DEOMI News Highlights
DEOMI News Highlights is a weekly compilation of published items and commentary with a focus on
equal opportunity, equal employment opportunity, diversity, culture, and human relations issues. DEOMI
News Highlights is also a management tool intended to serve the informational needs of equity
professionals and senior DOD officials in the continuing assessment of defense policies, programs, and
actions. Further reproduction or redistribution for private use or gain is subject to original copyright
restrictions.
Army pays woman $820,000 to settle sexual harassment case [Julie Watson, The Associated Press,
10 February 2016]
 The Army has paid $820,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former military police trainee who says she
was fired after she filed a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor, defense lawyers said
Wednesday, Feb. 10.
 An attorney representing Luydmila Starkey said the payment was one of the largest made by a
military branch to settle a sexual harassment case.
 Starkey said she will never be able to work in law enforcement again because of the case. “I only
hope that my coming forward helps other women and the culture at the Army of silence and
retaliation will change,” Starkey said.
Army pays woman $820,000 to settle sexual harassment case
“Hispanic” is a race under U.S. anti-bias laws, court rules [Robert Iafolla, Reuters, 16 February
2016]
 The ethnic category “Hispanic” is a race under U.S. federal antidiscrimination laws, a U.S.
appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
 A three-judge panel of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals found that Hispanic has long been
considered a separate race in civil rights cases. The judges pointed out that the U.S. Supreme
Court has previously held that racial discrimination includes bias based on ancestry or ethnic
characteristics.
 The 2nd Circuit, which encompasses the states of New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, also
noted that it has repeatedly assumed ethnicity-based discrimination claims were understood as
racially motivated without making an explicit ruling on that point.
“Hispanic” is a race under U.S. anti-bias laws, court rules
Military hazing: Unclear if the problem is better or worse [Leo Shane III, Military Times, 11
February 2016]
 Military officials have stepped up their anti-hazing efforts in recent years, but haven’t tracked
whether any of those changes are working, according to a new study out this week.
 The Defense Department “has not conducted oversight by regularly monitoring the
implementation of its hazing policy by the military services,” researchers from the Government
Accountability Office say in their new report. “Likewise, the Coast Guard has not required
regular headquarters-level monitoring of the implementation of its hazing policy.”
 Officials from the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security, which oversees
the Coast Guard, said that changes made in recent months should improve those shortfalls, and
promised that leaders are committed to stopping hazing among service members.
Military hazing: Unclear if the problem is better or worse
19 February 2016
Page 1
DEOMI News Highlights
Culture
90-year-old a persistent voice in effort to share Buffalo Soldiers’ history
Data inspires pride for Pidgin, a Hawaii language
Director of Smithsonian’s new African-American museum discusses the power of history
Mixed marriages are changing the way we think about our race
Discrimination
“Hispanic” is a race under U.S. anti-bias laws, court rules
Obama’s move on gender pay gap seen as first step in uphill battle
Senators Demand End to Retaliation Against Phoenix VA Employee
Transgender student: South Dakota bill doesn’t accept me
U.S. settles job discrimination suit against Chicago police
Diversity
10 Things to Know about the Marines’ Plan to Open Combat Jobs to Women
Army looks to recruit more women, adapt physical testing
Army overhauls regs to make way for women in all jobs
CALT graduates first blind student
Decorated SEAL Rob O’Neill supports women in special operations
Face of Defense: Female Soldier Completes NATO Winter Training Course
Female Marines say they’ve figured out how to master pullups
Military’s move toward women in combat signals a major paradigm shift [OPINION]
Navy to Poll Fleet for Input on Ditching “Seaman” Title, Among Others
Questions, frustration as women prepare to join combat units
Miscellaneous
Active-duty suicides up, Guard and Reserve down in 2014
Army’s new fitness tests: New details emerge from leadership
Clock ticking for sailors who want 18 weeks of maternity leave
Faribault female WWII pilot pushes for access to Arlington
House bill requires women to sign up for draft
Lawmakers move to abolish the draft
Study of female veterans suicide would be required, under new legislation
Unisex dress blue coat is less popular with senior female Marines
Misconduct
Military hazing: Unclear if the problem is better or worse
Navy, Air Force lag behind in professionalism, top Pentagon official says
Pentagon sending leaders to Colorado Springs to focus on misconduct in the ranks
Racism
Bar owner apologizes after Polynesian men turned away
Confederate groups plan monument, flag across from Black college
Decorated Marine vet attacked in D.C. McDonald’s: Stop the racism
Government sues Ferguson after city tries to revise deal
Religion
Religious sign at MCB Hawaii again under fire
Sikh man barred from Mexico flight sees “small victory”
Sexual Assault/Harassment
Army pays woman $820,000 to settle sexual harassment case
Coast Guard E-6 sentenced for attempting to film women undressing
Montana quarterback receives $245K settlement for university’s “unfair and biased” rape investigation
Quartermaster School training brigade develops app to combat sexual assault
Sweeping sex assault suit filed against University of Tennessee
19 February 2016
Page 2
Culture
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/187879/90-year-old-persistent-voice-effort-share-buffalo-soldiers-history
90-year-old a persistent voice in effort to share Buffalo
Soldiers’ history
By Terrance Bell
Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, February 4, 2016
Chesterfield County resident John Nichols is a Buffalo Soldier who served with the 10th
Cavalry Regiment during World War II. (Terrance Bell)
FORT LEE, Va. - The Buffalo Soldiers’ enduring legacy was borne out of the
exploits of those audacious and daring enough to ride into a largely unknown and
dangerous western frontier, represent a government that considered them secondclass citizens and risk their lives as a down payment toward their dignity and
freedom.
One hundred and fifty years after the first Buffalo Soldiers rode from stables at
Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and later fought in several wars and battles leading up to
World War II, their noble deeds are largely confined to black history month events
and somewhat are ignored in school history books, according John Nichols.
He is a 22-year Army veteran who knows a bit about the Buffalo Soldiers. The 90-year-old former mounted
horseman wore the patch of the first Buffalo Soldier unit – the 10th Cavalry Regiment – during World War
II and is well-versed on the lives of black fighting men during the era, which he described as subservient
and often degrading. He also said he has seen enough dereliction, death and destruction among his fellow
Soldiers to be a loud and adamant voice for educating Americans about the famed black cavalrymen.
“We had men of honor who sacrificed their lives for this country and for black people – to allow them to
raise their heads in dignity,” said the Chesterfield Country resident and one of the founders of the Mark
Matthews Chapter Petersburg, Virginia Inc., 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association “Buffalo Soldiers”
based in Petersburg.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Nichols, whose smooth, golden brown skin and limber movement belies his age,
was reared under circumstances that made it difficult to cultivate any sense of self-worth. The three-fourths
Native American and black youngster grew up in a multi-racial neighborhood of quasi-integrated Colorado
Springs, Colo., trying to find comfort in his racial identity while navigating his way through a social
climate that closely resembled a caste society, he said.
Furthermore, Nichols’ family was destitute, and he began working at the age of five, collecting firewood
and doing other odd jobs to help support his family.
After hearing President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Dec. 8, 1941, radio address that encouraged citizens to
defend their country, and comprehending he would never gain economic prosperity or full citizenship in his
hometown, Nichols quit his job at Camp Carson, Colo., to join the Army. He also naively thought it would
offer some resolution to the uneasy racial climate in which he lived.
“As I and my forefathers did, we figured if we showed our hearts to the American people and did the
American thing, they would overlook our blackness, quit rejecting us and accept us,” he said. “This was a
dead dream.”
Soon after enlisting in 1942, Nichols said he was shipped to Camp Forsythe (now a part of Fort Riley,
Kan.), where he learned horsemanship and cavalry tactics. His platoon sergeant was famed boxer Joe Louis
and also met fellow Buffalo Soldier Jackie Robinson on a few occasions, he said.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/187879/90-year-old-persistent-voice-effort-share-buffalo-soldiers-history
“Jackie Robinson intimidated me,” said Nichols, noting the man who broke baseball’s color barrier was
smart, well-spoken and dignified.
Nichols, who could read and write unlike many of his fellow, more-experienced Buffalo Soldiers, was
advanced to specialist four within a short time as a result and assigned duties as an orderly room clerk. This
made him the envy of many and a target of harassment for a few who resented his ascension and authority.
He became defensively resistant, however, eventually gaining a reputation as someone who would stand his
ground if challenged.
“I definitely had a temper, and I was tired of being pushed on and beat on,” he said, raising his voice,
wagging his index finger and lowering his brow.
Nichols’ temper eventually got him demoted, but he was assured he could regain his rank if he took charge
of the worst platoon. His strapping credibility and his desire to succeed preceding him, the baby-faced 18year-old not only took charge of the group but turned it around.
“I couldn’t shave,” he laughed while clenching his fist, “but they knew I had good overhead right.”
Nichols’ commanding officer rewarded him with the rank of staff sergeant, he said, making him the
youngest of that rank in the regiment.
In 1944, the regiment was deployed to North Africa to support allied forces. Three days into the cruise
across the Atlantic, Nichols was given yet another group to rehabilitate. This time, some of his subordinates
were Soldiers so dangerous they required shackles. Nichols at some point requested removal of the irons by
a Soldier charged with the custodial transfers.
It was a mistake.
“Three of those men looked at him, looked at me and dove overboard,” he said. “They died out there. They
knew they were going to die. They didn’t care. I shook in my boots.”
While the unit was temporarily stopped in Tunisia, Nichols said he came across a young Arab boy who lay
dying from a gunshot wound. He commandeered a truck and rushed the boy to a hospital. The child lived
and his tribe’s elders thanked him personally, said Nichols.
Despite his less-than-ideal upbringing and his temper, Nichols said he wanted to do good and was always
searching for the humanity in people and endeavors.
“I always thought that every cloud had a silver lining,” he said, “and I was always looking for it.”
By the time Soldiers had reached Italy in 1944, Nichols said the 10th had been broken up and most of its
Soldiers assigned to the 92th Infantry Division. Nichols was now a member of 317th Engineer Battalion
and, because of the work he had done, was promised a promotion to E-7.
In the meantime, a call came for volunteers to serve under Gen. George Patton, whose campaign needed
reinforcements. Nichols, who said he always wanted to fight, eagerly volunteered, but there was only one
caveat: he had to give up his rank.
“White Soldiers will not take orders from black NCOs,” he said one of the clerks announced during the
sign-up. “In fact, they didn’t like taking orders from black officers, either, which is why there were no
black cavalry field officers.”
Nevertheless, Nichols signed documents relinquishing his rank. He was again a private but one who was
about to fulfill a long-held dream, and one who reasoned the low morale in his current unit was only
trouble for a hothead such as himself. The battlefield was desperately calling his name.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/187879/90-year-old-persistent-voice-effort-share-buffalo-soldiers-history
“I wanted to go because Roosevelt said he wanted fighting men,” explained Nichols. “That’s why I quit my
job – the best good job I ever had – to join in the first place.”
As it turns out, the unit never had intentions of sending the troops to Patton, said Nichols, so he and two
others went absent without leave. “They didn’t respect anything they agreed to,” he said, lowering his voice
and shaking his head. Nichols and two cohorts spent three days in Rome then returned, were courtmartialed and then jailed, he said.
While confined, Nichols was offered his freedom if he agreed to fight. He was assigned to the 365th
Infantry Regiment in northern Italy where he saw extensive combat action and where many men were lost.
He literally stood in the moment of his own realization, finally feeling whole and doing what he sought out
to do.
“I felt proud,” he said, “and I didn’t care if I was a private. I was doing the job I was trained to do.”
Nichols, who said he specialized in conducting operations at night, said his combat service was also a
political statement.
“I wanted to make them out as liars and make them know they were lying,” he said, referring to the notion
black Soldiers lacked fighting abilities, courage and trustworthiness. “For me, I had proved myself as a
man.”
When the war ended, Nichols returned to Colorado Springs with the intent of getting out of the Army but
quickly realized home harbored realities he had trouble dealing with. He rejoined the ranks and wound up
wearing the uniform another 19 years, serving mostly in Germany in special services, forerunner of the
Army Family and MWR.
Since his retirement in 1964, Nichols has been a sporting arms and insurance salesman, entrepreneur,
philanthropist and businessman, to name a few. He is currently an evangelist and has invested in
community facilities for the homeless.
His kindheartedness notwithstanding, Nichols remains a fighter. For years now, he has been involved in
efforts to reinstate the E-7 rank he gave up in Italy to fight for Patton. “I worked for it, I earned it and I
should have it,” he said, noting he doesn’t want any money only “honor.”
He is also a warrior on the front to preserve the Buffalo Soldier history. Armed with the triumphs and
tribulations of his time with the 10th Cavalry, he tends to the business of the Mark Matthews chapter,
frequently attending speaking engagements, visiting schools and giving media interviews.
Trooper Aubrey T. Phillips Sr., president of the chapter, said Nichols is the only original Buffalo Soldier in
the chapter and he brings a wealth of living experience to whatever he does. Nichols is especially effective
when speaking to adults, he added.
“They tend to listen more and want to know the next time he speaks so they can bring their children,” said
Phillips. “The problem (with the history of the Buffalo Soldier) is not so much the children, but the
generation of adults who never learned about these men. If the adults didn’t get it, you know the kids didn’t
either.”
Nichols said there is so much more to the Buffalo Soldier history than can be covered in the shortest month
of the year. For that reason and more, he said it is important to stand for the men whose voices went silent
during the war but continues to echo through the annals of American history.
“I always stand for what’s right, no matter the cost,” he said.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/187879/90-year-old-persistent-voice-effort-share-buffalo-soldiers-history
The Buffalo Soldiers knew the cost of their cause, comprehending it would be of little benefit to
themselves; they were fighting as an investment in future generations, said Nichols.
The dividends have been immeasurable.
