LTC Denis Paquette forced out of the Air Force
The Stars & Stripes tells the story of Lieutenant Colonel Denis Paquette who was charged with building a unit in Tunisia, on what began as a secret UAV base, but became “Party Central” for the 70 airmen and twenty contractors on the football-field-sized base.
He allowed his folks to keep and consume alcohol, despite directives from his commanders which forbade alcohol. He also started an inappropriate relationship with an enlisted female airman 20 years his junior;
“It starts out with a mentorship but it goes way, way, way over the line after that,” said Maj. Rachel Lyons, senior trial counsel for the Air Force, in court. “After that, he uses personal knowledge of her family to get closer to her … and to try to take the relationship to the next level.”
When others in the camp became uncomfortable with how much time the two were spending together, the two were advised to limit their personal contact, according to testimony. To continue communicating out of the public eye, the two began writing what prosecutors called “love letters” to each other, while also still spending time together, including at a party one night in July where both were said to be drinking.
Well, he faced a general court martial which decided that he should leave the Air Force;
The judge, Col. Mark Milam, found Paquette was negligent in performing his assigned duties, a lesser offense than the dereliction of duty for which he was charged. The judge also found Paquette did not violate the same general order regarding alcohol consumption on numerous occasions. He was also found not guilty of the most egregious charge against him: abusive sexual contact.
Category: Air Force
I remember from my previous deployments that, if you were looking for a good time, find the local AF det.
Manas, Kyrgyzstan was definitely party central when we flew in and out of there going to Afghanistan in 11-12. Considered a “combat” zone, but those assigned to Manas could go on horsey rides into the mountains and there was a Bar in the center of the base. Yep, definitely a harsh combat zone….
YEP, I remember hearing Air Farce types BITCH about how bad they had it there in Manas for FOUR MONTHS while we were awaiting out flight to A-stan where we were going to be for TWELVE MONTHS under goddamn General Order 1A!
Yeah, four whole months. There were Army units there too, but for a 12-month rotation, poor Joes. The chow hall there was excellent too, far better than in most of Afghanistan. Our FOB got a new head cook and a new chow hall in the middle of our tour that was awesome though.
Oh man…Manas was friggen PARADISE! BK, Pizza Hut, a movie theatre inside the E-Club. Living the dream
Our commander (O-6) allowed us to have two drinks ( the first and the last, haha) when we were in Manas. Good times were had by all!
For those who didn’t know: a “dismissal” for a commissioned officer is equivalent to a dishonorable discharge. It’s the only type of punitive discharge commissioned officers can receive.
Hope that the young lady was worth a 19-year career ending with no retirement, no medical, and no VA benefits, Paquette. If she wasn’t . . . well, you should have thought of all that before you decided to be your troops’ friend vice being their commander.
IMO the judge did the right thing here.
He will be declared 100% disabled because the internet out for more twenty combined minuets on his deployments.
And that’s “Lt Col” for Air Force. LTC is strictly an Army abbreviation. But you knew that…
Unfortunately I drew the Grammar and Spelling Nazi duty today.
I saw it both ways in my 20 year career.
Official Army is LTC and has been that way since around late 70’s/early 80’s when they went to 3 digit for all ranks. Civilian editors screw it up all the time.
It’s not a screw-up. It’s how the AP Style Guide tells civilian editors to publish all military ranks so it is standardized because of the difference in the way the services abbreviate it.
Gosh Darn Nazi….
Hitler’s speech writers were the original grammar Nazis.
That’s just funny.
Make grammar Nazis scared again?
THEY’RE their, there, it’s gonna be alright!
Hey, it’s what its.
Shouldn’t that be “it’s what it’s”?
LOL!
Quite a contrast from the soft landing most senior officers get.
Or is the “soft landing” break at the 0-6 level? In which case it’s more like the opening scene from Super Troopers: “Canada, huh? Almost made it!”
BTW I wonder if anyone has ever done a serious and sober (see what I did there?) analysis of the cost of enforcing GO#1 vs. treating deployed soldiers like, y’know, adults.
