Gen. William "Kip" Ward still under investigation
 

Well this just goes to show that even the top of the food chain can lose it and go off the edge. Looks like if the accusations are true that Gen Ward might be in for a reduction. If the article is correct he and his wife decided that they were special and deserved to be kept like royalty on our dime. Hummmm I see parallels with them and the COC and his wife. Power does corrupt if your moral compass is not strong.

http://www.kypost.com/dpps/news/nati...ending_7772376

"Peel me a grape".....

Something happens to some people when they pin on those stars. I've had seen with a few generals, but had direct contact with only one, Maj Gen George L. Mabry, Jr. He was CG of USARSO when I was in 8th Group.

I met him twice, neither were pleasant. He seemed focused on trivial crap on the first meeting. On the second, which occured at JOTC's "Leadership Reaction / Target Detection and Engagement" course (BB-guns fired from the hip), he came during lunch. While we SF instructors and our Marine students had cold C-rats, they set up a little table with a white tablecloth and served him a hot meal. (When I see it in my mind's eye, there's a silver candlelabra on it, but I don't think that was really there.)

As he was coming in, I got up, took my C's, walked about 10 yards down my lane - followed by my four Marines - and ate my C's in the jungle.

Besides two stars, he had the MOH from WWII. When I read the narrative, it was difficult for me to associate the man he was back then with the man he became.

Sad.

If those accusations are true it's clear cut fraud waste and abuse. Since he's not a junior grade officer I doubt he'll get anything worse than a golden parachute ride. I hope I'm wrong.

Ward is now a 2 star.

BMT

Has Panetta made his decision? Have not seen any announcement yet.......

I am sure he will be demoted but you never know......

Here's the IG report on the newly christened MG.

http://www.dodig.mil/fo/Foia/PDFs/WardROI_Redacted.pdf

Should be courtsmartialed period......what an arrogant ass.

He is a MG because he was not in a position for a General for the time he was in a holding pattern in DC waiting for the investigation. Their lack of fast action caused him to revert to MG so they did not have to do anything.

He should have been courtsmartialed like we all feel but they are taking care of the ass. Generals taking care of Generals. If it was a low ranking Officer or Enlisted they would be in jail right now. This burns me up........

I actually read this, which shows you how boring my life is. Yes, he should be in jail...And Mrs. General Ward should be doing some weed-whackin around the NCO Club...

Allowed to flourish
 

I got detailed (very briefly*) in Berlin once back in the day to drive for a member of the bde staff who had some big 'godfather' somewhere. That guy could've "grown up" to be this POS. (One thing never painted on the sides of mil sedans during that time was For Official Use Only.) Came to a head when he got back in the car late one night after I was coolin' my heels in some side street off the Ku'damm in front of a (great) Balkan restaurant while he took care of his Norwegian mistress. His counter-offer implied perhaps I'd rather be staring across the wire at some VoPo with binos & a radio. Pointing out that it would be a helluva lot closer to my MOS than what I was doing probably cemented the deal.

My point is that I don't believe such knuckleheads as this suddenly get that way. The scope may get larger but at some point their network is gonna overlook some stuff and, absent any rudder corrections, you get this. Neither first nor last. Docking his number of stars? BS.

Still, my oath is the only one I can protect. Hang 'em & move on. Perhaps Mrs. Ward will get used to "my husband, the corrupt & disgraced General." Just doesn't flow the same....

:rolleyes:

* My Opns NCO said, "23 days, that might be a record." :D

Gen Dempsey Says Ward Shouldn't be Demoted
 

And people wonder why our troops have a hard time respecting the Officer Corps. Typical, take care of your buddy bullshit. If this was a Lt Col or below they would be HUNG. I am so tired of this crap.

Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
October 5, 2012

Don't Demote General, Top Officer Urges

By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press

WASHINGTON--America's top military officer is opposing the demotion of a four-star general who is accused of spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lavish travel and other expenses in a case that has been sitting on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's desk for weeks, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is among those who believe that Gen. William Ward, the former head of U.S. Africa Command, should be allowed to retire at his full four-star general rank, the officials said.

A Defense Department inspector general's report released in mid-August concluded that Ward "engaged in multiple forms of misconduct related to official and unofficial travel." It said Ward "conducted official travel for primarily personal reasons," misused military aircraft and received reimbursement for travel expenses that far exceeded the approved daily military rate without authorization.

Panetta has not made a final decision, officials said.