Nichols is married to Marion Nichols, an Air Force veteran. His 92-year-old brother, Stilkirtis, is also a
Buffalo Soldier and fellow combat veteran.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0e6cb023e44f4e1183a0562ca88f64a7/data-inspires-pride-pidgin-languagehawaii
Data inspires pride for Pidgin, a Hawaii language
By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
The Associated Press, February 18, 2016
In this Jan. 28, 2016 photo, comedian Andy Bumatai gestures
during an interview in Mililani, Hawaii. News reports on census
data showing the number of Pidgin speakers in Hawaii have helped
spark a sense of pride among those who speak the language in their
homes.
MILILANI, Hawaii (AP) — When Hawaii comedian Andy
Bumatai was searching for a new way to attract the attention of
audiences on the Internet, his wife suggested he find inspiration in
something from the old days: Pidgin, the language of his youth.
Her idea came after a flurry of news reports about how census data included a tally of people in the islands
who said they spoke Pidgin, a mix of the languages spoken by Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, Puerto Rican
and other workers who toiled in the state's sugar plantations.
Bumatai put up some videos online doing his routines in Pidgin, and one with English subtitles got 1.5
million views. He said his videos resonated with those who grew up in Hawaii and were homesick for the
sounds of the language.
It is "more than a language. It's become a lexicon that congeals the people who are from Hawaii," he said.
The news reports last fall helped spark a sense of pride among those who speak the language in their homes
and among friends, and a discussion about its use and the stigma that limits its wider acceptance in the
state.
There are other pidgins in other parts of the world, including in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Pidgin in
Hawaii, or Hawaii Creole English, has long been considered a substandard form of English. Some saw the
census numbers as recognition for the language, though the U.S. Census isn't in the business of recognizing
languages. Census officials have been counting Pidgin since 1990.
Christine Gambino, a survey statistician at the agency, said with more people knowing that it's acceptable
to write down Pidgin on the federal questionnaires, future data will be more reflective of an accurate
number of speakers. Many who speak Pidgin believe there are far more speakers than the 1,600 counted in
the census surveys.
While Pidgin may sound like mixed-up English because English words provide a large portion of Pidgin
vocabulary, it has its own grammar and sound system, said Kent Sakoda, who teaches a course about
Pidgin at the University of Hawaii.
Native Hawaiians, Chinese and Portuguese had the most influence on Pidgin structure because they were
the earliest plantation laborers. Pidgin borrows phrases from various other languages. "The house is big" in
Pidgin, for example, is "big, da house," which borrows from Hawaiian sentence structure.
One of Cantonese's influences is evident in the Pidgin word "get," which means both "has" and "have," as
well as both "there is" and "there are." ''Para," which means "for" in Portuguese, influenced how Pidgin
speakers use "for" in places where English uses "to."
Pidgin has flourished as the voice of Hawaii long after the end of the plantation era.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0e6cb023e44f4e1183a0562ca88f64a7/data-inspires-pride-pidgin-languagehawaii
"You're ranked as to how local you are with how much you understand and are able to speak," Bumatai
said.
TV station Hawaii News Now posted to Facebook a mock traffic report in Pidgin by reporter Lacy Deniz.
Hawaii viewers were enthusiastic, while some outside the state thought it made her sound uneducated, she
said.
In "Kapakahi Traffic," Deniz refers to a stalled motorist as "uncle" and roadside assistance workers as
"braddahs." Her intonation is characteristically Pidgin, her grammar and vocabulary accurate: "We goin'
have choke students out on da roadway tryin' fo get to school, makin' their classes ... It's gonna be supa
busy."
"We knew that majority people here in Hawaii, it's something they connect to," she said.
Colbert Matsumoto, chairman of Island Insurance, Hawaii's largest locally owned insurance company, said
he doesn't always speak Pidgin in the "downtown circle" he operates in. Sometimes he lets himself fall into
the ease of Pidgin.
"I always thought that Pidgin was something of value," said Matsumoto, who grew up on Lanai, which can
feel a world away from downtown Honolulu. "It made me feel grounded."
Mike McCartney, chief of staff for Gov. David Ige, said he's proud of his ability to speak Pidgin.
"To me it's part of who we are as a people, place and culture," said McCartney, whose father was an
English teacher and would correct him when he spoke Pidgin. McCartney said now he can turn Pidgin on
and off fluidly, as many others do.
Former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano worries about those who can't switch back and forth.
"Hawaii kids are at a distinct disadvantage if they can't speak standard English," he said. "My first year in
college on the mainland, I hardly said anything in class ... I was concerned about whether my English
would be good enough."
The stigma against speaking Pidgin is strong, despite moments of pride, said Lee Tonouchi, an author and
activist who calls himself the "Da Pidgin Guerrilla." He makes it a point to only speak Pidgin.
To him, until the state university system starts offering degrees in Pidgin or if Pidgin joins Hawaiian and
English as the state's official languages, the language will never gain any true respect.
"I tink still get stigma," he said. "For me, I tink da goal always goin' be fo Pidgin to get institutionalized
recognitions."
Follow Jennifer Sinco Kelleher at http://www.twitter.com/JenHapa.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/18/capital-download-lonnie-bunch-africanamerican-museum/80470184/
Director of Smithsonian’s new African-American museum
discusses the power of history
By Susan Page
USA TODAY, February 18, 2016
Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the National Museum of African
American History and Culture (Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
On Sept. 24, President Obama will go to the National Mall to dedicate
the National Museum of African American History and Culture, launched
by Congress in 2003 and standing in the shadow of the Washington
Monument. Founding director Lonnie Bunch, 63, has been working on the
project for more than a decade. During Black History Month, he sat down
with Capital Download to discuss what he hopes the Smithsonian's newest museum means to America, and
what it's meant to him. Questions and answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Q: When people walk in to the museum, what will they see?
A: They’ll get to see some amazing artifacts that I’m stunned that we have ... like, oh, Nat Turner’s Bible,
or a hymnal that Harriet Tubman carried with her. Or you’ll see pieces from a slave ship that we brought up
from off the coast of South Africa. ... But you’ll also see things that will make you smile. You’ll see Chuck
Berry’s guitar. Or you’ll see the Mothership from George Clinton or you’ll see beautiful quilts that will
make you realize the creativity that was at the heart of this community.
Q: Is there an object that is particularly meaningful to you?
A: I am still overwhelmed by the piece of wood that we brought up from a slave ship off the coast of South
Africa. ... The tribal chieftain from that community told me that when you go back to where that ship is, if
you could take soil from Mozambique, where most of the people came from, and if you could sprinkle that
soil over the ship, then for the first time since 1794, our people will sleep in their own land.
Q: Did you do that?
A: I did. We sprinkled the soil over the ship and we really felt the power of both ancestors and the power of
helping people understand a big story, a horrific story, by looking at a piece of wood that was touched and
stepped on by the enslaved.
Q: The debate about race in this country isn’t just history. Will the Black Lives Matter movement be
included in the museum?
A: It’s crucial for us to help people realize that history is not nostalgia. History is this amazing tool that
helps people live their lives to understand the challenges they face. When we look at things like Black
Lives Matter, it’s crucially important for us to interview people involved, to go to Baltimore and interview
people around the crisis there. To begin to collect artifacts — shirts that say ‘Black Lives Matter’ or the
posters that people carried.
One is part of the job of any museum is to anticipate what historians will want to know 50 years from now.
... The other part of it is to recognize that if you want to be a place of value, a place of meaning, you’ve got
to let people to use the past to understand better the present.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/18/capital-download-lonnie-bunch-africanamerican-museum/80470184/
Q: Where does Black Lives Matter fit in the arc of African American history?
A: You could argue that almost every generation within this period of history has said, how do we help
America live up to its stated ideals? Some say it was the abolitionist movement to end slavery. Others could
look to the early women’s organizations in the early 20th century that demanded equality for black men and
for women. But I think Black Lives Matter — it’s not, as they say, your grandmother’s civil rights
movement. But what it is is a moment that says, how do we take advantage of technology, how do we take
advantage of people’s interest, how do we take advantage of the media to effect change? So in some ways
Black Lives Matter is part of a long tradition of saying, we can perfect America if we're willing to
challenge America.
Tourists walk past the Smithsonian Museum of African American
History and Culture under construction on July 16, 2015, in
Washington. (Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)
Q: You grew up in New Jersey in the 1950s and 1960s. Were you
touched by the civil rights struggle going on then in the South?
A: Because my mother’s family was from the South, we would go
to the South several times a year, and I can remember that sense of
dread. I didn’t know who Emmett Till was — the young person
who was killed when I was 2 years old, as a teenager from Chicago going to the South. [Emmett Till's
original casket will be exhibited in the museum.] But we always knew that as a cautionary tale. We knew
that something had happened to Northern teenagers going South. ...
And I can remember like it was yesterday driving with my parents, driving to North Carolina, and my
mother didn’t drive in those days; my father was driving. And I remember he got tired, and he pulled off
into what we would now call a motel. And I remember that he got out to smoke a cigarette. And suddenly I
looked up, my brother was asleep, my mother was asleep, and he was standing under a sign that said
‘Whites Only.’ And I remember being terrified.
I remember when he gets back into the car, he sees that I’m kind of agitated, and he said, ‘You know, this
is my America, too, so I have a right to be everywhere.’
Q: You have two millennial daughters. Do they look at race differently than you do?
A: I would say that millennials look at race on the one hand very differently, as something that’s much
more fluid, that isn’t as rigid a boundary as it was when I was growing up. But on the other hand, what I’ve
found is they also recognize that race still matters. And so what they do is, they don’t find themselves
reacting to race as the first cause, as I might have done, but they still recognize that race is such an
important factor that shapes opportunities and expectations. ...
They believe that you can overcome that, that the challenge is to shine a light on it, to confront it, whereas
many people in my generation really didn’t believe you’d ever be able to overcome it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/17/mixed-marriages-are-changing-the-way-wethink-about-our-race/
Mixed marriages are changing the way we think about our
race
By Jeff Guo
The Washington Post, February 17, 2016
For all the talk about immigrants refusing to embrace American ways — a defining controversy of this
GOP presidential race — the evidence has been scant.
The National Academies of Sciences deflated most of the myths in a definitive report last year. Today’s
immigrants are more educated and better English speakers than their predecessors, and they are far less
likely to commit a crime compared to the native-born. They are quickly becoming part of American
communities.
In fact, new immigrants may be assimilating a lot faster than we had ever thought. A new study this week
from economists Brian Duncan, of the University of Colorado, and Stephen Trejo of University of Texas,
Austin finds that the descendents of immigrants from Latin-American and Asian countries quickly cease to
identify as Hispanic or Asian on government surveys.
According to the authors, these are mostly children of interracial couples that aren’t writing down their
diverse heritages. Mixed marriages are increasingly common in America — Pew finds that about 26
percent of Hispanics marry a non-Hispanic these days, and 28 percent of Asians marry a non-Asian. To
accommodate this trend, government surveys now allow you to check multiple boxes for your race and
ethnicity.
But it turns out that many aren’t doing that.
The report from Duncan and Trejo has two major consequences. First, it casts some doubt on
the government's projections of the future Hispanic and Asian populations. Famously, the Census Bureau
has predicted that non-Hispanic whites will become outnumbered in America by as early as 2044. But as
Pew has pointed out, these calculations don’t take into account trends in how the children of mixed
marriages report their own race. A fair fraction of people with Asian or Hispanic heritage actually consider
themselves exclusively white (or black).
Second, the report may cause us to reconsider what we think we know about Hispanics and Asians. A lot of
social science research relies on people to disclose their own racial and ethnic identities. If people who are
part-Asian or part-Hispanic stop identifying that way, they, in a way, disappear from the statistics. What we
think we know about Hispanics, for instance, may be wrong because a lot of people with Hispanic
heritage don't consider themselves Hispanic.
Duncan and Trejo focused on the Current Population Survey, a monthly study of American households that
supplies much of what we know about earnings and employment in America. For instance, the CPS is what
helps the government calculate the unemployment rate, and it provides data for reports on, say, the racial
wage gap.
The CPS contains a number of questions about heritage. People are asked for their race, their ethnicity,
where they were born, and where their parents were born. Using this information, Duncan and Trejo
analyzed how first- and second-generation immigrants from certain countries self-identified.
They looked at four Latin-American nations (Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic) plus
Puerto Rico; they also looked at five Asian nations (China, India, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/17/mixed-marriages-are-changing-the-way-wethink-about-our-race/
Among the first-generation Latin-American immigrants — people born in one of those five places — 98.6
percent checked the “Hispanic” box. Likewise, 96.3 percent of the first-generation Asian immigrants
identified as Asian.
But the second-generation immigrants were less likely to identify as Hispanic or Asian. Only 93 percent of
people with a parent born in a Latin-American country themselves identified as Hispanic. The difference
was more dramatic for Asians. Only 79.1 percent of second-generation Asian immigrants identified as even
part-Asian.
It’s important to remember that the CPS allows people to check multiple boxes for race. You can be any
combination of black, Asian, white, Native American, and so forth. On top of that, the government also
asks a separate question about whether you are Hispanic. This means you can be white and Hispanic, black
and Hispanic, even white-black-Asian triracial and Hispanic.
The point is that it’s easy for people to indicate complex heritages on the survey form. Yet, many who
are multi-racial are not doing this.
They might have Hispanic grandparents, but don't consider themselves Hispanic. They might have an Asian
and a black parent, but only consider themselves black.
Duncan and Trejo also have some data on the children of second-generation immigrants, where the trend
continues. The CPS asks parents to provide racial information about their kids. Of the kids with at least one
Latin-American grandparent, only 81.7 percent were marked down as Hispanic. Of the kids with at least
one Asian grandparent, only 57.5 percent were marked down as Asian.
These statistics highlight an overlooked way that immigrants assimilate in America — by literally blending
in and blending families with the native-born. "In a lot of ways, intermarriage is the most intimate kind of
assimilation," Trejo says.
But this phenomenon may also present problems for researchers looking to measure progress
among minorities.