I’d rather see an analysis of the historical cost of blackmarketing regs in Korea first.
My guess is that both would be found to be counterproductive as hell from an economic perspective. But they’re still regulations that were/are in effect and thus must be followed.
At some point in the late 90s they stopped the “ration card” requirement in Korea for military personnel and civilians. The problem was, they hired local nationals to run the PX, shoppettes, commissary, etc., and the Koreans would let their friends buy anything they wanted and how much ever they wanted with no ration card stamping.
If you were a troop and abused your ration card, you’d get slammed, Article 15, lose rank, etc. They even had commercials on AFN about it more times than I cared to see.
I don’t know what’s happened to the blackmarketing regs there though. But, as long as you didn’t mail something “fake” home and just carried it yourself, you were fine.
Oh SHIT YEAH, I remember reading the Court Martial articles in The Indian Head (2ID Newspaper) during my time there from ’92 to ’93 and the lightest punishments I saw given from black marketing were an AF Captain given two years at Ft. Leavenworth and an Army 1SG given three years, E1 and a BCD!
In the mid -80s when I was stationed there, many a senior NCO had career ending moves related to the black market. To this day I can not understand the value/obsession with mayonnaise and skin lotion that the nationals had.
I was at Camp Hovey in ’81 – everything was rationed, but the shopette carried tons of spam & flintstones children’s vitamins.
@ MSG ERIC, Et Alia:
Another distant faded memory of long ago!
Until I just now read your comment, I had forgotten all about using ration cards.
Sure enough, I had a PX ration card in Saigon (and probably everywhere else in the old Republic of Viet Nam), and I think I used it when purchasing a pair of binoculars and a radio.
I don’t remember my ration card in Korea, but if you say I had one, then it must be true.
I do remember the blatant black market, all right out in the open, and what appeared to be a lack of enforcement.
I remember the unedible swill served in our mess hall in Germany, and being told later that the mess sergeant had been arrested for selling food from the mess hall to the Germans.
POST SCRIPT:
Maybe I don’t remember the ration cards because I didn’t use alcohol or tobacco.
Yep, in Korea they were for alcohol and tobacco products.
Even if you went there TDY for an exercise or a couple weeks, you’d get a ration card for the time you were there.
Misawa AFB, 1955, our beer needed a ration card to buy it. My sergeant took mine from me because I was under 21. Don’t know if the AF guys needed one. In town we could buy all the beer we could afford so it really didn’t matter.
That’s a great idea, Martin.
Let’s have Snuffy Joe drunk during a mission.
Or do you really think we can control how much alcohol Joe consumes?
Good question. Maybe we could ask the soldiers in .every war the US fought before 1990, since GO1 only dates back to then (and was put into place to placate the sensibilities of our great “ally” Saudi Arabia.)
Or, maybe we could ask our coalition partners, since none of them have our silly and puritanical GO1. (When I was in Afghanistan we used to get our beer from the German SOF unit that was with us at BAF.)
Unless, of course, you think that the soldiers of today are uniquely softer, weaker or more susceptible to vice and corruption than soldiers in the past and/or soldiers in our coalition partners like the Germans, Brits, Aussies, etc, who drink like fish and yet somehow still manage to maintain an effective military organization.
In Bosnia every other ally’s personnel could drink except us Americans and the Turks. Though, US personnel outside of the American sector could drink if their commander approved it.
Our Civil Affairs Task Force was the only US unit outside of MND-North (US Sector) that couldn’t drink. Why? Because our predecessors were a bunch of drunk assholes. It wasn’t that they got in trouble due to being drunk, it was because they got into trouble all the time and had been drinking.
So, the new CG came in and figured “it must be due to the alcohol!” and hence, we were only allowed to drink one drink IF we were with allies and it was for a toast that would offend if we didn’t.
Alcohol is a tough one though, the same reason why they don’t lower the drinking age to 18. The fear of significant increase in accidents, DUIs, deaths, non-consensual sex, etc., are in their mind. It would definitely be bad at first, but I’d bet it would diminish over time. (Though politicians only worry about the next election)
I was told that a couple years prior to my joining the Army, if you were under 21 you were allowed to drink on post, just not offpost. Figures that I missed that.
