counts. The article does say the AF Secretary still has the option of demoting him. You may remember that originally the judge Article 32 hearing recommended against further prosecution. We covered him previously; seems to me the ‘dereliction of duty’ charge was related to having consumed alcohol within 12 hours of flying.

No we get to Troy Nehls, the Congressman (R) who seemed so  attached to his CIB that he kept wearing it even after being told it had been revoked. He also claimed two Bronze Stars (neither with V device) which Army records supposedly do not support.

The commanding officer of a 2008 tour in Afghanistan that included then-U.S. Army Major Troy Nehls told The Texas Tribune that he recalls awarding the now-congressman his second Bronze Star award.

That award — which recognizes service members who show heroism in the field — has been called into question after a CBS investigation reported Nehls had been touting military decorations that did not match his service record provided by the Pentagon. In campaign ads and in his House biography, Nehls, R-Richmond, has posted pictures of him in an Army uniform wearing two Bronze Star medals. He has also worn the Combat Infantryman Badge lapel pin, awarded to soldiers for service in combat.

But Jason Burke, the Navy captain who led the 130-person joint task force Nehls served on during his tour, recalled awarding the medal to Nehls. Nehls received the medal at a ceremony with several other officers in the fall of 2008, shortly before Nehls finished his tour and returned to Texas, Burke told the Tribune.

“You’re getting that award if you’ve done a good job and met the criteria,” said the now-retired Burke, who is listed on the award certificate as Nehls’ commanding officer. “He earned it, and received it.”Army Times

Nehls was originally awarded a CIB , but later Big Army realized he was not branched Infantry and was in fact a Civil Affairs officer at the time and ineligible. One would think his CIB would be changed to a CAB, no?

H/t to Jeff LPH for this and the following:

Tractor Supply, a go-to chain store for some items ya just don’t find at the big-box stores, has announced they are shutting down their DEI department. In a press release:

Going forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business. For instance, this means we will:

• No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign

• Refocus our Team Member Engagement Groups on mentoring, networking and supporting the business

• Further focus on rural America priorities including ag education, animal welfare, veteran causes and being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns

• Eliminate DEI roles and retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment

• Withdraw our carbon emission goals and focus on our land and water conservation efforts  NPR

Nice to see someone deciding to stay in their lane.

I bought a gun safe there which was a coupla hundred less than  Academy wanted. Quick FYI, vets in their system get 10% off on Honoring Heroes days, and 15% off in-store purchases July 4th. You have to set up your military status (which uses ID.Me) but it is relatively painless.

Category: Air Force, Get woke, Iraq