AFRICOM commander facing dismissal
I don’t know how I didn’t know this but the commander of Africa Command, Gen. William E. Kip Ward, was my Battalion XO in 1/7th Inf back in the 3rd ID in Aschaffenburg, Germany. He was one of the best infantry officers I’ve ever known. We bumped into each other at Fort Drum and he remembered me even though I was one of countless platoon sergeants in the battalion. I loved that guy.
But, it looks like he stepped in something at AfriCom. according to a link to us by David from Boston.com;
Gen. William ‘‘Kip’’ Ward has been under investigation for about 17 months, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to make a final decision on the matter before the end of the month, according to several defense officials.
The defense officials said Ward is facing numerous allegations that he spent several hundred thousand dollars allowing unauthorized people, including family members, to fly on government planes, and spent excessive amounts of money on hotel rooms, transportation and other expenses when he traveled as head of Africa Command.
That really sucks. I mean really. Like I said, I loved that guy. Best Battalion XO I ever had.
Category: Big Army
So, he’s accused of doing the same stuff Panetta has been doing? Spending excess amounts of money on transportation and other expenses? When’s Panetta getting canned?
He was the ADC (support) in the 82nd when i was there He was the man and you are right I spoke to him once and months later he remembered me. He had a way of making even the support troops feel like part of the team. Great guy
Is it me, or are the duffle blog/FB posts getting harder to distinguish between?
A beloved Colonel Wilner (USA Ret) said something (putting it mildly)in 1976 on the Army Staff that stuck with me forever: how will your decision appear on the front page of the Washington Post and would your mother be proud to read it?
GEN Ward by law reverted to his permanent rank of MG when he could not retire or obtain a 3 or 4 star assignment within 60 days. That happened May of last year. Now assigned as a special assistant to Army Vice Chief of Staff GEN Lloyd Austin.
Holy Jeezus, what a fall – he was once Army’s 2nd most senior 4 star General. Even if Panetta goes easy and slaps him on hand – he is a MG now. He would have to be nominated for 4th star again by POTUS, confirmed by Senate, certified by SECDEF and POTUS as having served satisfactorily to retire in grade – ain’t happening. I say he will be nominated and confirmed to retire as LTG . A spectacular career is going to be diminished.
Just saw his DA photo. Just a question. CIB with no BSM. Any idea why? Typically simultaneous awards for an officer?
Did a stretch (72-76) in the 1/4Inf jus down the street in Fiori from the 1/7…
“He spent several hundred thousand dollars allowing unauthorized people, including family members, to fly on government planes, and spent excessive amounts of money on hotel rooms, transportation and other expenses when he traveled”. You can only do that when you’re a cabinet officer or FLOTUS. Or the Speaker of the House.
@8.
Nancy Pelosi is a stagnated hypocrite that needs to go.
And I am a Democrat.
Though I’m not sure about Boehner, that was, indeed, a reference to Pelosi. I guess I should have said the former Speaker of the House.
Family travel on USG aircraft is allowed if you’re on orders, if you have permission of the aircraft commander, and if you’re overseas. Its a usual no no in CONUS though can be done if you’re going from overseas through Alaska or Hawaii.
If its family travel in CONUS that’s toast, unless its for the good of the service. and that would be Mrs Four Star going to visit the troops or post while hubby is doing official stuff. She’d kvetch at the tea parties and nose around for problems.
Expenses, they’re just disallowed. Sorry sir, the Per Diem is $100. Yessir, I know the cheapest hotel that has 4 walls and a roof goes for $500. Well, next time take a ruck and some MREs……
@10.
I read between the lines.
@10.
Also,rememebr when our “San Francisco” Pelosi was kicking it with Assad on unapproved SD travel in Damascus?
She actually said he was a “good guy”.
Curious to see what she says now?
I worked for him in Liberia for a year in 2010. There was a big stink about how we, who lived 10 miles from where the senior officers lived, got 46 in per diem and those who lived in Monrovia proper got 90 a day. He said that even though we lived and shopped at the same stores, there were only 3 we could shop at, he said rules and policy are what they are. Karma is a bitch isnt it.
@14. In the old White Name Tape Army (geez), at least in the 82nd and 101st, us officers always went through the chow line last and the troopers were bedded down first and in better/equal/co-located billets. I hope what you report was an aberration…sadly, I think it isn’t.
At the very real risk of Insipid reading this and screaming I’m a racist once again, I will wager the general gets nothing more than a hand slap, due entirely to the fact that he is one of the most prominent black officers serving in the upper echelons.