In the Viet of the Nam troops inside the wire were given beer now and then. REMF’s had full blown bars.
In the 1/101 (ABN) (Sep) in Feb ’68 units would rotate out of Au Shau valley to BDE HQ at F’ing Phu Bai and be put in a concertina compound where the beer, steaks, movies, and hot water showers flowed. They had no duties, including guard duty, except to kick back. When their time was up (a few days) they would do guard for the incoming unit before returning to the bush.
Availability of alcohol, steaks, showers, etc. and facilities like PXs and bars seems to have varied dramatically from unit to unit and location to location.
Yep. What I described was not plush by any stretch of the imagination. Beer was the big luxury and wasn’t cold. Steaks were scrounged and hoarded for the guys coming out of the Valley. Showers was 55 gal drums in the air over pallet floors.
It was a shock when they moved us (then 3/83nd) to Saigon and we saw how REMFs lived.
SJ, the 101st in 1965 at Camp Gray Eagle outside Phan Rang had few of the amenities you describe. However, shortly after my arrival as a replacement fire team leader, another E-5 took me over to another unit’s bivouac area to a large GP tent standing off by itself.
Going through that blackout flap was like entering a different world. An enterprising E-6 supply sergeant had created a bar that looked like something out of a western movie, complete with crap tables. The bar was stocked with top grade whiskies, vodkas, rums, you name it.
I swear to God that when I stepped up to the bar and ordered a Black Jack that when the proprietor set my drink down, he pulled up the sleeve of his fatigue jacket to display an array of then highly sought Seiko’s running from his wrist to his elbow and with a big grin said, “Wanna buy a watch, Sarge?”
I later heard he took two footlockers of Benjamin’s back to the states when the Army finally MADE him leave Vietnam.
My buddy Woods mentioned something about that. Told me to get a Seiko at Phan Rang (that I still have). That guy may have been back at Phu Bai in ’68! After the 101st came in (1/101 was still Separate) a GP med “club” sprang up that included PrOn movies that troopers brought back from R&R. The movies sucked but the audience commentary was great. Mortars, rockets, and VC in the grass sometimes interrupted the festivities. Only bar where everyone was armed to the teeth.
Ah! Warm beer. An acquired taste, but I still enjoy it sometimes.
“Plush” is a relative term. I give thanks daily for the luxury of indoor plumbing and electricity. And as I continue to age, a nice comfy toilet seat is truly appreciated. That was #3 on Earl Butz’s wish list, I believe.
You sound like a newly-minted Cherry 2LT fresh out of college, Yef! HELL, I remember going into Canadian Compounds where they WERE allowed to drink, but they were limited to a few a day. JUST BECAUSE there are some out there that cannot control themselves DOES NOT mean that ALL troops are that way, you deal with the assholes by giving them the shit they ask for with their behavior and you treat those that act like adults accordingly! Are you STILL ANGRY about when someone talked you into going to the TMC to get your Masturbation Papers?
I’ve been aboard a lot of FOB’s and bases in Afghanistan and Iraq and I can tell you GO-1 was a fraud that was violated with regularity by civilians and military folks of all ranks and rates.
It seemed like it was only enforced when other “stuff” occurred such as we see in this case.
“The judge also found Paquette did not violate the same general order regarding alcohol consumption on numerous occasions. He was also found not guilty of the most egregious charge against him: abusive sexual contact.” It helps to have friends in high places. …Or judges that give their fellow officers a HUGE break.
It also could be that there simply wasn’t enough clear evidence to sustain those charges. Without examining the court martial records, we don’t know. The S&S article seems to indicate the improper relationship was consensual.
Per the S&S article, the judge hammered Paquette’s manhood pretty damn flat: dismissal (DD equivalent) at 19 years. That means no military retirement, no medical/other military retirement privileges, a felony record, and no VA bennies (statutory bar). While I’d have preferred to see him serve some amount of time, I can accept that as enough.
