Alaska National Guard Updates Military Justice Code (2016)

National GuardSexual Assault Prevention and Response Program

Alaska National Guard unit being investigated for allegations of sexual misconduct
Alaska National Guard Responds to Allegations of Sexual Assault
Alleged Alaska National Guard Sexual Assault Victim Speaks Out
National Guard Sexual Assault Survivor Speaks Out
Rape victim says Alaska National Guard violated her confidentiality
Scathing report on Alaska National Guard forces out commander
The Three-Headed Monster
Alaska National Guard recruiter fights accusations of misconduct
Alaska National Guard Sex Abuse Scandal Threatens GOP Governor’s Re-election
National Guard documents detail chronic misconduct among recruiting leaders
Alaska National Guard condoned ‘weapons smuggling, rape, and drug trafficking’
Alaska Gov. Walker names new Guard adjutant general
First woman commander of Alaska National Guard: ‘no old boys network’
It’s time for action to protect our Alaska National Guard
State releases 4,000-plus email pages in Alaska National Guard scandal
Special Investigator’s Report on Alaska National Guard Sexual Harassment and Abuse Issues
Report: Inadequate records kept of National Guard complaints
Report cites command climate problems in Alaska Guard probe
Alaska National Guard investigation results confirm mishandling of complaints
National Guard pilot’s experience as sexual assault victim singled out
Investigator calls for Alaska National Guard reform on sexual assaults
Broken Trust: How whistle-blowers and victims in the Alaska National Guard went unheard
Alaska National Guard calls for new military code
Alaska National Guard presses lawmakers to adopt new military code
Alaska House passes bill updating military justice code
In wake of National Guard scandal, House passes reforms to Alaska military justice code
Alaska House of Representatives Unanimously Approves Code of Military Justice for the Alaska National Guard
Alaska Code of Military Justice: HB 126 and the Alaska National Guard
Legislation: Alaska House Bill 60: Military: Sexual Assault
Governor Walker Applauds Adoption of Alaska Code of Military Justice
Governor to sign update to Alaska’s military justice code

Foreign military officers plead not guilty in Missouri attempted child abduction case

Fort Leonard WoodForeign military officers plead not guilty in Missouri attempted child abduction case

ST. LOUIS • Two Middle East military officers in Missouri for training at Fort Leonard Wood pleaded not guilty this week to charges in an attempted child abduction case, officials said.

“Looks like they are going to be with us for a while,” Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long said Friday.

Mohammed Mahmoud Omar Mefleh, 34, of Jordan, and Antoine Chlela, 31, of Lebanon, are held in the county jail with bail set at $200,000 for each. They are charged with enticement of a child and harassment.

The case has put communities outside the sprawling military base on alert.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/foreign-military-officers-plead-not-guilty-in-mo-attempted-child/article_027a3fc7-7dc3-5905-9a4a-aa8303a33f28.html

Court Stops Lawsuit Over Death of Soldier’s Son

US Army SealCourt Stops Lawsuit Over Death of Soldier’s Son

HONOLULU — A federal appeals court “regretfully” upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit that claims the Army caused the death of a newborn by ordering his pregnant mother to do physical training against doctors’ instructions.

January Ritchie was about 5 1/2 months pregnant when she went into premature labor while stationed in Hawaii in 2006.

Her son Gregory died 30 minutes after birth. Her husband, Jonathan Ritchie, filed a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming commanding officers ignored his wife’s pleas not to perform physical duties such as picking up trash and battle-focused training.

Read more: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/10/26/court-stops-lawsuit-over-death-of-soldiers-son.html

21 Arizona Guardsmen Face Criminal Charges

Air National Guard Seal21 Arizona Guardsmen Face Criminal Charges

PHOENIX – Nearly two dozen current and former members of the Arizona Air National Guard have been indicted on charges including theft and money laundering in a $1.4 million scam to defraud the federal government, authorities announced Monday.

The eight officers and 13 enlisted men and women, including the colonel and former commander of the 214 Reconnaissance Group, falsified their records and used fake home addresses in order to receive money meant for those traveling outside of their home regions for duty assignments, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said.

Read more: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/10/21/21-arizona-guardsmen-face-criminal-charges.html?comp=7000023435630&rank=5

Guard recruiter held in superiors’ shooting

National GuardGuard recruiter held in superiors’ shooting

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE — A National Guardsman was being held Friday and awaiting charges in the shooting of two of his superiors at an armory north of Memphis, where he was subdued by fellow soldiers and arrested by local police.