For those of you who served with him and praise him, I say he may have been everything you say as an infantry officer, but, as we see all the time with politicians, white and black, elevation to higher authority often leads to over-weening arrogance. And let’s face it, it was no accident that a black general was given that command: it was more of a political job than it was a military command, in which case, I can understand the general desiring better accommodations when dealing with a bunch of African despots.
Upshot: he’ll retire quietly as a two-star with no judicial punishment.
I was thinking the same. Not only Panetta, but also the Botox Bitch herself, Pe-Lousy.
Doesn’t sound like he broke rules even close to what that asshole COL Johnson did. I’ll be surprised if anything really comes of this.
@15: Unfortunately, the “Leaders Eat Last” mentality has been sadly lacking for quite a while in the Army. My BDE is getting deactivated and I don’t recall seeing any senior leaders lining up outside Sato Travel 6 hours before opening to beat the line to get their tickets. And nobody senior seemed to have a problem getting their orders cut in plenty of time to clear while Joe was getting his a week or two before his flight date.
One of the reasons I was happy to see Gen Dempsey get promoted was a memorable event when he was 1st AD Cdr. No senior NCO or Officer was allowed to have A/C until they could prove that EVERY Soldier in the Div had an air-conditioned place to sleep. He slept in a metal conex on wheels the entire deployment while other Senior Commanders were living it up in palaces. I was hoping that he would bring back the ‘leaders eat last’ mentality, but I’m not seeing it around here yet.
I can’t say for sure at higher levels but the “Leaders Eat Last” mentality is still there. At least at the Company level, at least in the units I have been in.
The whole “Leaders Eat Last” thing had me reminiscing about tactical chow. I don’t miss those days.
Poettrooper: I’d guess you’re right about the eventual outcome, but wrong on the reason.
GOs who commit wrongdoing appear to get treated with kid gloves. As of the late 1990s, no Army general had been courts-martialed since the inception of the UCMJ in 1951. I don’t believe one has been courts-martialed in the intervening 15 or so years, either. Those who’ve been caught “dead to rights” have managed to wrangle (or been offered) NJP and/or a quick and quiet retirement – although some of the more egregious cases did administratively lose a star or 2 on retirement when they were held to have “not served successfully” at those ranks. (see Maher, John for an example.)
Bottom line: I think Ward retires as a 2- or 3- star and is told to repay the USG for the unauthorized flights and per diem. But IMO that’s probably all that will happen.
I remember around 1998 I believe, retired MG David Hale was recalled to active duty and court martialed for having affairs with subordinate wives and other offenses. This was a huge scandal that forced the Army to change its policy about letting GOs under investigation to quietly slip out back door and on to retirement w/ only a slap on hand in most cases. Hale’s retired rank was reduced to BG.
At least Army is trying to hold the brass “accountable”, unlike USAF ( Maj Gen David Eidsaune anyone?). No AF General
has even faced an Article 32 hearing. Couple years ago 4 star AF Gens Lorenz and Brady were permitted to extend their respective cmd assignments more than a year while under investigation to avoid reverting to Maj Gen (they received reprimands-retired in grade). The Navy not shy about “public humiliation of FOs”, but in the end same as AF – though they did CM a retired RADM and dimissed him with loss of all pay and benefits back in late 1950s.
Apologies -@22 rant was me.
Devtun: you’re correct; I’d missed/forgotten the Hale case. He was indeed recalled to active duty after retirement and courts-martialed for adultery. Happened shortly after SMA McKinney’s trial, I believe. Draw your own conclusions as to why.
Still: I believe he’s the only GO the Army has courts-martialed since the UCMJ came into being in 1951 – about 61 years now. I don’t look at Big Army adding to that total here, especially after letting Johnson off virtually scot-free on arguably worse misconduct. They should, but I just don’t see it happening.
Devtun: I’m curious – who was the “fine fellow” from the Navy who managed to arrange that singular distinction? He’s definitely in “elite” company, and I’d like to look up his story if I can find it.
Hondo,
Fmr RADM Selden G. Hooper was the only Navy FO ever to face a CM. He was found guilty of sodomy. His actions took place after he was already retired, but Navy still considered him under their jurisdiction as part of Naval force. Of course he did appeal.
I just remembered, MG Robert Grow a military attache in Moscow was CM’d for dereliction of duty (failed to safeguard classified info – diary fell into soviet hands) in 1951. He retired after the CM. Commanded 6th Armor Div in WW2.