Other officials have argued that the allegations made against Ward in the IG report were serious and that senior officers need to be held accountable. Officials have suggested that similar misconduct by a lower-ranking officer or enlisted military member would garner severe punishment or dismissal.

Retiring as a three-star would cost Ward nearly $30,000 a year in retirement pay - giving him about $208,802 a year rather than the $236,650 he would get as a four-star. He also could be required to reimburse the Defense Department for tens of thousands of dollars.

The inspector general's report found that Ward used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite, a Defense Department investigation found. It detailed lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife and his staff members, and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled to Washington.

We had a Major in the 46th Co, Taco 6, who was, IIRC, jailed for such nonsense...

Not that I had any respect for Dempsey to begin with, but that just seals it. I wonder if he knows the damage that he (Dempsey) does to other GOs by doing this? If it were anyone else, they would be hammered and in Leavenworth.

This inDUHvidual just needs some additional training. I'm thinking that a branch reclassification to Hard Rock Mining is in order with concurrent reassignment to Ft. Leavenworth.

Leavenworth isn't as cool as it used to be. The farm is gone, the rose greenhouse, the shops are all gone. Trustees don't even bag groceries in the commissary any more.

Okay, what is the message here if we punish everyone below the rank of GO for these crimes, but a four-star does it and gets away with minimal punishment?

Where is the fairness and equal application of justice?

GEN Ward abused his authority, violated his trust, and wasted pulic monies for his (and his wife's) direct personal benefit. He was briefed on unethical activities repeatedly during his career, had an IG and a JAG handy to tell him what was legal and what was not. He deliberately chose to disregard all of this and treat himself like royalty.

Read the IG report. This man was a walking, talking bad example.

As a thief, he should be hammered and made an example of.

The fact that he is not speaks volumes about the corruption of our leadership.

I am amazed that no one saw these defects in his character till he was a General. Maybe this was a pattern, and it was ignored for some other reason till now.

Now the rest of us will probably get to sit through four more hours of mandatory annual training on DTS and what constitutes unethical conduct.:rolleyes:

Meanwhile, he (who has been collecting his check, but not reporting in to work for an extended period) gets to retire without punishment and collect a big-assed retirement check.

Where is the justice?

TR

Ok, I'll say it. Maybe him being a member of a 'protected class' has something to do with not being puished.

Do have any evidence to support this postulation? That is, other than the obvious.

If you mean a GO then yes. If you mean black, you are wrong.

Dempsey says and does some very questionable things.
His comments about 'retiree's' beeing silent on political events and now supporting a 4 star thief.
I think Dempsey is the perfect example of what a 'good' General looks like to the Obama admin.

You mean looks and sounds like an Idiot ? ;)

Really? I am not so sure about that. You are obviously secure in your position on this. Why?

I've an idea....let us let the Dems pull the race card when there is no real proof...that is one thing I never speculate about unless there is a direct link.
I believe this is an example of a stupid GO supporting a stupid GO because he is, well, simply stupid.
Dempsey has already shown his obtuse thought process.....maybe Dempsey thinks it is the right thing to do because the GO is black and he, Dempsey, wants to please his Admin masters....but there is no linkage to prove that....that would simply be Dempsey being Dempsey.

The message is that with time and rank comes power and the more you have of the latter the less you have to care of why you were given ( yes, given) it.
Lack of action by those in power sends the message that fairness and equality don't matter to them when they see power in general threatened. Is that the truth? I hope not. Time will tell. If Leadership doesn't "do the right thing" then this will set it back. Shoplifting at the PX is gonna be a lot easier to do. Still be hard to get away with thought.

It has nothing to do with his race or his alma mater. He has probably always manipulated the system and others. He didn't wake up one morning and say, "Jackpot!, Honey."

Based on my experiences and observations as both an NCO and an Officer with experience at the ambassadorial and theater army organizational levels, I, too, agree with afchic's comment. The GO club is as exclusive and as protective of "its own" - regardless of gender or race - as is the US Senate.

Richard :munchin

Because I have spent the last 8 years dealing with the GO club. I have seen how they work and know they will circle the wagons to protect one of their own. It has nothing to do with the color of his skin but the four stars on his shoulders.

Tend to agree...I worked at GO level for 5 years....double secret probation is the order of the day until it affects the 'whole club' then you get 'offered up' as it where.

Decision Soon On Ex-AFRICOM Chief’s Punishment
By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press
Early Bird link to AP story

I find this last statement attributed to GEN Odierno at once incredible horsehockey, and completely expected.

