*****'The Boys From Syracuse' charge military cover-up
Wayne Mann
*****'The Boys From Syracuse' charge military cover-up
*****By Jennifer Harper
*****THE WASHINGTON TIMES
group of former Air National Guard fighter pilots
surrendered their medals on the steps of the Capitol
yesterday to protest a bungled military investigation that used
tactics they compared to "the darkest days of communism."
The men say their careers and their unit were ruined by
officials bent on protecting Maj. Jacquelyn Parker, a pilot who
they say has a history of raunchy behavior and airborne
incompetence.
"This is the greatest sacrifice of my military life," said
David
Hamlin, a decorated veteran and former commander of the New
York ANG's elite 174th Fighter Wing in Syracuse -- whose fliers
called themselves "The Boys From Syracuse" for a half-century
before the Pentagon made them stop lest they offend feminist
sensibilities.
He was fired and his unit grounded in 1995 after Maj.
Parker
failed to qualify for combat in an F-16 and then said she had
been the victim of sexual discrimination, though the unit had
previously been commended for recruiting female and minority
fighter pilots.
Two investigations -- one military, one civilian --
followed,
which dredged up sordid details of petty vengeance, sexual
impropriety and dangerous liaisons. In the aftermath, 12 pilots
in
the celebrated flying unit were demoted or transferred, and a
half-dozen never flew again -- a loss, the group estimates, of
$20
million in training costs.
One pilot with many flying hours was grounded, then put in
charge of a copy machine.
All say the investigation was both sham and cover-up,
tainted
by withheld evidence, perjury and abuse of power.
"We stand by what we did," Air National Guard spokesman
Dan Donohue said yesterday. "There was clear evidence that
there was a climate for discrimination in that unit. There was
no
cover-up. It was all made public."
Maj. Parker, her accusers say, had lofty guardians
determined to make her into America's first female combat pilot,
racing against candidates from the Marines and the Navy. Like
disgraced Air Force bomber pilot Kelly Flinn, Maj. Parker was a
high-profile aviatrix. She had received an award from Hillary
Rodham Clinton, appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and
done a photo layout in glamour gown and bomber jacket.
"She was unfailable, and we were told that she was
unfailable," said X. Ecker, a former senior officer who rode
with
Maj. Parker as she flunked her final check ride for combat
readiness in the F-16.
Maj. Parker had another side, one that shocked the
gnarliest
of fighter jocks. The investigations found that during her year
at
the 174th, she flaunted an affair with the director of
operations,
Col. Robert Rose, who was married, and that she continually
grabbed a male officer's private parts because it "drove him
totally nuts." She was reported to have had other "relationships
with superior officers" at previous postings, one investigatory
report said.
Her calling card, the reports said, announced her as
"Mankiller." Once, perhaps in jest, she offered oral sex to a
pilot
by announcing it into the air hose attached to his G-suit, the
military investigatory report said. She occasionally used the
men's restroom and walked in on male pilots in the showers.
Documents from the investigation said Maj. Parker "was
very headstrong and used her sexuality to try to influence those
around her." Her peers told investigators she was just
obnoxious;
one called her "an accident waiting to happen."
After failing her final check ride, Maj. Parker called in
sick --
often with what she described as "female troubles" -- during the
three additional tests subsequently offered to her. In total,
her
F-16 training took three times longer than normal, as the unit
tried to ease her along.
Then, suddenly, she quit. "I will become so vicious that I
will
tear this unit apart," she said on leaving, according to
investigation records.
Within hours of her resignation, the New York Air National
Guard assured the Pentagon that a full-scale investigation of
her
treatment was under way. When evidence surfaced that Maj.
Parker and her paramour had lied under oath, a civilian probe
followed under the auspices of Gov. George E. Pataki, who later
pronounced the report "flawed."
The unit pilots filed whistleblower complaints with
Secretary
of the Air Force Sheila Widnall; several were reassigned or
deemed "unstable," "unsafe" or "discriminators."