I doubt they cared about the alcohol consumption since they had that big whopper charge. Plus, it is unlikely anyone under his command would call him out because then they might be investigated for alcohol consumption themselves.
The frat charge doesn’t have to go so far as to include sex, just the perception of impropriety is enough for the conviction. It would appear that the prosecution didn’t meet the bar of showing that they were banging each other, based on the lack of a conviction for adultery.
FWIW, AFRICOM appears to have a much healthier attitude towards alcohol consumption than either EUCOOM or CENTCOM, just by the fact that they permit some. IMHO, the command actually treats people like adults and asks that you don’t over indulge.
“C-17 pilot and married father with more than 18 years in the Air Force…” That was some seriously expensive strange. And now his family gets the bill.
I was thinking the same. What goes through people’s heads? I’ve been deployed for long periods of time and numerous short periods and I never had the thought to go find some tail. Basically, it comes down to having an attitude of “that is something I’m not even entertaining the thought of entertaining.”
Ya, Ya, Ya, same old shit. The women who was involved gets off without being held accountable. She was a victim of course, she was so dull witted as an adult woman that his mind control was absolute.
My Spousal Unit is 25 years younger than me, I never understand why that is even brought up in these cases. I guess the insinuation is she was too young to be responsible for her own actions because he was much older. What a joke.
Ok, the guy probably got his wiener wet in the wrong pool.
How many careers have been ended because some woman decides to be naughty with the boss?
Got to go, I got mind control things to do with the Spousal Unit. She is teaching me to fetch.
DH, I personally wouldn’t give much of a damn if this guy had been in a different unit than the young lady in question. But the fact that this guy was the local commander changes things.
Even though I think the DoD has “gotten it wrong”, at least partly, with respect to fraternization, the relationship here was against current fraternization regulations. Moreover, he was her freaking unit commander. Commanders should be held to higher standards. They’re also responsible for enforcing regulations.
How does that go? Oh, yeah: “A commander is responsible for everything his (or her) unit does or fails to do.” Participating in a prohibited relationship along with sanctioning violations of other standing orders is not something a unit commander should be doing. Period.
Even if the regulations seem stupid, you can’t just ignore them (or allow subordinates to do so). They’re legal orders; you violate them at your own risk.
I agree completely, he should know better than to dip his pen in company ink.
It is her culpability that is passed over. She is just a guilty as he is. These articles never seem to read:
“Two members of the (fill in military branch) were found guilty by Court Martial for…”
Yes, he happened to be senior ranking and should be held to a higher standard…evidently the women in these cases most often have no standards.
He outranked her so she has no responsibility in the matter. That is and always will be total nonsense.
It’s possible she received NJP for fraternization. I’ve seen at least one case of fraternization (sexual relationship) where both received NJP. That particular case was an E8 (First Sergeant) and one of his female junior enlisted; the command didn’t want to go the court-martial route.
In this case, I’d be perfectly happy with the junior individual losing a stripe due to NJP, while the senior individual got hammered at court-martial. I’d find that apropos here because the senior (1) condoned widespread violation of standing policy by others, (2) engaged in such policy violations himself, and (3) was the local commander at the time.
Here, the senior should damn well have known better. He obviously did – but chose to ignore standing orders and misbehave anyway. His culpability here is greater, because he “green-lighted” misconduct by his subordinates while in a position of special trust and responsibility.
It seems we agree, with the exception of her being discharged as well.
Hold these women accountable for their actions. One would think in today’s PC environment that being a whore is conduct unfit for service.
JMHO
If the USAF wanted to ADSEP her for cause, I’d be OK with that too. Or if they chose to retain her. She wasn’t the one in charge – and thus responsible for enforcing the unit’s overall military order and discipline.
He was. His fall should therefore be much harder – and was.
I’d feel the same if it was some late-30-something female O5 putting the moves on a 19 y/o male MP, and letting her subordinates violate policy with impunity. In that hypothetical case, I’d be OK with the male getting lesser punishment, while the lady got hammered.
Rank has responsibility as well as perks. And when someone at higher rank deliberately ignores policy and/or shirks their responsibilities, IMO the consequences should be accordingly greater than for the same misconduct in a junior troop.