Duncan and Trejo have found that the second-generation Latin-American immigrants who refuse to call
themselves Hispanic are more educated, on average, than their counterparts who embrace their Hispanic
identity. It’s still unclear how big of a deal this is, but it seems that we have been underestimating the
progress of Hispanic immigrants and their offspring because some of the more successful ones don’t mark
themselves as “Hispanic” on government surveys.
A lot of this should have been obvious. Immigrants are everywhere in American public life. Countless
celebrities, including Frankie Muniz, Aubrey Plaza, and Fergie, are second or third-generation Hispanic.
Latina Magazine has a whopping list of 109 stars “you never knew were Latino!”
These are some of the faces that we may want to recognize in any debate about immigration and
assimilation in America. The irony is that some have blended in so well, we hardly recognize them as the
children of immigrants anymore.
Jeff Guo is a reporter covering economics, domestic policy, and everything empirical. Follow him on
Twitter: @_jeffguo.
Discrimination
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-employment-discrimination-idUSKCN0VP2PG
'Hispanic' is a race under U.S. anti-bias laws, court rules
By Robert Iafolla
Reuters, February 16, 2016
WASHINGTON—The ethnic category “Hispanic” is a race under U.S. federal antidiscrimination laws, a
U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
Christopher Barrella, a white candidate who was passed over for the position of police chief for the town of
Freeport on New York's Long Island, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit in 2012 after the job went to
Miguel Burmudez, a white Hispanic man.
Freeport argued in its defense that there could be no racial discrimination because Hispanic is not a distinct
race.
But a three-judge panel of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the town's argument, finding that
Hispanic has long been considered a separate race in civil rights cases. The judges pointed out that the U.S.
Supreme Court has previously held that racial discrimination includes bias based on ancestry or ethnic
characteristics.
The 2nd Circuit, which encompasses the states of New York, Connecticut and Vermont, also noted that it
has repeatedly assumed ethnicity-based discrimination claims were understood as racially motivated
without making an explicit ruling on that point.
But though the panel ruled in favor of Barrella on how antidiscrimination laws treat ethnic categories, it
also wiped out the $1.35 million verdict a jury had awarded him.
The judges cited a separate evidentiary issue in vacating the verdict and ordering a new trial, ruling that the
trial court should not have allowed non-expert witnesses to speculate on Freeport Mayor Andrew
Hardwick’s motivations for choosing Burmudez over Barrella.
Lawyers for Barrella, Freeport and Hardwick each expressed confidence that their clients will prevail when
the dispute goes back before a federal jury.
Freeport named Burmudez as its chief of police in 2010 over Barrella, who had a higher promotional test
score, more education and more time in rank. Barrella sued Freeport and Hardwick in federal court in
Brooklyn in 2012. A jury handed down verdicts against both defendants in 2014, awarding $1 million for
lost future pay, $200,000 in punitive damages and $150,000 in back wages, plus attorney fees.
The appeal was set up when the trial judge denied Freeport’s post-verdict motion for a judgment as a matter
of law on the grounds that Hispanic does not constitute a distinct race under antidiscrimination laws.
The case is Freeport v. Barrella, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Nos. 14-2270, 14-2349, 14-4287, 144324 and 14-3615.
(Reporting by Robert Iafolla, Editing by Anthony Lin)
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-women-pay-idUSKCN0VE1ZM
Obama’s move on gender pay gap seen as first step in uphill
battle
By Patricia Reaney
Reuters, February 5, 2016
U.S. President Barack Obama looks on during a bilateral meeting
with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos in the Oval Office
of the White House in Washington February 4, 2016.
(Reuters/Joshua Roberts)
Advocates fighting to close the U.S. gender pay gap hailed
President Barack Obama's proposal to expand salary reporting
requirements but said much more was needed to end wage
discrimination.
Under the plan, companies with 100 employees or more must provide data on hours worked and salary
ranges, broken down by gender, race and ethnicity, to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
each year to help identify and combat pay discrimination.
Lisa Maatz, vice president of government relations at the American Association of University Women, said
the data would be useful in passing legislation, making companies comply with existing laws and proving
the gender pay gap is not a myth.
"The wage gap is a persistent, pernicious problem, and it has been around for awhile," Maatz said in an
interview. "We still have a lot to do to change it, but this is an excellent step forward."
Maatz said other measures, including non-retaliation policies at companies so women can ask about
discrepancies in pay and changes in how salaries are determined, would accelerate progress.
"Not using salary histories but rather looking at resumes and taking into account experience and paying for
what the job is worth to the company will do a lot to help close the gender pay gap," Maatz added.
Women earn 79 cents for every dollar a man makes for equal work, according to the Institute for Women's
Policy Research.
Although the pay gap has narrowed since 1960, when women made about 60 cents for every dollar, the
institute calculates that if change continues at the same pace, women will not reach equal pay until 2059.
The current situation is worse for black women, at 60 cents, and Latina women, at 55 cents, said Vivien
Labaton, co-founder of the non-profit Make It Work campaign for economic security for working families.
Labaton said making salary range data that companies submit to the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission accessible to their employees would speed up change.
"What Make It Work is calling for is a publicly available database that would show what employers pay for
different jobs based on sex, race and ethnicity," she said.
The commission issues only aggregated data that does not reveal any particular employer's or employees'
information.
"We do know that the more transparency you have, the smaller the gender pay gap there will be," said
Maatz.
(Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/17/senators-demand-end-to-retaliation-against-phoenix-vaemployee.html
Senators Demand End to Retaliation Against Phoenix VA
Employee
By Bryant Jordan
Military.com, February 17, 2016
Dr. Brandon Coleman, an addiction therapist at the Phoenix VA
Health Care System, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, on
Sept. 22, 2015, before the Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Senate lawmakers on Tuesday told Veterans Affairs Secretary
Robert McDonald to cease his department's retaliation against a
whistleblower at the VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and
to transfer him to a VA facility outside the Phoenix system.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, told McDonald that since whistleblower
Brandon Coleman testified before Congress in December 2014 about problems at the Phoenix facility, he
has been subjected to retaliation.
"As founding members of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, we are committed to ensuring that
federal whistleblowers are treated fairly and that whistleblower retaliation is not tolerated within the federal
government," the two said in their Feb. 16 letter.
Grassley is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Johnson chairs the Senate Homeland Security
and Government Affairs Committee.
“VA is in possession of the members’ letter and will respond directly to their office,” department
spokeswoman Walinda West said.
In a statement, the VA said it is committed to creating a work environment in which all employees feel safe
sharing what they know, whether good news or bad, for the benefit of veterans, without fear of reprisal.
Coleman is a former Marine and an addictions specialist at the Phoenix facility, where he was suspended
previously after informing higher-ups that VA officials and staff were putting suicidal veterans at risk
through neglect and poor treatment.
He was one of several whistleblowers invited to testify before Congress in September, when the group
talked about the continued harassment that whistleblowers face even as the VA pledges to protect them.
In December 2014, Coleman filed a whistleblower complaint alleging the hospital was failing to properly
care for suicidal veterans. A month later, the hospital's interim director, Glen Grippen, met with the VA's
regional counsel to learn if they could "remove Coleman from employment," the senators tell McDonald in
the letter.
Coleman could not be fired for whistleblowing but could be removed for "unrelated conduct," the attorney
advised, according to the letter.
"Shortly after the meeting Mr. Coleman was accused of having an altercation with a colleague" and has
been on administrative leave since February 2015, Grassley and Johnson said.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/17/senators-demand-end-to-retaliation-against-phoenix-vaemployee.html
Coleman also reported this past November that a VA employee dressed up as him for a Halloween party at
the Phoenix hospital, suggesting that the embarrassing treatment of him has been acceptable to senior
officials.
Coleman wants a "simple, fair and equitable remedy," the senators told McDonald. "That remedy is not, as
the Department seems to believe, to continue to force him to languish on extended administrative leave at
significant unnecessary cost to the taxpayers with no ability, under current law, to challenge his leave
status."
He also wants those responsible for the actions taken against him to be held accountable, they said.
The lawmakers also told McDonald they want the VA to brief their own staffs on what the department is
doing about whistleblower retaliation. For that, they are requesting all correspondence relating to the
investigations into the Halloween incident; to the Office of Accountability Review's inquiry into Grippen's
alleged retaliation against Coleman; and to the decision to put Coleman on administrative leave back in
February 2015.
Bryant Jordan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @bryantjordan.
SEE ALSO:
The Never-Ending War on Federal Whistleblowers [Government Executive, 2016-02-12]
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f4e6a542aa0c43d4a131c8c1d9948274/south-dakota-may-regulatetransgender-students-bathroom-use
Transgender student: South Dakota bill doesn’t accept me
By James Nord
The Associated Press, February 17, 2016
In this Jan. 29, 2016 photo, Thomas Lewis, an 18-year-old transgender
student at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., speaks during a press
conference in Sioux Falls against legislation that groups have said would
discriminate against transgender people. South Dakota would be the first
state in the U.S. to approve a law requiring transgender students to use
bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth if the
governor signs a bill passed Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, by the state Senate.
Lewis said the Legislature's passage of the bill is "shocking.” (Joe
Ahlquist/Argus Leader via AP)
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — When Thomas Lewis told his South Dakota high school last year that he is
transgender, teachers called him by his new name and used male pronouns when addressing him. But he
says the accommodations stopped at being able to use the men's bathroom.
Instead, the 18-year-old senior chooses to go home, where he feels safe to use the restroom, before
returning from lunch to rejoin his classmates at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls.
Lewis has even spoken to his state's Legislature against a bill that would require transgender students like
him to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth, telling them that such a law
"makes me feel like I'm not a human being."
It fell on mostly deaf ears: South Dakota is a governor's signature away from being the first state in the U.S.
to approve such a law.
Several states have looked at addressing gender and public facilities in the past several years. South
Dakota's bathroom bill is one of several measures introduced in its 2016 legislative session addressing
transgender rights, including one that would void a South Dakota high school activities association policy
that allows transgender student athletes to request playing on the team of their choice.
Advocates say the bathroom bill is meant to protect the privacy of students and not meant to be hurtful.
Republican Sen. David Omdahl, a supporter, said it's inappropriate for a young girl to be exposed to the
anatomy of a boy.
Opponents say it's discriminatory, and Lewis says it exposes a significant problem.
"The law means that no matter what people might think at school, how they might accept me at school, the
state doesn't," he said.
Under the plan, schools would have to provide a "reasonable accommodation" for transgender students,
such as a single-occupancy bathroom or the "controlled use" of a staff-designated restroom, locker room or
shower room.
Federal officials have said that barring students from restrooms that match their gender identity is
prohibited under the Title IX anti-discrimination law, and advocates of South Dakota's bill say it's a direct
response to the Obama administration's interpretation.
Though the measure puts schools' federal funding at risk, said Democratic Sen. Angie Buhl O'Donnell, it
also has "very real emotional impacts."
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f4e6a542aa0c43d4a131c8c1d9948274/south-dakota-may-regulatetransgender-students-bathroom-use
"Maybe this bill is not intended to be disrespectful, but I would submit this: If a whole community of
people tells us that we are hurting them, who are we to decide that we didn't?" she said.
Lewis came out in March after an event in Sioux Falls where he read aloud a poem he'd written about a
transgender man named Thomas. The reaction helped turn feelings of fear into "elation" and courage to be
open about his gender identity, Lewis said.
His mother and close friends accepted him without question. But at school, the bathroom is still an issue.
Sioux Falls Superintendent Brian Maher said he couldn't talk about specific accommodations for individual
students because of privacy issues.
"We would always have an accommodation for a student to use a bathroom on campus," he said. "We
would not make a student leave campus to go to the bathroom. Whether or not it would be the bathroom of
that student's choice or not could be another issue."
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota and Human Rights Campaign said it's not clear how
many transgender students there are in South Dakota.
Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard offered a positive reaction last week to the proposal "at first blush," but
said he'd need to research the issue and listen to testimony before deciding.
Another measure in the South Dakota Legislature this session would require government entities that
accept information on a South Dakota birth certificate to recognize all information on the birth certificate as
official — meaning transgender people would been seen in the eyes of the state as their sex at birth, not
their current gender.
Republican Rep. Jim Bolin, the bill's sponsor, said such claims of different gender are "profound" and
challenge "many basic concepts as to the nature and character of life and society."
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota called the bill out for being "an attack on the very
existence of transgender people."
"Frankly, I think we've seen enough of those attacks this year," said Libby Skarin, the organization's policy
director.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-police-chicago-idUSKCN0VP2MJ
U.S. settles job discrimination suit against Chicago police
Reuters, February 16, 2016
Chicago agreed on Tuesday to pay $2 million in back pay and other benefits to 47 police candidates who
were rejected under a residency requirement that the U.S. Justice Department alleges led to discrimination
against foreign-born people.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued the city after investigating the claims of two men who passed the
city's police hiring exam in 2006 and said they were discriminated against because they had not lived in the
United States for 10 continuous years.
Under the settlement, the Chicago Police Department will also offer jobs to eight of the rejected applicants,
the Justice Department said in a statement.
The conclusion of the discrimination case comes as Chicago recruits new police officers for the first time in
three years and at a time of heavy criticism for use of lethal force by the city's police.
The lawsuit was separate from a Justice Department investigation into the department's use-of-force
practices, stemming from protests over the dozens of black men who have been killed by police in Chicago
in recent years.
In the lawsuit, the Justice Department alleged that the 10-year continuous U.S. residency requirement for
entry-level police officer applicants disproportionately removed applicants born outside the United States
from consideration in the hiring process.
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,
sex or national origin.
Chicago no longer uses the 10-year residency requirement. It now has a five-year residency requirement
that the Justice Department will review to decide whether it is also discriminatory.
(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Additional reporting by Fiona Ortiz in Chicago; Editing by
Mohammad Zargham and Jonathan Oatis)
Diversity
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/11/10-things-know-about-marines-plan-open-combat-jobswomen.html
10 Things to Know about the Marines’ Plan to Open
Combat Jobs to Women
By Hope Hodge Seck
Military.com, February 11, 2016
Defense Secretary Ash Carter has yet to sign off on the Marine Corps' plan to integrate women into
previously closed infantry jobs.