QP Richard's comparison to legislative "censure" is getting good odds in my book (you're a bad boy, go to your room & no allowance for 2 weeks). Not like 1 speaking engagement won't make up the difference.
:rolleyes:

More bling should mean more sting.

Odierno's commenst are offensive and out-of-touch. So, someone of lesser grade wouldn't be punished as severely? Do we not expect the behavior of a four star to differ from that of a Private or Lieutenant? Does anyone really believe that a Private or lieutenant wouldn't go to jail over this? Or that he wouldn't be, comparatively (at least) strip[ped of his pay, let alone not being allowed to retire?

He disgusts me.

and a Private (on food stamps often enough) knows $million. . . how? Nice to know there are people this out of touch . . . At the top. . . Making decisions . . . About you and me . . . . Just when you think you have seen it all :mad:

These days I can't get drunk enough, fast enough.

Based on the 2012 Pay Table [4-Star over 40 pay: 19,239.90; 3-Star over 40 pay: 16,975.80]

Retirement at 4-Star rank: $14429.92 / month or $173,159 / year
Retirement at 3-Star rank: $12731.85 / month or $152,782 / year

“This is not a good old boy network. When you do something wrong you will be held accountable.”

The utter hypocrisy of many officers at the O-6 level and above is breathtaking...most notably, some of the recent statements of General Dempsey and General Odierno are reminiscent of listening to Stepanie Cutter or Debbie Wasserman Schultz spin a topic...

I have seen more than a few good enlisted men (and some lower ranking officers) have their careers ended for far less than the malfeasance/impropriety/misconduct/misbehavior of General Ward or COL James Johnson...

I look at GO's (well, pretty much any officer in command) and see the same thing I see when I look at Congress. A bunch of halfwit jackasses who are so totally secure in their positions of power that they are totally comfortable exempting themselves from the rules that they come up with that the rest of us peasants must live by.

Talk about being out of touch with reality & living at the height of hypocrisy.

:mad:

Not all of us are half-wit jackasses :D.

I stand corrected. Based on the 2007 Defense Authorization Act, the following was added IRT retirement:

SEC. 642. INAPPLICABILITY OF RETIRED PAY MULTIPLIER MAXIMUM
PERCENTAGE TO CERTAIN SERVICE OF MEMBERS OF THE
ARMED FORCES IN EXCESS OF 30 YEARS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (3) of section 1409(b) of title 10,
United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(3) 30 YEARS OF SERVICE.—
‘‘(A) RETIREMENT BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2007.—In the case
of a member who retires before January 1, 2007, with
more than 30 years of creditable service, the percentage
to be used under subsection (a) is 75 percent.
‘‘(B) RETIREMENT AFTER DECEMBER 31, 2006.—In the
case of a member who retires after December 31, 2006,
with more than 30 years of creditable service, the percentage
to be used under subsection (a) is the sum of—
‘‘(i) 75 percent; and
‘‘(ii) the product (stated as a percentage) of—
‘‘(I) 21⁄2; and
‘‘(II) the member’s years of creditable service
(as defined in subsection (c)) in excess of 30 years
of creditable service, under conditions authorized
for purposes of this subparagraph during a period
designated by the Secretary of Defense for purposes
of this subparagraph.’’.

So....he would get the 30 years/75% + 2.5% for every year over that...which would mean 40 years = 100% retirement:

Retirement at 4-Star rank: $19239.90 / month or ~$230,878 / year
Retirement at 3-Star rank: $16975.80 / month or ~$203,709 / year

Guess someone's going to be on food stamps...:rolleyes::mad:
Oh, the humanity...

I guess I just learned a lesson about our CSA.

This is wrong on many levels.

They busted LTG Kensinger for allegedly lying to the Tillman family about what happened to Pat. He did not benefit or profit from the action, and was reduced from 0-9 to O-8, AFTER retirement.

Justice has not been served.

TR

General demoted for lavish travel, spending
 

A senior U.S. official says Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has demoted the former head of U.S. Africa Command who was accused of spending thousands of dollars on lavish travel and other unauthorized expenses

http://www.stripes.com/general-demot...nding-1.196968

:lifter

BMT

So he'll only make $200K+ per year in retirement...tough life - not...such BS at the senior ranks as they cover for each other...

:rolleyes:

Hahahahahahahahahahaha...

He was already lowered to LTG because he was not in a billet for a 4 Star for over 12 months. So this was not even a demotion just an administrative action. What a POS. Guess they had to do some sort of announcement to show that they are doing something since so many GO's and Col's are in trouble right now.