IMO BOTH should be punished for failure to keep their crotches dry.
I talked to a Judge Advocate at one point who talked about how his philosophy was a bit different in this regard in fraternization. If you have a 2LT in a relationship with an E-8, one has 1-2 years of experience and one has 20. So, do you still destroy the noob? Even a 1LT with 4 years in? He was advising stricter punishment on personnel with more years in.
In this case though, Commander Dumbshit here has zero excuse.
I’d also bet that her career is done. I doubt she makes it past O-4 because she’ll be, “that one who hooked up with commander dumbshit!”
She was enlisted in this case.
Which, unless things have changed in the past few years yet again, means that under current DoD policy the relationship was a complete “No-No”. Regardless of whether they were in the same unit or not.
Yep, the only exemption to this was for Reserve Component personnel who “met eachother in a civilian capacity”.
I knew of one couple that met at my old reserve battalion, O-3 and E-7 and they got married. Most people at the unit didn’t even know they were a couple. Once they were married it was irrelevant, but the commander didn’t care because it wasn’t a distraction and they weren’t even in the same company.
Had a Marine O-3 replacement for the 2 star’s adjutant show up in Baghdad and leave in several weeks. The theater commander was a Marine 3 star, and did not like his officers fooling around with a female Army E-7. Got a nice 3 star letter of reprimand in his file and everything – and this guy was a fast jet pilot.
“My Spousal Unit is 25 years younger than me”
Dave, how many times do we have to tell you? Stop Bragging.
Before Claw rats me out, I have Dave beat.
Do it until your kilohertz . . . . (smile)
Smile!
I used to have a GF 10 years younger than me, it was tough. She was pretty, intelligent and rich. But, I don’t know if I could handle 25 years younger, that’s a lot of vitamin D requirement I’m guessing.
Ahhh…I am not alone, finally someone who understands my pain.
I do hope his episode of Wandering Willie was worth it. He still gets SSRI, right? That should crimp his life style a little.
If you guys ever learn to stop thinking with your gonads, let me know, willya?
I could give you plenty of examples of women thinking with their “gonads” too though Ex. In fact, this young officer was definitely thinking with her gonads.
Or was “guys” a non-gender specific term?
She was enlisted, MSG Eric. No excuse at all on her part.
Yeah, even still, I doubt she makes it past E-7, if that. I’m betting she’ll be “influenced” to not re-enlist the next time her contract is up.
Let me know when the women stop throwing themselves on their back and spreading their legs; willya?
Not starting a fight, just pointing out the hypocrisy.
A lot of assumption there. The female involved was 18 yrs. old with less than 1 year of service. I know I got a break or two when I was that new, and from the limited information in the linked article I would have given her a break, along with a bit of counseling, too.
As for him, the “mentoring” excuse was pretty funny. Just as an adult, much less an “officer and gentleman”, he knew better, and deserved what he got. ALL fraternization with enlisted personnel is forbidden, as far as I know.
My condolences to his family.
Is the AF so top heavy in rank that a LTC is considered an appropriate rank to command 90 personnel?
In one of my AIT classes, we had 5 female students (all 18-20) caught for hooking up with permanent party Soldiers from the nearby engineer battalion. (permanent party fraternization with initial entry trainees is WORSE than subordinate fraternization and IET fraternization with Cadre is worse than that, in the sense of punishment and regulation against)
They’d pass notes in the chow hall and then when they got their 4-hour “mini-mall” pass (to go to the mini-mall for necessities and a break), they would get picked up by these guys, drive to a motel and have sex for a couple hours, then get driven back like nothing happened.
They were turned in by a fellow classmate and when they were standing on the carpet, all but one fessed up to it. Four of them received article 15s with restrictions and extra duty, one received harsher punishment because she wouldn’t admit it even though she was identified by 4-5 others as being part of it.
At the end of the day, these females (teenagers) came up with the scheme and planned it out, provided plausible evidence they were at a location they should be at, and conspired to do something they shouldn’t have done. They’d done this at least 4 times before they were caught, that we know about.