But a draft version of the plan, first published this month by the Christian Science Monitor, sheds light on
the Corps' thinking and priorities as it prepares for the historic move.
A defense official confirmed the plan published was a draft version provided to members of the Senate and
differed only slightly from the final version sent to Carter.
Here's what everyone should know about the Marines' gender-integration strategy:
1. THE CORPS EXPECTS LOW NUMBERS OF FEMALE GRUNTS.
The strategy assumes that about 200 female Marines will enter ground combat arms jobs every year,
making up less than 2 percent of Marine personnel in those jobs. The Corps derives this assumption from
surveys by the Center for Naval Analyses and the Pentagon's Joint Advertising Market Research and
Studies program.
With a service that is just 7 percent female, it's not surprising the Marines are projecting low initial
numbers of infantrywomen. That may change in coming years, though; Marine Commandant Gen. Robert
Neller recently told Congress he's interested in increasing the Corps' female population.
2. SOME JOBS MAY SEE MORE FEMALE APPLICANTS THAN OTHERS.
Another assumption from the Corps' integration plan is that female Marines "propensity" for newly opened
military occupational specialties will not be evenly distributed. If this does prove to be true, it may be due
in part to self-selection and in part to more challenging physical standards for certain jobs.
While some newly opened jobs, such as light armored vehicle crewman or artilleryman, require periods of
intense physical effort, Neller has said the most challenging infantry jobs -- and those with the highest
injury rates among female volunteers who attempted them -- were positions demanding long marches under
heavy loads, like machine gunner or rifleman.
3. THE PLAN HAS FIVE OVERLAPPING PHASES.
The Corps' strategy for integration begins with "Phase 1: Setting the conditions" and ends with "Phase 5:
Sustainment." In a service in which a significant part of the population has opposed the idea of women in
ground combat jobs, the plan calls for a somewhat staggered rollout of full gender integration.
Phase 1, which began in 2012 when the Marines began experimentation and study to examine the
possibility of integration, will end "when ground combat arms units become socialized and acculturated to
serving with female Marines," the plan states, though it's not clear how that progress will be measured.
Other phases include recruiting of female enlisted applicants and officers for infantry positions; entry-level
training for those recruited; assignment of female Marines to ground combat jobs; and sustainment, which
includes implementing long-term physical standards for infantry jobs, monitoring progress, "affording
opportunities for viable career paths," and making adjustments as needed to the existing implementation
plan.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/11/10-things-know-about-marines-plan-open-combat-jobswomen.html
4. THE MARINES WANT FEMALE LEADERS IN PLACE FIRST.
In a series of task assignments, the plan directs the commanders of the Corps' major force commander to
"ensure female Marine leadership is in place prior to the introduction of junior enlisted female Marines into
combat arms units." The plan does not explain whether these leaders will be senior enlisted Marines or
officers, or if they will all be required to complete infantry training before they can make lateral moves to
ground combat units.
The Marine Corps has yet to see a female officer complete its grueling infantry officer course, though a few
of the 29 women who have attempted it have come close. The Corps will likely look to the 240 female
volunteers who have already completed enlisted infantry training prior to combat jobs opening to fill some
of these new leadership roles.
5. FILLING NEWLY OPENED JOBS INFANTRY JOBS COULD TAKE TIME.
It has been a month since the Marine Corps officially announced that ground combat jobs were open to
female troops who had completed relevant infantry training, but none of the initial 240 women to earn a
ground combat Marine occupational specialty have requested a lateral move to the newly opened jobs,
Marine spokesman Capt. Philip Kulczewski said Wednesday.
"At this point, no Marine volunteers have requested a LAT move to ground combat jobs," he said in a
statement. "However, it is unfair to judge this population alone for propensity ... We have created a 25-year
longitudinal study to assess all aspects and possible impacts throughout Implementation, to include
propensity."
That first lateral move request could arrive shortly, however; Marine Cpl. Remedios Cruz has said she
hopes to be one of the first women assigned to an infantry unit.
6. MARSOC WILL GET FEMALE TRAINERS.
The Marines' integration plan calls for the Corps' elite special operations command to add two female
trainers to its assessment and selection program and nine-month individual training course. These female
Marines will be staff-noncommissioned officers or officers, the plan stipulates, though it doesn't specify
whether they will be required to complete infantry training ahead of their assignment. MARSOC's
commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Osterman, told Military.com the command has already gotten its first female
applicants and is actively soliciting other qualified female Marines across the Corps.
7. SOME MARINE CORPS FACILITIES MAY NEED A REMODEL.
In the Marines' draft plan, several force commanders are instructed to make sure that existing Marine Corps
facilities that used to house all-male units are altered as necessary to accommodate women. In addition, the
plan directs the commander of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, to
make sure the Marines' educational buildings are capable of accommodating female staff and students at
levels up to 15 percent of the total population. It's not clear where the 15 percent figure comes from,
though. And the plan doesn't specify what special accommodations need to be made for women, apart from
ensuring there are enough gender-specific restrooms available.
8. NEW GEAR MAY BE ON THE WAY FOR ALL MARINES.
Marine Corps Systems Command will be ordered to buy new tactical clothing, gear and equipment that
reduces weight while increasing protection, fit, and mobility, according to the Marines' draft integration
plan.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/11/10-things-know-about-marines-plan-open-combat-jobswomen.html
This gear will be developed in accordance with a Marine Corps study released in July 2015 examining
ways that better equipment could help to reduce the strain of load-bearing and reduce injuries. The study
found that not only female Marines, but all smaller-statured troops could benefit from some gear design
improvements, including ergonomic packs and remodeled trigger systems for tank machine guns.
9. THE COMMANDANT WILL PERSONALLY MONITOR CERTAIN TRENDS.
The Marines' plan calls for the commandant to receive direct information about five specific concerns as
new jobs open to women:

Indications of decreased combat readiness or effectiveness;

Increased risk to Marines including incidents of sexual assault or hazing

Indications of a lack of career viability for female Marines

Indications of command climates or culture that is unreceptive to female Marines

Indications that morale or cohesion is being degraded in integrated units.
In a recent interview, Neller told Military.com that he expected to revisit integration plans if any of those
issues surfaced.
"We'll report it through the chain of command. In my testimony [before the Senate Armed Services
Committee Feb. 2] I asked Congress to make us come back," he said. "Because we don't know what we
don't know. And I'm not presupposing the outcome."
The Corps may be limited, however, in what it can do to change course if issues do arise. In a January
memo to Neller, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus warned the commandant against delaying integration because
of social concerns.
"I expect you will ensure that a worthwhile goal does not unreasonably delay or prevent the execution of a
policy imperative," he wrote.
10. SOME DOUBT THE SINCERITY OF THE MARINES' INTEGRATION EFFORTS.
The Marine Corps was the only service branch to request exceptions to Carter's integration mandate. And
while Neller has since stated that he expects Marines to "move out" in support of full integration, his
statements during the Feb. 2 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the topic caused some to
question his commitment to its success.
"Our hope is we'll be successful [with gender integration], but hope is not a course of action on the
battlefield," Neller said during the hearing.
Marine Lt. Col. Kate Germano, the former commander of the Corps' only battalion that trains female
recruits and an advocate for gender integration, said during a forum on the issue that she found the
commandant's statement concerning.
"We need to be very cautious about the perception we are giving off, because that sets the tone for
everything," she said. "... Doubts result in pre-supposed negative outcomes."
Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @HopeSeck.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/08b817af9f324fa49669fadfcf25c446/army-looks-recruit-more-women-adaptphysical-testing
Army looks to recruit more women, adapt physical testing
By Lolita C. Baldor
The Associated Press, February 13, 2016
In this July 15, 2015 file photo, the Times Square military
recruiting station displays insignia for each military branch in New
York. Beginning this summer, a visit to a local Army recruiting
office around the country will include a new set of gymnastic tests
to help determine what military jobs a recruit is physically capable
of doing. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Beginning this summer, a visit to a local
Army recruiting office will include a new set of gymnastic tests to help determine what military jobs a
recruit is physically capable of performing.
Prospective soldiers will be asked to run, jump, lift a weight and throw a heavy ball — all to help the Army
figure out if the recruit can handle a job with high physical demands or should be directed to a more
sedentary assignment.
The new tests come as the Pentagon is opening all combat posts to women, a process that involves setting
physical standards for every job that both men and women will have to meet.
As part of the effort, the Army will increase the number of female recruiters to better target women. The
goal will be to add 1 percent each year for the next three years in order to get at least one woman at each of
the Army's more than 780 larger recruiting centers across the country.
Right now, only about 750 of the 8,800 Army and Army Reserve recruiters are women.
The head of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Maj. Gen. Jeff Snow, told The Associated Press that adding
more women as recruiters will give female recruits someone more credible to talk to about options for
women in the military and how an Army career could affect married or family life.
But he said that getting that increase will be tough because other commands across the Army are also
competing to get more women in their units.
As women move into combat roles, Army commanders want to have women in leadership positions across
the force to serve as mentors and role models. In particular, Army leaders want more women as drill
sergeants and platoon sergeants as recruits go through basic and advanced training.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter in December ordered the military services to allow women to compete for all
combat jobs. But he and other military leaders have been adamant that the physical standards for the jobs
will not be lowered in order to allow more women to qualify.
Brig. Gen. Donna Martin, deputy commander of Army Recruiting Command, said that despite the added
recruiting efforts, there may not be a flood of women rushing to compete for combat jobs. But she said the
Army may see an eventual increase in women enlistments as they see the array of options.
"I think it's all about awareness — about a choice," Martin said. "It's not forcing any women to go into
combat arms. It's about making them aware that this is a choice.
"It's the whole question of can you have it all," said Martin, who has been in the Army for 29 years, has
been married for 21 years, and has a 19-year-old son. "You can have as much as you want."
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/08b817af9f324fa49669fadfcf25c446/army-looks-recruit-more-women-adaptphysical-testing
The new physical tests, according to Army leaders, will evaluate all recruits — men and women — and
will judge their core strength and endurance. Recruits still will have to take the routine aptitude tests and
physical evaluations.
"By doing predictive tests we can marry people up with those specialties that physically they should be able
to do, which should reduce attrition and be a better fit for the Army," Snow said. "It is truly about the right
person at the right time with the right skill sets to perform, and we think that we're setting them up for
success in that particular specialty."
He added, however, that Army leaders are trying to finalize what scores will be needed to qualify for a
highly physical job and what would limit recruits to less physical occupations.
While the tests coincide with the campaign to bring women into combat fields, military officials note that
setting specific physical standards for all jobs may prevent some men from getting into certain infantry or
armor posts if they don't qualify.
The tests stem from the three years of study the Army did as it considered whether all combat jobs,
including grueling infantry, Army and special operations careers, should be opened to women, and what
abilities recruits needed to succeed at the more difficult battlefront posts.
The questions also reflect concerns that women are injured at a higher rate than men, even during the early
days of enlistment. Injuries or difficulties doing physical requirements often lead many women and men to
fail or decide to leave the military.
The physical assessment test is made up of four tasks: a standing long jump; an interval, aerobic run; a dead
lift of weights; and a seated power throw of a weighted ball. Snow said the tasks test upper and lower body
strength, body core strength, endurance and power.
He said it will cost about $3 million to get all the testing equipment to the Army's 1,300 recruiting
locations.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/2016/02/07/army-overhauls-regs-make-waywomen-all-jobs/79748788/
Army overhauls regs to make way for women in all jobs
By Jim Tice
Army Times, February 7, 2016
Army sniper is one of many jobs that will now open to women. (Photo:
Spc. Tyler Meister/Army)
The opening of all positions in conventional force units to women now
means the Army no longer has a separate policy for assigning women
soldiers.
In a Jan. 29 directive to field commands, acting Army Secretary Patrick
J. Murphy ordered an overhaul of 10 Army regulations governing
officer, warrant officer and enlisted soldier assignment procedures.
The long-anticipated action has the practical effect of opening 125,318 additional positions in conventional
forces to women, along with a multitude of officer career branches, enlisted career management fields, skill
identifiers and functional training opportunities.
The sweeping changes eliminate the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule.
They also respond to a Dec. 3 directive from Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordering the full integration of
women in the armed forces.
As a result of the Carter and Murphy directives, the following infantry, field artillery and armor military
occupational specialties have been opened to women: 11A (Infantry Officer); 11B (Infantryman); 11C
(Indirect Fire Infantryman); 11Z (Infantry Senior Sergeant); 13F (Fire Support Specialist); 19A (Armor,
General); 19B (Armor); 19C (Cavalry); 19D (Cavalry Scout); 19K (Armor Crewmember), and 19Z (Armor
Senior Sergeant).
The Army has updated its policies to reflect the fact all jobs will
soon open to women. (Photo: Marie Berberea/Army)
Also opened to women are the following skill identifiers and
additional qualification identifiers that typically are awarded upon
graduation from function training courses:
• SIs B1 (Infantry Mortar NCO Leader), B2 (Light Leaders
Course), B4 (Sniper), B7 (Bradley Transition Course), B8 (AntiArmor Leaders Course), C2 (Dragon Gunnery), E9 (M901
Improved TOW Vehicle Gunner/Crew Training) and K8 (Master Gunnery M1A2 Tank).
Also, L7 (Joint Fires Observer), R4 (Stryker Armored Vehicle Operations/Maintenance), R8 (Mobile Gun
System Master Gunner), 3J (M1A2 Abrams Tank), 3Z (Mortar Unit Officer), 5R (Ranger) and 5S (Ranger
Parachutist).
The SQIs are G (Ranger), T (1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta Unit Operator) and V
(Ranger Parachutist).