The sergeant first class, whose name was not released, had been disciplined before he opened fire with a handgun Thursday at the armory in Millington, Tennessee, according to a law enforcement official who had been briefed on the case. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Read more: http://www.armytimes.com/article/20131025/NEWS06/310250001/Guard-recruiter-held-superiors-shooting

A Stranger in My Home Premiered ‘Buried Secrets’ on ID: Army Veteran Allan Kowalski Found Buried in Shallow Grave on Texas Property (October 27, 2013)

Al Kowalski is new to Hill Country, Texas. He plans to spend his early retirement hunting and fixing his vintage vehicles. Al welcomes meth-addicted mechanic Charlie Tidwell into his home to help with the cars, but Charlie has a different plan. -Buried Secrets, A Stranger in My Home (S1,E3)

Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.

Related Links:
Buried Secrets | A Stranger in My Home | Investigation Discovery (S1,E3)
Buried Secrets | A Stranger in My Home | Investigation Discovery (website)
Buried Secrets | A Stranger in My Home | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Army Veteran Allan Kowalski Found Buried in Shallow Grave on Texas Property; Charles Tidwell Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Murder (November 6, 2008)

Death on the Home Front: Women in the Crosshairs

stop the violenceDeath on the Home Front: Women in the Crosshairs

Wake up, America.  The boys are coming home, and they’re not the boys who went away.

On New Year’s Day, the New York Times welcomed the advent of 2009 by reporting that, since returning from Iraq, nine members of the Fort Carson, Colorado, Fourth Brigade Combat team had been charged with homicide. Five of the murders they were responsible for took place in 2008 when, in addition, “charges of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault” at the base rose sharply.  Some of the murder victims were chosen at random; four were fellow soldiers — all men.  Three were wives or girlfriends.

This shouldn’t be a surprise.  Men sent to Iraq or Afghanistan for two, three, or four tours of duty return to wives who find them “changed” and children they barely know. Tens of thousands return to inadequate, underfunded veterans’ services with appalling physical injuries, crippling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suck-it-up sergeants who hold to the belief that no good soldier seeks help.  That, by the way, is a mighty convenient belief for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, which have been notoriously slow to offer much of that help.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-jones/death-on-the-home-front_b_181728.html

Another Airman Found Dead

USAF SealAnother Airman Found Dead

Another airman from the Minot Air Force Base has died. The base says a member of the 5th Bomb Wing was found unresponsive at about 3:20 this afternoon in a dorm room and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Last week, Tech. Sergeant Christopher Summers of the 91st Missile Wing was also found dead in his home. His death is also under investigation.

Read more: http://www.kmot.com/story/23471223/another-airman-found-dead

Sex-assault incidents will be documented on every NCOER, OER

US ArmySex-assault incidents will be documented on every NCOER, OER

The Army will use soldiers’ professional evaluations to hold them accountable for preventing sexual assault in the service.

Raters must assess all soldiers on their efforts to foster a climate intolerant of sexual assault and harassment in all Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Reports and Officer Evaluation Reports for rating periods that begin after Sept. 27, according to a memo issued in late September. Soldier counselings, typically done monthly or quarterly, must include the soldier’s “goals and objectives” for combating sexual assault and harassment in their unit, states the directive from Army Secretary John McHugh.

“Leaders must be committed to – and will be held accountable for – fostering a climate of dignity and respect. As a formal part of their evaluation, it will create an even greater incentive to do it well,” said Maj. Chris Kasker, a spokesman for McHugh, in a statement.

Read more: http://www.armytimes.com/article/20131026/NEWS/310260001/Sex-assault-incidents-will-documented-every-NCOER-OER

The Military’s Latest Rape-Case Mess

US Naval Academy InsigniaThe Military’s Latest Rape-Case Mess

A sexual assault case reveals an unbalanced military justice system

Which is worse: a sexual assault by three fellow midshipmen near the U.S.  Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., or spending 20 hours over five days in a  military courtroom fending off questions about one’s sexual history and the  circumstances of the alleged attack?

The latter is what happened at the Washington Navy Yard beginning Aug. 27,  when a female midshipman was cross-examined in a lengthy pretrial hearing  designed to bring those allegedly involved to justice. The case helps explain  why only 3,374 of an estimated 26,000 military members who experienced unwanted  sexual contact last year filed complaints. “It is essentially the woman who is  on trial, and the trial can be worse than the rape,” says retired Colonel  Elspeth Ritchie, who served as the Army’s top psychiatrist and has testified in  similar cases. “I have often thought that I would never report it if it happened  to me.”

Read more: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2151156,00.html