Just because she’s “19” doesn’t mean she doesn’t know exactly what she’s doing.
I’m surprised they had the opportunity to even meet anyone outside their company and so much unsupervised free time to fraternize.
It is good to see the standards of the all-volunteer Army are so much higher than those of a draftee Army.
Tim actual, 90 personnel is the size of a smaller flying squadron. The rank deals with the level of responsibility, not the size of the organization. He was the squadron commander; that is a billet for an O-5. Fighter squadrons are about the same size. The commander is also responsible for the crew training, ATO accomplishment, and any other flying related tasks.
The Navy puts an O-5 in command of the ~100 crew of an LCS, too (both crews). And an O-5 Exec. I think both are ridiculous.
I guess we disagree on the level of responsibility a particular rank can handle.
Also, this wasn’t a fighter squadron. Why did they even need a pilot in a drone squadron?
Oh, I know, and this one, in my view, was an enlisted skanky slut looking for a faster way up the rank ladder.
Women can be and are just as mercenary as men when they want to be. Not making any excuses for anyone here. But considering everything, he knew better and ignored it. That’s something that sticks out. If he’s as careless with the rules as he was at this duty station, where else did he act like jackass?
Remember, these guys and gals are getting your tax dollars in their paychecks.
In the civilian world, a relationship like that can be destructive and damaging. The best example of that was Mary “Bam” Cunningham and Bill Agee, who started a hot-to-trot affair when she met him as a Harvard Business School graduate in 1980. http://people.com/archive/the-takeover-didnt-take-but-bill-agee-and-mary-cunningham-made-one-merger-that-works-vol-18-no-26/
He was trying to take over another company, met her and was WOWWWED by all her brilliant ideas, so much so that by the time she resigned from Bendix, they were seeing each other AT work. It was a nasty scandal, and his plan to take over Martin Marietta with backing from United Technologies failed. They did marry each other, eventually, but it was the biggest, nastiest flustercuck EVER in the business world.
Martin Marietta now belongs to Lockheed and is a government contractor.
I’m not condemning the girl, all I was responding to was your blanket statement involving us of the testosterone mafia.
Yes, he should have known better. However, we are not privy to the context of his relationship with his wife or the enlisted girl. That he was a Field Grade Officer, he was supposed to know better. That he chose to ignore several directives, not just dipping his wiener in the enlisted pool, tells me he has some other issues, also.
“If you guys ever learn to stop thinking with your gonads, let me know, willya?”
An erect pecker has NO conscience or common sense, maybe that’s why some call it a “Meat Missile”, it has no purpose other than hitting its target!
But it sure has a memory!!!!!!
Just sayin’
Its not our fault we only have enough blood to operate one head at a time. You women just don’t understand how tough that is!
And on top of that, the acceptable terminology keeps changing daily!
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=73096
Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. And it’s the left’s fault. (smile)
You guys got me curious. I read the DOD Directive and the USAF Directives on controlling alcohol…nowhere in there does it give anyone the authority to prohibit the use thereof. So my question is this: Who is issuing orders to my troops saying they’re prohibited from consuming alcohol? I’d take a link to a SOFA that somebody signed prohibiting alcohol consumption, but that would be a major blunder.
From the Stars & Stripes article linked above:
‘[…]
Paquette was charged with failing to follow and enforce a U.S. Africa Command general order that prohibited airmen from drinking more than two alcoholic beverages in a 24-hour period at their deployed location.
[…].’
Better answer than mine, Mick. And as another Unified Commander, the AFRICOM Commander does indeed have that authority as well.
Damn!
Airmen get to drink in deployments?
WTF am I doing in the Army?
Hey, if you wanna get out of the military and join the Air Force, better hurry while they are still hurting for personnel and easing their requirements.
Yef, at one time or another, we’ve all wondered just wtf you’re doing in the Army.
That would seem to part of the problem, allowing some limited amounts. An outright ban would be easier to enforce.