Spec ops
The Jan. 29 directive also opens up thousands of special operations positions throughout the Army:
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/2016/02/07/army-overhauls-regs-make-waywomen-all-jobs/79748788/
• The remaining 7,475 career management field 18 (Special Forces) and Ranger-coded positions within
Army Special Operations Command Headquarters, 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) (Provisional),
and the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
Also, 3,742 positions in the 75th Ranger Regiment, and 2,265 positions within the National Guard 19th and
20th Special Forces Groups.
With the opening of these 13,482 positions in the special operations community, the Army also will open
the following CMF 18 specialties and skill identifiers to women:
• AOC 18A (Special Forces Officer) and MOS 18B (Special Forces Weapons Sergeant), 18C (Special
Forces Engineer Sergeant), 18D (Special Forces Medical Sergeant), 18E (Special Forces Communications
Sergeant), 18F (Special Forces Assistant Operations and Intelligence Sergeant), 18Z (Special Forces Senior
Sergeant) and 180A (Special Forces Warrant Officer).
Also, SIs Q5 (Special Forces Combat Diving, Medical); S6 (Special Forces Combat Diving, Supervision);
W3 (Special Forces Sniper); W7 (Special Forces Underwater Operations); and 4W (Underwater Special
Operations) and SQI W (Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis Exploitation
Techniques).
The changes described above are effective immediately and apply to the Regular Army, National Guard
and Army Reserve.
While the proponent agency for these policies is the Office of the Army G1 (human resources) at the
Pentagon, responsibility for executing the changes goes to division and corps G1s, Army Human Resources
Command and brigade-level commanders and S1s.
Changes within the National Guard will be overseen by the Army National Guard G1 Directorate, state
adjutants general and unit commanders and S1s.
As required by federal law, Congress was officially notified of these changes 30 days in advance of
Murphy's Jan. 29 directive.
The following regulations will be revised to reflect the new assignment policies: ARs 71-32 (Force
Development and Documentation, 135-100 (Appointment of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the
Army), 350-51 (Army Officer Candidate School and 570-4 (Manpower Management).
Also, 600-13 (Army Policy for the Assignment of Female soldiers), 601-210 (Active and Reserve
Component Enlistment Program), 611-1 (Military Occupational Classification Structure and Development
and Implementation), 614-100 (Officer Assignment Policies, Details and Transfers) and 614-200 (Enlisted
Assignments and Utilization Management).
Any changes to the policies described above must be staffed through the Army G1 for approval by the
secretary of defense.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/188926/calt-graduates-first-blind-student#.VsZeWP72aUk
CALT graduates first blind student
By Airman 1st Class Alexa Culbert
Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, February 16, 2016
Joseph Lininger, Civilian Acculturation and Leadership Training
student, guides his classmates using a radio as they maneuver
through a Project X obstacle Feb. 2, 2016, at Maxwell Air Force
Base, Ala. Because he is blind, he was not able to physically
participate in the obstacles. However, Lininger guided his
classmates by playing the part of a commanding officer who is not
physically with his unit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class
Alexa Culbert)
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - The sound of hands clapping echoes off the walls of the small
auditorium as a gentleman makes his way up to the front of the room to receive his graduation certificate.
He searches for the hand of Col. Patricia Hoffman, Jeanne M. Holm Center vice commander, who is
waiting to congratulate him on a job well done. The gentleman's name is Joseph Lininger, a student at the
Civilian Acculturation and Leadership Training (CALT) course held at the Officer Training School (OTS)
campus. However, Lininger possesses a disability that makes his achievement even more impressive; he is
completely blind.
Lininger, an Air Force Space Command Headquarters systems analyst, graduated on Feb. 5, 2016, as the
first blind student from the CALT course, and many believe him to be the first blind student from any Air
University resident program.
Lininger was born blind due to an undeveloped optic nerve, the nerve that connects the eye to the brain. It
left him with only an acknowledgement of light, shapes and some colors.
"Everybody has their challenges growing up, and because I grew up not being able to see, I don't know if I
grew up having challenges that you didn't have," He said.
Despite his unique challenges, Lininger was able to participate in most normal activities growing up.
"I was on the speech and debate team ... there were things that I could do and there were things that I
couldn't. I didn't want to accept those limitations and in some ways that is what made me who I am," He
said.
In high school, Lininger was also on the wrestling team and lifted weights as a hobby; however, he admits
there were certain activities he had to sit out on.
While holding back a laugh, Lininger says, "I wanted to ride a bicycle, but it wasn't until I was a teenager
that I realized that that was a bad idea."
Lininger gives credit to his mother and grandmother for teaching him not to accept limitations set by
society.
"My mom and grandma encouraged me to basically try anything I wanted to try and not to accept
limitations strictly based on my disability," he said.
His mother fought with the school system to allow him to learn along with sighted peers, rather than be sent
to a special education or private school.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/188926/calt-graduates-first-blind-student#.VsZeWP72aUk
"She said society is not going to be all blind people, he needs to learn how to function normal, because if he
is going to be a normal person, he's going to have to compete in a regular society," she said. "That was
something that she raised me to believe as well and did it until I was old enough to fight for it myself."
In 2013, Lininger completed his undergraduate degree and he is currently working toward his PhD in
computer science.
Lininger first began working for the U.S. Air Force in 2012. He said he wanted to join the military straight
out of high school, but obviously couldn't because he was blind. When he learned that the Air Force had
civilian positions, he knew that would be the next best thing to serving.
After being hired by the Air Force Space Command Headquarters, Lininger learned about the CALT course
and thought it would provide him with good exposure to leadership principles and the military culture. He
followed the application process through AFPC and was selected for CALT.
In the early evening hours on January 24, 2016, Lininger arrived at Maxwell with his fellow students ready
to begin the 10- day course.
The goal of the course is to introduce newly hired, non-prior service Air Force civilian employees to the
Air Force culture and prepare them for future leadership, managerial and supervisory roles.
Students are taught on the OTS campus, live in the OTS or Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps
dorms, eat at the OTS dining facility and have the chance to interact with OTS cadets and experience
military training first hand.
Upon the knowledge of his arrival, the CALT staff had concerns on whether or not the course could be
changed to accommodate Lininger's disability.
"Initially we were a little stunned," said Douglas, McCarty, CALT course director. "We never had a student
that was totally blind attend our course before. We were a little concerned that Mr. Lininger would not
receive the full experience of the course."
However, Lininger was able to participate like any other student with the help of text-to-speech computer
software and a little assistance from his classmates.
"Joe is a great guy, very motivated just as all of our CALT students are, so I've found that it's no different
teaching him than any of our other students," said Robert Arrington, CALT instructor.
Since Lininger's arrival to Maxwell, the staff began thinking about the future and how they should plan for
future students with disabilities.
"He has been phenomenal in his willingness to work with us while we try to lay the ground work on how to
assist folks with disabilities in the future," said James Wiggins, Holm Center Curriculum Directorate
director.
"It's just not something you think about if you don't have to deal with it."
Lininger came to Maxwell to be taught; however, his instructors learned a lot from him.
"This has been a great learning experience and proves the point that all Airmen are a valuable part of the
Air Force team regardless of disabilities or abilities." said Arrington. "We all play a part in getting the Air
Force mission done."
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/18/decorated-seal-rob-oneill-supports-women-specialoperations/80570794/
Decorated SEAL Rob O'Neill supports women in special
operations
By Meghann Myers
Navy Times, February 18, 2016
Former Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Robert
O'Neill, who claims to have shot and killed Osama bin Laden in
2011, says he will support women joining special operations teams.
(Photo: Walter Hinick, AP)
Former Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Rob O'Neill
said on Tuesday that he supports women joining the nation's elite
special operations teams, becoming the highest-profile special
operations veteran to support the controversial effort.
O'Neill, who rose to fame in 2014 when he claimed to be the
operator who shot and killed Osama bin Laden, said women should get the chance even though few are
likely to make the cut, in an appearance on a Fox Business show hosted by Stuart Varney.
"Can I ask you for a flat-out judgment?" Varney said. "Do you think women should be part of special-op
teams that go in and shoot down Osama bin Laden?"
Pentagon OKs plan allowing women to join Navy SEALs
O'Neill voiced his support, bucking the trend of high-ranking officers, special operators and other combat
veterans decrying the move.
"If they don't lower the standards and they can pass them, sure," he said.
Former SEAL Robert O'Neill describes the raid that killed Osama bin Laden
He has been on missions with women, he said. They are often used to search women and children, in
deference to cultural sensitivities toward men in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Plus, he added, women fighting has a psychological element in these countries.
Famed SEAL leader opposes move to add women to teams
"I know that these Islamic fighters, they don't fear death, but they do fear hell," he said. "And if they're
killed by women, they go to hell as far as they know. Lock and load, ladies."
Surprised by O'Neill's answer, a bemused Varney explained that he'd never shot a gun in anger and hardly
been in a fist fight.
To be SEALs, women will have to survive BUD/S
"I don't understand combat, but are you telling me that you're perfectly okay going into a life and death
situation with a woman by your side?" he asked.
Eighty percent of men fail out of SEAL training, and O'Neill predicted that an even higher number of
women would fail. However, he said, "men and women working together is better."
"If she can make it, then she deserves a shot," O'Neill said.
http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/654793/face-of-defense-female-soldier-completesnato-winter-training-course
Face of Defense: Female Soldier Completes NATO Winter
Training Course
Defense.gov, February 11, 2016
U.S. Army Capt. Kate Alfin, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot
with the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade based at Ansbach, Germany,
practices Nordic cross-country skiing under a full combat load at the
Allied Winter Course at the Norwegian School of Winter Warfare in
Elverum, Norway, Jan. 15, 2016. The Allied Winter Course provides
students with basic knowledge and practical experience to operate in
cold weather environments to include survival, mobility and
leadership under winter conditions. (Norwegian Army photo)
ELVERUM, Norway, February 11, 2016 — U.S. Army Capt. Kate Alfin, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter
pilot with the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade based at Ansbach, Germany, graduated from the Allied
Winter Course at the Norwegian School of Winter Warfare here, Jan. 28.
Alfin is the first female soldier from an allied NATO military to complete the course, which took place Jan.
4-30 at the Terningmoen infantry training camp 140 kilometers northeast of Oslo, Norway.
Cold Weather Training Course
The Allied Winter Course is 26 days long and provides students with the basic knowledge and practical
experience to operate in cold weather environments, to include survival, mobility and leadership under
winter conditions.
Allied soldiers cross-country ski under winter conditions with
Norwegian equipment, Jan. 19, 2016. (Norwegian Army photo by
Olav Standal Tangen)
"At the Norwegian School for Winter Warfare we run courses for
officers and noncommissioned officers," said Norwegian Army
Capt. Hans Olaf Kalsveen, course officer. "We also have avalanche
warning courses and sere courses in the autumn available to all our
NATO allies."
"The course was extremely challenging," Alfin said. "I learned a lot of important techniques for winter
operations that I will take back to my unit and apply toward future training and exercises across Europe."
The Allied Winter Course is held annually at the Norwegian School of Winter Warfare.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/02/12/female-marines-say-theyve-figured-out-howmaster-pullups/80305956/
Female Marines say they've figured out how to master
pullups
By Jeff Schogol
Marine Corps Times, February 12, 2016
Sgt. Amanda McGhee, an intelligence analyst with 2nd Marine
Aircraft Wing, can do 20 pullups. A female Marine approached
Commandant Gen. Robert Neller Friday about a plan to better help
women do pullups.
(Photo: Courtesy Amanda McGhee)
Think women can’t do pullups? Think again.
Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller is reviewing a fitness plan
for pullups that some say obliterates the myth that women are too
frail to pull their chin over the bar.
Col. Robin Gallant, 55, was unable to do a single pullup without help from a rubber band before she
embraced the approach.
“I got my first pullup on April 27 of 2014 – it’s like giving birth: You don’t forget that,” Gallant told
Marine Corps Times on Friday. “I kicked it on my last [Physical Fitness Test], I got 15; and now I’m up to
an ugly 17, a pretty solid 16.”
With the right diet, weight training, doing CrossFit and practicing pullups, Gallant said she has built a good
deal of lean muscle.
“It doesn’t make you look like a man,” she said. “Anybody that says that is full of crap.”
Gallant, the comptroller for the II Marine Expeditionary Force, learned how to do pullups under the
tutelage of Maj. Misty Posey, who developed the approach that Neller is taking a look at.
A female Marine mentioned Posey's plan to Neller during a Friday town hall with the commandant. Neller
told her that if she sent him the plan, he'd distribute it Corps-wide.
The technique Posey has refined over years is having people do pullups between three and five times a day
for at least three days a week, Posey said. The key to success is not maxing out each set, she said.
Figuring it out
When Posey wrote her paper “Starting from Zero: The Secret to Pull-up Success,” she particularly wanted
to reach female Marines who don’t know how to train for the exercise.
“I didn’t want them to make the same training mistakes I did and give up before they learn pullups and
think it was their gender that prevented them from learning a pullup when I know full well that [gender] has
very little to do with learning pullups,” Posey told Marine Corps Times on Friday.
For Posey, learning how to do pullups was a necessity, she said. As a midshipman trying to make it through
the University of San Diego's Reserve Officer Training Corps program, her instructors made her run
through the obstacle course at Marine Recruit Depot San Diego.
Standing only 4 feet, 10 inches high, Posey said she was at a distinct disadvantage compared to the other
midshipmen.
“As you can imagine, the obstacles are all very tall because no women train at MCRD San Diego, so there
were no ramps; there were no steps,” said Posey, who now works in Manpower and Reserve Affairs said.
“My PT instructor ... basically said, ‘You need to figure it out.’”
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/02/12/female-marines-say-theyve-figured-out-howmaster-pullups/80305956/
Lance Cpl. Ashley Vallera, a signals intelligence analyst, does pullups while at sea
on a deployment. (Photo: Cpl. Kyle N. Runnels/Marine Corps)
Posey needed to build upper-body strength so she could hoist herself over the
obstacles, but no matter how much exercise she did in the gym, she was still
unable to do a single pullup, she said. Then, a gunnery sergeant who worked at the
gym saw her struggling and gave her some advice that changed everything.