Maj. Parker is now stationed with the California Air
National
Guard at a desk job. Meanwhile, the 147th Fighter Wing has
"fought its way back" and morale is on the rise, according to a
New York ANG spokesman. The former pilots of the 147th
themselves, some who fought back tears as they gave up their
medals yesterday, are mostly civilians now.
Mr. Ecker laments the loss of military morale and insists
that
honor, integrity and duty to country still come first. Others
say
female pilots are the real casualty.
It is a lesson, said Elaine Donnelly of the Center for
Military
Readiness, when principles and leadership "are abandoned so
that women will 'succeed' regardless of their behavior and
performance."
"Professional women, including female aviators, must speak
out against the idea that some women can break the rules with
impunity and rely on political connections or favoritism to
advance their careers."
Billy Beck
"Wayne Mann" <tpdN...@callamerica.net> (Wayne Mann) wrote:
>*****'The Boys From Syracuse' charge military cover-up
>*****By Jennifer Harper
>*****THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Gotta date on this article, Wayne?
Billy
VRWC fronteer - sigdiv
http://www.mindspring.com/~wjb3/free/essays.html
Wayne Mann
wj...@mindspring.com (Billy Beck) wrote:
>
>"Wayne Mann" <tpdN...@callamerica.net> (Wayne Mann) wrote:
>
>>*****'The Boys From Syracuse' charge military cover-up
>>*****By Jennifer Harper
>>*****THE WASHINGTON TIMES
>
> Gotta date on this article, Wayne?
>
>
05/14/98
Shawn Glisson
"Wayne Mann" <tpdN...@callamerica.net> (Wayne Mann) wrote:
>wj...@mindspring.com (Billy Beck) wrote:
>>
>>"Wayne Mann" <tpdN...@callamerica.net> (Wayne Mann) wrote:
>>
>>>*****'The Boys From Syracuse' charge military cover-up
>>>*****By Jennifer Harper
>>>*****THE WASHINGTON TIMES
>>
>> Gotta date on this article, Wayne?
>>
>>
> 05/14/98
This is what Rep. Solomon had to say about it:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONGRESSMAN GERALD B.H. SOLOMON
STATEMENT ON 174TH AIR NATIONAL GUARD
MAY 13, 1998
"Not here, not on my watch, and not while I'm Chairman of the House
Rules Committee will the military continue to be destroyed by
ill-advised social experiments! When 15 decorated warriors, including
two of my constituents, are compelled by the violation of their honor
and integrity to turn in their own medals and wings, it better be a
wake up call for senior Air Force officials at the Pentagon to finally
take notice. I demand a full and complete investigation by the
Pentagon and guarantee you, I'm going to make sure we get all the
information behind this case, not some pile of redacted papers that
were turned over at Chairman Hyde's request. The Air Force has tried
to cover their end by passing this off as a state issue only. Well,
last I checked, our combat readiness is most definitely a federal
issue that goes to the core of our national security. If we keep
driving away our heroes, the future of our all volunteer force is in
serious jeopardy."
"These distinguished pilots were members of the 'Boys from Syracuse',
a squadron that flew 1600 combat missions in Desert Storm. To allow a
cover-up of an outrageous social experiment proposed on former
Governor Cuomo's watch that tore this unit apart and destroyed the
careers of such honorable, dedicated Americans is unacceptable. The
American military has to be founded on a warrior culture that strives
for uncompromising excellence because their mission is to fight wars
and protect our freedoms and way of life. This social engineering has
got to stop and the House has finally taken a bold step when the
National Security Committee, including all five female members of that
Committee, voted to return to separate sex training in all services of
the military along the lines of the Marine Corps. Believe me, I'm
going to be fighting to keep that provision in the Defense
Authorization bill on the floor of this House and will be fighting to
get all the information that's bubbling below the surface in this
unfortunate case. These courageous pilots are standing up for what
they believe and they deserve nothing short of complete vindication."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This has been a real travesty for the men involved and for our armed
forces. The military won't bring about justice unless we preassure
our Congressmen to make them. For more info on the story see
http://www.duffey.com/pilots.
- Shawn