For those personnel assigned/attached to CENTCOM, that would be the CENTCOM Commander. GO-1A prohibiting alcohol consumption while deployed has been in effect since at least 19 Dec 2000.
And yes: as a Unified Commander, he does indeed have the authority to order that.
No Hondo, that order prevents defacing antiquities….It’s an update of an earlier General Order stating the same thing. But Centcom Commander does have the right to give that order. Still looking for info in the Africom GO. https://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/laws02iraqenl.html
Ah, youngsters. You gotta “love” their “mad skilz” when it comes to research.
That’s indeed what section 2(g) of CENTCOM GO-1A, dtd 19 Dec 2000, says. But the rest of GO-1A covers a bit more than that.
Obviously, you didn’t bother to click on the part of the page you cited that says “Click here to review the full text of General Order 1A (GO-1A)” and actually read GO-1A. Since that was too much trouble, here’s a direct link – from the page you cited:
https://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/pdf/GeneralOrderGO-1A.pdf
As I read it, Section 2(c) of that document – which you apparently didn’t bother to read – does indeed prohibit “Introduction, possession, sale, transfer, manufacture or consumption of any alcoholic beverage . . . .” I say that because that is a direct quote from the beginning of Section 2(c) of CENTCOM GO-1A.
A bit of free advice: it’s always a good idea to actually read the source document before opining on what it does – and does not – say. Excerpts don’t always tell the entire story.
The 19 Dec 2000 version of GO-1A specified Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. It’s my understanding that it’s since been extended to cover the entire CENTCOM AOR – my guess would be when we started deploying folks for OEF, but I’m not positive. I’m reasonably sure it remains in effect today.
From your comment above, I’d guess you haven’t exactly spent much time deployed to the CENTCOM AOR. A number of us who comment and/or post articles here have. And I’ll assure you that GO-1A sure as hell covered Iraq and Afghanistan when I was deployed to each.
I’m guessing that it’s the same authority that it has been since Desert Shield/Desert Storm; the COCOM put GO 1 in place banning alcohol to forces supporting named operations, and the component commands fell in place under him.
How come these guys can’t keep their rockets in their pockets?? Well I guess he had to “PAQU ETTE” in after a career that he screwed in more ways than one.
Biology.
As an old CSM told me once, “ain’t no pussy in the world worth 30 years.” So, was she worth 19 years? Granted many Air Force women are smoking hot, but, doubtful.
I was told a little different i.e. ain’t no pussy made of gold.
If her pussy is made of gold, well, she was probably born a Man.
USAF had a base where it seemed they stashed all the serious hotties, doing the admin thing and having (ahem) ‘dinner’ and ‘lunch’ with a bunch of Stars.
Whatever became of leadership?
His actions were not done in a vacuum.
On a “secret base” in Sudan with approximately 70 personnel. That sounds like a vacuum to me.
AFRICOM headquarters is in Italy, so its doubtful he had many command visits from on high.
Italy? When did they move from Kelly Barracks?
This will not be a popular position but to me the punishment was disproportionate and I suspect it will not be upheld on appeal.
Bust him back to where he honorably served, fine him, etc but from the article he was only convicted of being negligent in the performance of his assigned duties; in fact, it does not look like they even had sex. Things can look “like” something else but absent of any evidence or will to prosecute by the AF he did a hell of a lot less than others that got to retire.
Piss poor judgement, piss poor leadership, probably did more than what was presented in evidence etc but in balancing that against his apparently otherwise honorable service it seems to be an extreme punishment that is not in line with other cases which will be used in any appeal.
Don’t get me wrong either, the guy was a douche and with the Airman only 18 it makes it that much worse and he deserves to be hammered.
Apparently you missed this para in the linked article (emphasis added):
The judge apparently found him guilty of negligence in addition to the above.
For what he pleaded to alone, Paquette was facing dismissal (DD equivalent); full forfeitures; and 9 years in Leavenworth. He only got dismissed. Bad, but he should be thanking his lucky stars. He could be doing serious time as well.
FWIW: an officer can’t be “busted” by a court-martial. Officers convicted at court-martial can either be (1) dismissed (DD equivalent), or (2) retained in their current grade. Any grade determination resulting in reduction for an officer happens at retirement.