“He said, ‘Get out of my gym; get on a pullup bar,’” Posey recalled. “He said: “If
you don’t have a partner to help spot you when you need it … pull up as far as you
can. If you can only pull up half way, keep doing that. Eventually, you’ll be able
pull up higher. He was right.”
After five days of doing jumping pullups, body weight negatives, partner-assisted pullups and partial range
of motion pullups, Posey was able to do her first proper pullup, she said.
The ladder approach
Posey was excited to share what she had learned, but when she told people that anyone can do a pullup,
they laughed at her, she said.
“I would be told, ‘You’re the exception,” Posey said. “So if I’m the exception, what’s the rule? The rule
that people were thinking was that physical weakness is a woman’s natural and irreversible condition and
any woman who is physically strong is an exception to that rule.”
Later, a male colleague challenged her to do 20 pullups, so she consulted a kinesiology major, she said. He
told her that the trick to training for pullups is to stop exercising before hitting muscle failure.
“So the approach a lot of Marines take is every other day they’ll do a couple max sets of pullups,” Posey
said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but ... they tend to plateau and they’ll stay there indefinitely unless
they do something different.
“I do pullups almost every day … several times a day," she said. "I get up on the bar and I’ll do a few sets
and I will always stop well short of failure. So my max set is about 25 but when I do pullups I’ll do a little
ladder: I’ll do one, come off the bar, wait 10 seconds; then do two, come off the bar, wait 10 seconds; I’ll
work up to five or six and them I go back to one.”
Posey will do two or three ladders within a five-minute period several times throughout the day, she said.
Each ladder is about one-third of the maximum number of pullups she can do.
“The way you get good at pullups is to do a lot of pullups – you don’t have to tear your muscles down,
make them sore and make them bigger to get pullups,” she said. “You just have to train the motor patterns.
Your central nervous system needs that constant repetition.”
Capt. Kimberly Sonntag, the Marine who told Neller about the plan Friday, said she has used the
techniques in Posey’s paper to go from zero to four pullups in a month.
“Like most people, the way I was training was wrong,” said Sonntag, who works in Plans, Policies and
Operations. “I thought: Well I can’t do a pullup, so I should use a band or I should use the Gravitron
[exercise machine]. So it did force me to get off those things that were not working.”
Sonntag also has hyper-mobile joints, and that has made it very hard for her to get into the right position to
pull herself up, she said. Posey’s program gave her specific exercises so she could be strong enough to start
doing pullups from a dead hang.
Women often train for pullups by isolating muscle groups, such as their biceps, when pullups require them
to use all of their muscles at the same time, she said.
“There is a perception — both with men and even with women — that women can’t do pullups,” Sonntag
said. “This just shows that with the proper training, women can do pullups. They can pull their own body
weight.”
http://www.navytimes.com/story/opinion/2016/02/07/women-in-combat-paradigm-shif-how-warsfought/79873548/
Military’s move toward women in combat signals a major
paradigm shift [OPINION]
By Shawn Snow
Marine Corps Times, February 8, 2016
A Marine with a Female Engagement Team stands in formation
during a Nov. 10, 2010, ceremony for the 235th birthday of the
Marines at Camp Delaram in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
(Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Editor’s note: The following is an opinion piece. The writer is not
employed by Military Times and the views expressed here do not
necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter's order that all ground-combat
jobs, including special-operations billets, be opened to women
has provoked strong reactions on both sides of the debate.
The reactions have been mixed, with many service members fearing standards will be watered down to
accommodate women, while others cheered when the first women completed the Army's grueling Ranger
School. The Marine Corps even pushed a study claiming that all-male teams outperformed mixed-gender
units in combat functions, though some have claimed this study to be flawed.
What has largely been absent from this debate, though, are the reasons behind the Pentagon’s push to create
a gender-neutral military and incorporate women into combat roles. At face value, gender equality in the
military certainly appeals to the president’s liberal base. However, there is a more important point being
glossed over: the U.S. and the world at large are entering a paradigm shift in the way wars will be fought in
the future.
Paradigm shifts in military operations have occurred numerous times throughout history, forcing
commanders to change and adapt organizational structures and tactics.
During the first Gulf War, precision-guided munitions and laser systems that decimated Iraqi forces with
low coalition casualties resulted in doctrinal shifts in defense operations and planning. The use of advanced
sensor technology, information warfare and increased reliance on air power shifted the military’s previous
reliance on armor and mechanized operations.
Other paradigm shifts have included the introduction of the mini ball and faster loading rifles that produced
more accurate firepower during the Civil War. That allowed troops to fire at further distance and at higher
rates, changing the tactic of standing battle formations, and resulting in high battlefield casualties. World
War I saw a plethora of defensive technologies that included the use of barbed wire and machine guns,
diminishing the impact of offensive capabilities. The failure to adapt to those rapid changes resulted in
millions of deaths.
Now a new paradigm shift is on the horizon. It includes new battle spaces like the exploitation of the
electromagnetic spectrum, cyber warfare and virtual battlefields, drone technology and the push
for automated weapon systems.
As computing power increases and technology becomes cheaper, this shift is not only being achieved in the
U.S. but also around the world — to include some of our adversaries. Russia has embarked on
an overhaul of its armed forces and has fielded impressive signals intelligence capabilities on the
http://www.navytimes.com/story/opinion/2016/02/07/women-in-combat-paradigm-shif-how-warsfought/79873548/
battlefield, exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum to inflict casualties on its enemies and spread
propaganda. Russia has been fielding these capabilities in proxy battlefields in places like Syria and
Ukraine.
China has also announced an overhaul of its armed forces, calling for a reduction in the size of its army.
That reduction should not imply that China's military is weak or facing budgetary issues. Instead,
it's pushing for a smaller more technologically adept military.
U.S. Marines assigned to the female engagement team (FET) of I
Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) conduct a patrol alongside a
poppy field on April 5, 2010, while visiting Afghan settlements in
Boldak, Afghanistan. (Photo: Cpl. Lindsay L. Sayres/Marine Corps)
The U.S. is faced with a new reality as it slowly loses its powerful
edge in the realm of military technology as other nations catch up.
To continue competing on the global stage, the U.S. needs to be
able to recruit from the brightest and smartest of its people.
Last year, a Pentagon study highlighted that roughly two-thirds of Americans would not qualify to enlist in
the armed services as a result of health problems, obesity and the failure to complete a high school
education. On top of that, the armed services face retention and recruitment challenges stemming from the
long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and competition with a rebounding economy that attracts veterans into
the civilian job market. A gender-neutral military opens up the recruiting pool.
As technology dominates the battlefield, it is becoming ever more important that combat forces on the front
lines be equipped with capabilities to exploit the electromagnetic spectrum and cyber warfare. No longer
are these fields only relevant to analysts in an office at Fort Meade, Maryland, or Fort Gordon, Georgia.
Cyber warriors and SIGINT operators are needed in the field to conduct collection and targeting operations,
and run equipment to exploit, jam and attack enemy communications or weapons systems.
The military will need America's best and brightest to compete in these new battle spaces. That should
include incorporating these individuals in special operations teams.
We are living in a rapidly changing world, with new weapon systems being procured at lightning speeds. It
is a national security priority that our military adapt to reflect these changes, even if that means the
integration of women into combat roles or gender-neutral basic training.
At the end of the day, individual leaders in the Marine Corps are what make the recruit depots the hellscape
they are. Marine Corps traditions will continue, and Marines will be made. San Diego’s hills aren’t getting
any smaller, packs aren’t getting lighter, and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, is
still a terrible muggy swamp.
Shawn Snow is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy at Tufts University, specializing in Central and Southwest Asia. He served 10 years as a signals
intelligence analyst and completed multiple tours of duty to Iraq and Afghanistan. His work has been
published in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Diplomat and Small Wars Journal.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/10/navy-to-poll-fleet-for-input-on-ditching-seaman-title.html
Navy to Poll Fleet for Input on Ditching 'Seaman' Title,
Among Others
By Hope Hodge Seck
Military.com, February 10, 2016
Sailors stand watch on the bridge of the amphibious dock landing
ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) as the ship departs Joint Expeditionary
Base Little Creek-Fort Story. (U.S. Navy photo: Justin Yarborough)
The master chief petty officer of the Navy is preparing to bring 10
other master chiefs to Washington, D.C., to assist in a whirlwind
mission to make ratings and titles more gender-neutral and relevant,
he said this week.
In an interview published by the Navy on Feb. 7, MCPON Mike
Stevens said he was recruiting eight force master chiefs and two from current source ratings to help him
bring in feedback from the fleet on how to best implement the January mandate from Navy Secretary Ray
Mabus.
Mabus' order comes as the service awaits approval of its plan to open previously closed jobs in the Navy
Special Warfare community -- including the elite SEALs -- to women.
Some venerable titles that might not pass the gender-neutral test include yeoman, fire controlman,
hospitalman, and even seaman.
"So [the master chiefs are] responsible to go out to the fleet, to conduct all-hands calls, to solicit email
input and other mediums of communications ... to find out what sailors think, what they're talking about,"
Stevens said. "I would tell you that what's most important is that these recommendations again come from
our sailors in the fleet, that these master chiefs are simply the deliverers of that information."
The review, which is due to be completed by April 1, will also give the Navy the opportunity to do away
with archaic or irrelevant job titles in favor of new ones, Stevens said.
"There's some ratings out there where the title of the rating doesn't necessarily align or match very well
with the job that [the sailors] do," he said. "It doesn't always have to be about the 'man' or 'men' portion of
the title change; it can be a title change because it makes more sense."
Stevens noted that Navy ratings have been added, altered or disposed of between 700 and 750 times in the
history of the service. A comprehensive review like the current one, however, has not been attempted since
the end of World War II, he said.
He called on sailors from across the fleet to seek out opportunities to participate in the surveys and allhands calls and make sure their ideas were heard.
"I know that out there somewhere the answer exists, we just need to go mine for that gold," Stevens said.
"Our sailors are going to deliver to us what I believe to be remarkable input and recommendations."
-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.
RELATED TOPICS Headlines Navy Women in the Military Military Rank and Status Hope Seck
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rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/10/women-combat-jobs-congress-generals-pentagonleaders/79876228/
Questions, frustration as women prepare to join combat
units
By Leo Shane III
Military Times, February 10, 2016
Women may be forced to register with the Selective Service
system now that the military is opening all infantry and
combat posts to them. (Video: Military Times)
Military women are headed into combat posts. But that's just
the start of their fighting.
As the military moves towards opening all jobs to all troops,
regardless of gender, both advocates and critics on Capitol
Hill are frustrated by the unanswered questions surrounding when the changes will happen, how they'll be
put in place and what side effects the massive cultural change will have on the armed services.
Among the unexplored, potential problems worrying lawmakers: Will job standards be lowered? Are
military leaders ready and accepting of the change? Will women be required to register for the draft now?
Defense officials for the last three years have been studying and preparing for full integration of women
into front-line and infantry units, with the stated goal of filling all military jobs with the “best qualified and
most capable personnel” regardless of gender.
That work culminated in a December announcement by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who promised all of
the services will start their implementation plans by April 1. In less than two months, about 220,000 jobs
never before open to women will be potential new landing spots.
“They’ll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat," Carter boasted a
Pentagon press conference in December. "They’ll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets,
Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers, and everything else that was previously open
only to men."
The April 1 deadline is only the start of this process. Army and Marine Corps leaders cautioned senators in
early February that it won’t be a quick one.
Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley said women likely won’t even start infantry and armored basic
training until early fall. Acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy told members of the Senate Armed
Services Committee that “full integration will likely take several years, both to adjust the culture and to
grow individual skills.”
Beyond that, the timeline is unclear. Advocates worry that's a sign of continued foot dragging by senior
military leaders opposed to such change, even after more than 14 years of war in which female service
members bore a sizable share of the fighting.
“I fear that we’re in this kind of long-term resistance mode,” said Ellen Haring, retired Army colonel and a
program director with Women in International Security. “Delays, requirements for additional studies … for
me, that’s frustrating, and I’m sure it is for any women across the services looking for those jobs today.”
But some lawmakers worry the services are moving too quickly.
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/10/women-combat-jobs-congress-generals-pentagonleaders/79876228/
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa — a retired Army Guard lieutenant colonel and the only female veteran serving in
the Senate — said she supports opening all jobs but said it could take a generation before real integration
occurs.
“This has been pushed quite rapidly by the administration, by the secretary of defense,” she said. “Not
having well-thought-through implementation plans that have been thoroughly vetted could end up setting
women back even further, instead of advancing them.”
“We need to make sure we have thought through this,” Ernst said.
Job standards
Ernst emphasizes that she “fully supports” opening all combat jobs to women. Her 22 years in the military
included a deployment to Kuwait and Iraq in 2003, and she says she wishes she had a wider range of
opportunities during her career.
But she also said the top concern she hears from men and women in the ranks is the potential for watering
down standards to help women qualify for combat jobs, a move that could risk readiness and safety.
Military leaders have repeatedly promised that won’t happen.
“Standards can never be lowered for any group or any job,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus promised senators
this week. “Standards will evolve as threats evolve, but they will evolve for everyone equally.
“For those who want to serve in these trying MOSs, these high standards will not make it easy, nor should
they. But every person will have the opportunity.”
In the last year alone, more than 200 women have made it through Marine infantry school and three women
have graduated from the prestigious Army Ranger training.
Military officials have repeatedly insisted that no standards were changed in those classes, and bristled at
critics who claim the accomplishments had more to do with political correctness than actual merit.
At a Service Women’s Action Network event in February, advocates warned that even the hint of quotas or
softer standards for women could have devastating effects, not just for readiness but for military culture.
“When you have women underperform on the rifle range as recruits, and that gets accepted for decades,
that says something,” said Marine Lt. Col. Kate Germano, a SWAN fellow and a frequent critic of Marine
Corps’ expectations for women in the ranks.
“That becomes the norm. A lot of our assumptions today about what women can do [in the military] come
because women have been allowed to underperform.
But lawmakers remain skeptical that things won’t change if women struggle to carry heavier loads or fail to
reach physical fitness benchmarks.
Drafts of the services’ implementation plans for putting women in combat jobs — including new, genderneutral standards for those roles — have yet to be circulated around Capitol Hill. And Sen. Roger Wicker,
R-Miss., warned that even if those plans are solid, there’s no guarantee they won’t change.
“Five years from now, 10 years from now, if we don't have successful graduations from this physically
demanding program, it's hard to imagine that this conversation won't take a different tone,” he told Mabus.
“I don't see how we can guarantee that in the future these standards will not be diminished.”
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/10/women-combat-jobs-congress-generals-pentagonleaders/79876228/
Leadership concerns
Multiple Republicans in Congress have accused the Obama administration of forcing a quick adoption of
the changes on a reluctant fighting force especially after a Marine Corps study last summer showed
shortcomings in mixed-gender combat teams.
Marine Corps leaders had asked for an exception to integration in infantry units, machine gunner posts, fire
support reconnaissance roles and several other jobs. Carter rejected that in his December announcement,
saying “we are a joint force, and I have decided to make a decision which applies to the entire force.”
When asked about that decision by lawmakers, Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said his
service has moved past it and is working towards the April deadline.
“We have established a process to where any Marine who wants to serve in these physically demanding
[jobs] has to meet a certain standard,” Neller said. “We will see where the chips fall. Our hope is that
everyone is successful. But hope is not a course of action on the battlefield.”
The general's perceived lack of enthusiasm worried many advocates.
“Tone is everything,” Germano said. “If you’re at the bottom of the pyramid, and you’re thinking you can
drag your feet on integration, when the top generals tell you ‘I know this can be done now,’ it sets the tone.
If you don’t hear that, it complicates things.”
Last year, officials from the RAND Corporation conducted a study with Marine Corps officials on keys to
successful implementation of cultural changes such as opening combat roles to women. At the top was the
need for sustained, focused leadership.
“You can’t just integrate and say ‘OK, we’re done,’” said Agnes Shaefer, senior political scientist with the
group. “As they put these policies in place, they need to be thinking about long-term issues, especially
career progression. Small unit dynamics, culture and discipline need to be monitored.”
Marine Corps officials have received permission to continue training male and female recruits separately, a
concession by Pentagon leaders on those lingering concerns about the possible effects on morale and
readiness.
When pressed by senators, Neller admitted he still has doubts about the effects of the change.
“I have concerns about retention. I have concerns about injury rates. I have concerns about propensity to reenlist, career progression,” he said. “I have concerns about what's gonna happen in the — if the numbers
are low, which they probably will be at the beginning.
“But I think we have a plan in place to where we can monitor that.”
Details of that plan still haven't been released. Critics of the early drafts leaked from the Pentagon have said
the documents contain a lot of technical changes and procedural information, but very little on the
philosophy behind opening all jobs to women and no statements of support from Marine Corps leaders.
Selective Service
One issue being thrust to the forefront sooner is whether women should be required to register for the draft.
The Selective Service System currently requires all men ages 18 to 26 to register for possible involuntary
military service. Women have always been exempt, and past legal challenges have pointed to the battlefield
restrictions placed on them as justification.
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/10/women-combat-jobs-congress-generals-pentagonleaders/79876228/
But with that issue now disappearing, both Milley and Neller told lawmakers that they believe women
should be required to register. Mabus and Murphy were more cautious, saying the change should start
broader debate on the role of Selective Service moving ahead.
Several presidential candidates have already weighed in on the issue. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio have both backed the idea of opening the draft to women, while Texas Sen. Ted
Cruz has vigorously opposed the proposal.
The issue should have been broached months ago, once the White House decided to move towards opening
all military jobs, Ernst said.
“Now the administration has dropped that barrier … so I think the administration needs to take ownership
and present a recommendation to Congress,” she said. “And it needs to be soon. They wanted these plans
by the first of April.”
Some House members are already working to force the president’s hand.
Republican Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Ryan Zinke of Montana — both veterans of the Iraq
war — introduced the “draft our daughters” act, which requires all eligible women to register for the draft
within 90 days of all combat specialties opening.
Hunter said he hopes to make the issue a point of debate in the annual defense authorization bill discussion,
although he also hinted he might not support his own proposal.
“It’s wrong and irresponsible to make wholesale changes to the way America fights its wars without the
American people having a say on whether their daughters and sisters will be on the front lines of combat,”
he said in a statement.
“This discussion should have occurred before decision making of any type, but the fact that it didn’t now
compels Congress to take an honest and thorough look at the issue.”
White House officials have deferred questions on how Selective Service might be changed to the Pentagon.
Defense officials say they're studying the issue.
Ernst said she worries that’s indicative of a lack of thought in the overall process so far.
“In my mind, there was a hurry to get this done, without thinking about the repercussions,” she said. “I
have confidence in what the military leadership is doing. But I don’t have the same confidence in the
civilian leadership.”
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be
reached at [email protected]. Follow @LeoShane
Miscellaneous
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/08/active-duty-suicides-up-guard-and-reserve-down2014-military-suicide-attempts/80021990/
Active-duty suicides up, Guard and Reserve down in 2014
By Patricia Kime
Military Times, February 10, 2016
In 2014, 269 active-duty service members and 169 reserve and
National Guard troops took their own lives, according to the 2014
Defense Department Suicide Event Report.
(Photo: Defense Department)
The latest report from the Pentagon on military suicides shows a
slight uptick in the suicide rate among active-duty personnel in
2014 compared with the previous year, but significant drops in rates
for Reserve and National Guard members when compared to 2013.
In 2014, 269 active-duty service members and 169 reserve and
National Guard troops took their own lives, according to the 2014 Defense Department Suicide Event
Report, released in January.
The suicide rate per 100,000 active-duty troops was 19.9, up slightly from 18.7 in 2013 but down from 22.7
in 2012.
The National Guard component saw its suicide rate in 2014 drop to 19.4 per 100,000 from 28.9 the
previous year, while the reserves declined to 21.9 per 100,000 from 23.4 in 2013.
As seen in previous years, most service members who died by suicide in 2014 were men under age 30,
mostly enlisted, white and married. The majority ended their lives by shooting or hanging
themselves. And just over half had deployed at least once — down from nearly two-thirds reported in 2013
as having deployed.
About 16 percent had seen direct combat. Some had been diagnosed with a mental health condition and
several had been prescribed prescription drugs or sought help from therapists or doctors.
But many left no clues at all: They took no risks that would endanger their lives nor expressed suicidal
thoughts or mental health problems beforehand.
Among the active-duty deaths, 169 left no note or explanation for why they did it.
The Army had the highest suicide rate among the services in 2014 at 23.8 per 100,000. The Air Force rate
was 18.5 per 100,000 service members, while the Marine Corps’ rate was 17.9 and the Navy’s, 16.3.
According to the report, the military rates are comparable with civilian U.S. rates adjusted for age and
gender, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2013.
Being in the military once offered some protection from suicide susceptibility; in 2002, the rate was 10.3
per 100,000 — much lower than a civilian adjusted rate, calculated by the Army in 2013, of 18.8.
The military services oversee suicide prevention efforts within their own departments, while the Defense
Suicide Prevention Office is responsible for creating and overseeing implementation of a strategic plan.
The DoD National Center for Telehealth and Technology releases a report each year that examines the
demographics, circumstances and psychological and social factors characteristic of these deaths.
Commonalities among the 2014 deaths were:

50 percent had a mental health diagnosis, with the most common being mood or adjustment
disorders or substance abuse.

In the enlisted ranks, infantry personnel, gun crews or seamanship specialties had the highest rates
of suicide, 21 percent, followed by electrical or mechanical equipment repairers, 18.9 percent.
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/08/active-duty-suicides-up-guard-and-reserve-down2014-military-suicide-attempts/80021990/
 The occupational specialties with the highest suicide rates for officers were tactical operations, at
4.3 percent.

65 percent of suicides took place either at home or in the barracks.
The 2014 Pentagon report also examined more than 1,000 suicide attempts among DoD personnel, finding
that the majority showed similar trends in deployment, legal or administrative problems or relationship
issues as those who died by suicide.
The majority of suicide attempts involved attempted drug overdoses, while 68 percent of completed
suicides involved a firearm.
For the first time since it began producing the comprehensive suicide report in 2008, Pentagon analysts
looked at whether those who completed or attempted suicide reported being victims of military sexual
assault. The report found that none who died by suicide had reported any incident of sexual assault, while
seven who attempted suicide had filed unrestricted reports with the U.S. military about sexual assault.
As part of their suicide prevention efforts, the services have mandated suicide prevention training. They
stress programs that promote awareness of self and fellow troops, as well as encouraging people to
seek treatment.
In a message to all Navy sailors on Feb. 7, Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Bill Moran said
understanding the challenges that face fellow service members can go a long way in saving lives.
“I think we all know that the stronger the team, the more we look out for each other and the more we’re
going to recognize when things aren’t going right for sailors or something is out of the normal,” Moran
said. “Those are the indicators that hopefully people recognize and they step in.”
The Defense Department releases information on suicides quarterly and has not announced its total figures
for 2015.
A Pentagon official said last month that 275 service members died by suicide from January through Dec.
15.
Service members who are experiencing suicidal thoughts are urged to call the confidential Military Crisis
Line at 1-800-273-8255, press 1. There are also text and chat options at www.militarycrisisline.net or text
838255.
This story was updated on Feb. 10 to correct statistical information on suicide rates among military
occupational specialties.
Follow @patriciakime
Patricia Kime covers military and veterans’ health care and medicine for Military Times. She can be
reached at [email protected].
SEE ALSO:
DoD: Among Services, Army Had Highest Suicide Rate in 2014 [Stars and Stripes, 2016-02-09]
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/18/acting-army-secretary-gender-neutral-fitness-testcoming-soon-patrick-murphy-apft/80566724/
Army's new fitness tests: New details emerge from
leadership
By Kevin Lilley and Michelle Tan
Army Times, February 18, 2016
A new fitness test for recruits won't include pushups. New tests for
those already in Army service have yet to be finalized.
(Photo: Staff Sgt. Roger Ashley/Army)
The Army is on the eve of rolling out new MOS-specific, genderneutral fitness tests, and new details have begun to emerge.
The tests “should be good to go by June,” said Patrick Murphy,
acting Army secretary, in a Tuesday interview with Army Times.
That plan, and others related to adding women into previously
closed military occupational specialties, is contingent on Defense
Department approval.
While no final decisions have been made, it’s unlikely every MOS
will get its own fitness test, owing to the impracticality of creating
and conducting one for each specialty, Army test-developers said.
One solution could involve implementing a single test and creating
a tiered scoring system — soldiers with high marks could serve in
the most physically demanding jobs, while those who eked out
passing grades would have their MOS options restricted.
The tests likely will incorporate exercises that soldiers will need on the battlefield, Murphy said, and they
are expected to revolve around “advanced individual skills that are MOS-specific, gender-neutral and
standards-based.”
Setting the specific exercises and standards for such testing “remains very much a work in progress,”
according to information provided Wednesday by the Army Center for Initial Military Training — part of
Army Training and Doctrine Command, which recently announced a new fitness test to be given to Army
recruits. “At this point it is unclear what events will be in the new test but it will certainly be a test that
measures across the domains of fitness to include cardio endurance, muscular endurance, muscular
strength, explosive power and speed/agility.”
The tiered approach is the cornerstone of the four-event Occupational Physical Assessment Test, which all
recruits will take starting this summer.
OPAT, APFT, CFA and you
The OPAT is gender-neutral and MOS-specific, according to the CIMT. It includes a standing long jump, a
dead lift, an aerobic interval run and a “seated power throw,” a gauge of upper-body strength that
represents loading ammunition, according to a Feb. 8 video that gave an overview of the test.
Other details, provided by CIMT after the video’s release:

Scoring procedures for the events haven’t been determined, but unlike the Army Physical Fitness
Test, plans call for one system across all ages and genders.

It’s expected that all MOSs will be ranked in a three-tier system. Recruits with scores that fall short
of Tier 1 (high-demand) in a given event, for instance, won’t be eligible for specialties in that tier.

Recruits must meet the Tier 3 (low-demand) standards to join the Army.

Re-tests will be allowed with time frames and limits to the number of tests to be determined, similar
to existing rules regarding the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/18/acting-army-secretary-gender-neutral-fitness-testcoming-soon-patrick-murphy-apft/80566724/
 Like the APFT, the OPAT can be administered to one person or in a group setting.
There are similarities to the Candidate Fitness Assessment, a test required by the U.S. Military Academy
that includes a basketball throw, shuttle run and pullups (flexed-arm hang option for women), as well as
more familiar fitness-test events: Pushups, situps and a run (one mile, instead of the two required in the
existing Army test).
Murphy, a former assistant professor at West Point, said the eventual Army test could be similar to the
CFA, but with clear standards that are “open for everybody.”
“Most women aren’t going to be able to meet the infantry MOS standard, just like most American men
can’t meet the infantry MOS standard,” Murphy said. “And that’s OK. But if you want to aspire to be an
infantry soldier, if you want to be an airborne Ranger in the 82nd Airborne Division, you’re going to have
to meet a certain standard.”
When it comes to setting those standards, considerations like gender, height and weight are “largely
immaterial,” according to information from CIMT, and that while age could play a part, it would be “as a
function of the changes in job requirements that come with age/seniority.”
Meeting, and exceeding, the bar
The Army has a simple leadership philosophy that says “you get what you measure,” Murphy said.
When he was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne, Murphy said he trained to max out his PT test because he
knew how fast he had to run and how many pushups and situps he had to do.
Patrick Murphy, acting Army secretary, said standards for
upcoming fitness tests will be job-specific and stringent, but that
soldiers will rise to the challenge. (Photo: Mike Morones/Staff)
“I met the standard or exceeded it because I knew what the standard
was to max it out,” he said.