The flip side is that if I recall correctly a commissioned officer can be dismissed for literally any court martial conviction if the court-martial panel (or judge, in a judge-only trial) so directs. That includes relatively minor offenses for which an enlisted member could not receive a punitive discharge.
That’s just what they charged him with. I suspect there was more involved. And he was only in command for less than 90 days.
Animal House: Tunisia
I definitely joined the wrong military branch.
What happens in Tunisia stays in Tunisia
when we used to tie up at pier 12, Norfolk NOB, I used to bring beverages onto the pier and hide them behind the Dempster dumpster, then go aboard and take a small shit can from the A Gang shop and go out to the pier with the shit can and load it up, go back aboard and store them in a steamer locker I had in my cleaning space which was the port aircraft elevator machinery room. We also had keys to the reefers but that’s another story.
I have seen much, much worse from the Field Grade and Sr NCO crowd. Much worse.
This guy is a frikkin saint compared to some of the bozo the clown wanna be types I had to deal with who could not make it through the three days at Camp Beuhring or Camp Cupcake without drinking and consorting with the troops.
I guess Mofo gonna mofo….
I have zero patience with “professionals” who can’t behave for 3-12 months while deployed and even attempt to set an example.
So glad my main concern right now is finding a good coin stand for my (ahem) ‘small’ collection of challenge coins…
Moron.
Take a real-deal Pilot, stick him in drones in the middle of nowhere…WTF did they think was going to happen? He was going to organize 4 Bible Study groups?
I get the derision over drone ops and PTSD+combat decorations.
But the work has got to be mind-numbing or stressful depending on the day/night/op.
Did his unit get the job done? Were there discipline problems?
The sinker is the inappropriate relationship. Otherwise, it’s his head let him make the call on access to and consumption of booze. Plenty of other Nations militaries give their personnel benefit of doubt when it comes to responsible drinking while deployed but off the clock.
I’d say that widespread disregard for a standing AFRICOM general order qualifies as exactly that. The fact that the local commander condoned the violations compounds the problem.
What’s the old proverb? “A fish rots from the head down.”
” when it comes to responsible drinking while deployed but off the clock.”
“15 witnesses, brought to Ramstein to testify from various locations worldwide, testified about the alcohol consumption on base, with one describing it as “overwhelming.” Airmen were allowed to keep alcohol in their tents and parties went late into the evening most Friday and Saturday nights, some airmen testified.”
https://www.stripes.com/news/air-force-lt-col-dismissed-from-service-for-downrange-relationship-1.484708#.WaXNM9QpAtN
Not what I would call responsible drinking.
Manas AB, Kyrgystan..yes..was the exit/intro stop on way to/from Afghanistan. Checking out/in linens etc lasted longer than the sleep you got. After a year in Helmand..we stayed a night and my shop had their first beers and pizza. My female Exec Officer drank a 22 oz of Russian beer. Someone said they use formaldehyde in their process. Anyway she was sick as hell..needed an IV.We nearly had to carry her on the C-17. Also, the DEA “extreme vetting” of our sea bags was lengthy..but “stupid IS..as stupid DOES” One corpsman, after 7 mos of stellar service in country with the 2d MEB, was caught with a lot of marijuana in his (“Mom, dad..don’t drive to the airport quite yet..”). Kyrgy women look like Okinawans..but then they speak Russian..no wonder they make beer with formaldehyde !
CAPT Bones USN (ret)
So far a couple of things stand out on the Africom General Order: 1) 3.70/day per diem for USAF and 37.50 for Marines, probably a typo, but its the gov’t who knows. 2) Marines required to have a swimsuit, but the GO forbids swimming. ..Hell yeah, that’s O level thinking. 3) Nothing in it about alcohol..but I’ve got some more I can read. I’d love to get my hands on the charge sheet for this guy.
Well, found it..https://longreads.oneworld.nl/wp-content/uploads/USAFRICOM_GENERAL_ORDER_NUMBER_1.pdf
So, have letters to write.