“You just have to be clear with our soldiers. So that’s why, when
we articulate what those MOS-specific standards are, they’ll get
after it and they’ll do great.”
http://pilotonline.com/news/military/local/clock-ticking-for-sailors-who-want-weeks-of-maternityleave/article_bdf42fbb-e9af-5fe1-9a2f-08223a9fcec5.html
Clock ticking for sailors who want 18 weeks of maternity
leave
By Brock Vergakis
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.), February 6, 2016
Sailors gather in the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower's hanger bay in
2013. (U.S. Navy photo)
The clock is ticking for sailors to become pregnant if they want 18
weeks of maternity leave with little doubt they conceived before the
most generous leave policy in the military expires later this month.
The Navy hasn’t issued guidance on how sailors will prove they
were pregnant before the end of February, the cutoff point for a
Defense Department policy that reduces maternity leave from 18 weeks to 12 for sailors and Marines in an
effort to create a uniform leave policy across the services.
But typically, Navy doctors estimate a conception date during the first trimester, said Rebecca Perron, a
Portsmouth Naval Medical Center spokeswoman. She said that estimate usually covers a week, with
pregnancy possible three days before or after the date that doctors estimate.
The new Defense Department policy could provide an incentive for couples to be more intimate this
Valentine’s Day and creates the possibility of a surge in births in Navy communities this fall. That’s
something the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center is prepared for – and used to – if it happens. The hospital
routinely adjusts staffing for a surge in births, such as nine months following the return of an aircraft carrier
strike group from deployment, Perron said.
Under Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s order, all branches of the military will be granted 12 weeks of
maternity leave. That’s double what the Army and Air Force had offered but six weeks less than what the
Navy and Marines had been providing since July. On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson
also doubled the Coast Guard’s maternity leave from six weeks to 12 to keep in step with the Defense
Department.
Carter said during a news conference announcing the changes that sailors and Marines who were already
pregnant or those who become pregnant within 30 days of the policy’s enactment will still be entitled to 18
weeks, although he didn’t specify when that enactment will be.
Defense Department spokesman Matthew Allen said in an email to The Virginian-Pilot that Carter signed
the policy Jan. 29 and the “maternity leave window is 18 weeks for 30 days after that date.”
Figures weren’t readily available for how many women have taken advantage of the 18 weeks of maternity
leave since Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the policy change for the Navy and Marines in July.
There are more than 60,000 women in the Navy, making up about 16 percent of the force.
Mabus said at the time that anyone who had given birth in 2015 would be entitled to 18 weeks of leave,
even if they had already returned to work. Mabus extended maternity leave for women from six weeks to
18 weeks as a way to retain top performers.
“We have incredibly talented women who want to serve, and they also want to be mothers and have the
time to fulfill that important role the right way. We can do that for them,” Mabus said in a July statement.
“Meaningful maternity leave when it matters most is one of the best ways that we can support the women
http://pilotonline.com/news/military/local/clock-ticking-for-sailors-who-want-weeks-of-maternityleave/article_bdf42fbb-e9af-5fe1-9a2f-08223a9fcec5.html
who serve our county. This flexibility is an investment in our people and our Services, and a safeguard
against losing skilled service members.”
Carter also said retention was a motivation for the maternity leave changes, noting that research shows that
work and family conflict is one of the primary reasons women leave the military. Carter said women are
retained at a rate 30 percent lower than men across the military when they reach 10 years of service, a peak
time for starting a family. Carter said he recognizes that sailors and Marines will end up with less maternity
leave than was previously offered, but he said it was important to have the same standard across all
branches.
“I don’t take lightly that 12 weeks of maternity leave represents a downshift from what the Navy pursued
last summer, but I believe that we will be at the forefront in terms of competition, especially as part of the
comprehensive basket of family benefits we’re providing across the joint force,” he said during the
announcement.
http://www.startribune.com/faribault-female-wwii-pilot-pushes-for-access-to-arlington/368734681/
Faribault female WWII pilot pushes for access to Arlington
By Allison Sherry
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.), February 14, 2016
Sen. Amy Klobuchar wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Ash Carter in
January asking the Army to allow the remaining WASPs — there are only
about 100 still alive nationwide — to be able to have their ashes laid to
rest at the cemetery if they choose. Last week, the Pentagon said no.
(Photo: CAROLYN KASTERS)
WASHINGTON – For 96-year-old Betty Wall Strofus, the barrier to
Arlington National Cemetery represents just one more battle in her lifetime
push for gender equity in the Armed Forces.
Strofus is a Faribault resident who was a pilot during World War II. She served from 1943 to 1944 and
piloted eight different aircraft, including the B-17 and the B-26. In addition to flying anti-aircraft training
missions, she was a flight instructor, allowing male pilots to remain in combat.
The Women Airforce Service Pilots called themselves WASPs, and there were only about 1,100 of them.
They weren’t recognized as veterans until 1977, after decades of lobbying in Congress.
They still do not have rights to have their ashes inurned at Arlington National Cemetery — something Sen.
Amy Klobuchar and a number of other female senators are trying to change.
The Minnesota Democrat wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Ash Carter in January asking the Army to
allow the remaining WASPs — there are only about 100 still alive nationwide — to be able to have their
ashes laid to rest at the cemetery if they choose.
Last week, the Pentagon said no.
Officials explained that they had rights to be buried at other veterans’ cemeteries, but not Arlington. They
cited space limitations and Arlington’s “unique status as the nation’s pre-eminent military shrine.” Officials
also pointed out that a WASP could always ask the Pentagon for an exception to the policy.
Klobuchar said she was disgusted and was going to keep pushing on behalf of the surviving women, all of
whom are in their 90s. She said she would assist any WASP who wanted a waiver and she co-sponsored a
measure that could get tucked into the military spending measure this year that would change the policy.
“The point is it’s just cremated remains, it’s not going to take up that much space,” Klobuchar said. “We
can’t change history and how they were treated for years, but we can change how they are honored.”
Of the more than 400,000 people interred at Arlington, there are 17 WASPs buried there, though 15 of
them were buried with their service member spouse or because they went on to serve in the military after
WWII. Two slipped in between 2002 and 2010 when the military mistakenly didn’t follow its own burial
protocol.
Arlington officials can’t say how many women service members are buried there overall.
The issue is particularly poignant given the Pentagon’s decision in December to allow all active-duty
combat positions be open to women service members.
As for Strofus, she is going to be buried with her family at a little local cemetery north of Faribault. But she
wants “the girls,” as she calls her comrades, to be able to get into Arlington, if they choose.
“God bless them all. We had a tough time during those years and we never got any recognition for so many
years,” Strofus said. “But that was the way it was.”
SEE ALSO:
Senators: Let female WWII pilots into Arlington Cemetery [Military Times, 2016-02-11]
Move to let female pilots ashes rest at Arlington Cemetery [The Associated Press, 2016-01-06]
http://www.stripes.com/news/house-bill-requires-women-to-sign-up-for-draft-1.392180
House bill requires women to sign up for draft
By Travis J. Tritten
Stars and Stripes, February 4, 2016
Female Marine recruits practice rear hand punches during training at
Parris Island, S.C., in July 2011. (Javarre Glanton/U.S. Marine
Corps)
WASHINGTON — Two House Republicans introduced a bill
Thursday requiring eligible women in the United States to sign up
for the military draft, just days after it was recommended by the
Marine Corps and Army.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a Marine veteran, and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., a retired Navy SEAL,
filed the Draft American’s Daughters Act to stoke debate over the military’s historic move to fully integrate
female troops into all combat roles. If passed, women from 18-26 years old would for the first time have to
join men in registering with the Selective Service program and potentially be forced to fight in future wars.
“If this administration wants to send 18, 20-year-old women into combat, to serve and fight on the front
lines, then the American people deserve to have this discussion through their elected representatives,”
Hunter said in a released statement.
On Tuesday, Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testified
to the Senate that they believe there no longer should be an exemption in the draft for half of the country’s
population now that the military is all inclusive.
The Marines and Army, along with the other service branches, were ordered by Defense Secretary Ash
Carter to open about 225,000 combat jobs to women candidates – the last remaining occupational
specialties that had barred female troops.
The decision was made despite research and reservations from the Marine Corps and special operations
community, and without adequate debate among lawmakers, according to the two congressmen sponsoring
the bill.
“My daughter is a damn good Navy diver. I know women play an invaluable role in war. Many times
women can gain access to strategic sites that men never could,” Zinke said in a released statement.
“However, this administration’s plan to force all front-line combat and Special Forces to integrate women
into their units is reckless and dangerous.”
The Marines completed a study last summer that found women get injured more often and perform below
males in combat. During an oversight hearing in the Senate on Tuesday, lawmakers repeatedly referenced
the study and said they are worried the military could lower standards to accommodate more women in
combat occupational specialties.
Zinke said the decision now means the country must contemplate changes to the draft. His bill requires
women to register beginning 90 days after it is signed into law.
“This is a very important issue that touches the heart of every family in America, and I believe we need to
have an open and honest discussion about it,” Zinke said.
Men, who historically filled combat roles, are required to register with Selective Service when they turn 18
years old in case a draft is again needed. The Supreme Court had in the past backed the exemption for
women, but only because they were not expected to fill crucial combat ranks.
http://www.stripes.com/news/house-bill-requires-women-to-sign-up-for-draft-1.392180
Millions of women might now suddenly and unexpectedly be required to register due to the Pentagon
decision on combat roles.
Neller, who initially requested exemptions for women in some combat positions, said he thinks it is fair that
women now face being called up to wartime service.
“Every American that is physically qualified should register for the draft,” said Neller, who had requested
but was denied the exclusion of women in some Marine combat jobs.
[email protected], Twitter: @Travis_Tritten
SEE ALSO:
Two Republican Congressmen Introduce Bill to 'Draft Our Daughters’ [Military.com, 2016-02-04]
There’s a rift opening on how the U.S. should handle women and military drafts [The Washington Post,
2016-02-05]
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/capitol-hill/2016/02/11/bill-end-selective-servicedraft/80227690/
Lawmakers move to abolish the draft
By Leo Shane III
Military Times, February 11, 2016
As Congress begins debate on whether to force women to register for the draft, a bipartisan group of House
lawmakers has a compromise solution: Get rid of it altogether.
On Thursday, a group of four representatives — Mike Coffman, R-Colo.; Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Peter
DeFazio, D-Ore.; and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. — introduced new legislation to abolish the Selective
Service System, calling it an outdated and unneeded program.
“Maintaining the Selective Service simply makes no sense,” Coffman, a Marine Corps veteran, said in a
statement. “In 1973, the last draftee entered the Army and since then, despite the first Gulf War and
subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has never considered reinstituting the draft.”
The idea comes amid dueling proposals from other lawmakers either requiring or continuing to exempt
women from registering for the draft for the first time in U.S. history.
In December, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced plans to open all infantry and combat-unit positions
to women, provided they meet gender-neutral job standards. The military’s past prohibition on women
serving in those roles also provided a legal backing for excluding women from registering for the draft.
Coffman said re-opening of that debate provides a timely opportunity to get rid of the Selective Service
System. Agency activities cost taxpayers roughly $23 million each year, and a 2012 Government
Accountability Office report questioned whether the system could even provide a viable list of draftees to
the Defense Department if needed.
Military officials have repeatedly said that reverting to the draft from the current all-volunteer system
would have significant negative impact on troop training, readiness and quality.
DeFazio noted that young men who fail to register for the draft face penalties, including denial of federal
student loans and potential criminal punishment.
“Not only will abolishing the Selective Service save the U.S. taxpayers money, it will remove an undue
burden on our nation’s young people,” he said in a statement. “We need to get rid of this mean-spirited and
outdated system and trust that if the need should arise Americans — both male and female — will answer
the call to defend our nation.”
Defense Department officials have said they are reviewing draft rules and regulations, and expect to issue
recommendations in coming months. The issue is expected to be a key point of controversy in the annual
defense authorization bill debate.
It has also become a talking point on the Republican presidential campaign trail. Former Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio have both offered support for having women register, while Texas Sen.
Ted Cruz has voiced strong opposition to the idea.
SEE ALSO:
Combat jobs for women stir questions about the draft [The Associated Press, 2016-02-16]
Make women eligible for the draft? No, new legislation says: Ditch the system entirely. [The Washington Post, 201602-11]
Planned bill would keep women out of draft [The Hill, 2016-02-11]
America needs to debate impact of drafting women into military [Marine Corps Times, 2016-02-09]
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/veterans/2016/02/10/study-female-veterans-suicide-required-undernew-legislation/80173956/
Study of female veterans suicide would be required, under
new legislation
By Patricia Kime
Military Times, February 10, 2016
Female veterans die by suicide at six times the rate of nonveteran
women, according to government data.
(Photo: Master Sgt. Jenifer Calhoun/Air Force)
The Veterans Affairs Department needs to better understand the
problem of suicide among female veterans and determine how best
to treat at-risk women, according to a bill passed by the House of
Representatives on Tuesday.
The Female Veterans Suicide Prevention bill, HR 2915, would
require VA to identify mental health and suicide prevention
programs that are most effective for women veterans, who die by suicide at six times the rate of nonveteran
women.
“We can and must do more to address the epidemic of suicide among our women veterans,” bill sponsor
Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., said. “We know that suicide can be prevented but we need to work harder to
understand the root causes.”
Male veterans die by suicide at three times the rate of women veterans, but the alarming number of deaths
among women veterans when compared with civilians indicates there is more work to do, lawmakers say.
Even more alarming is the rate among young women veterans.
According to a VA report released last May, for women veterans ages 18 to 29, the risk of suicide is 12
times the rate of nonveteran women.
The report, which drew data from the VA’s Suicide Repository as well as death information from 23 states,
also found that female veterans die by suicide at higher rates than civilian women because they often
choose more lethal means — about 40 percent of women veterans who died between 2000 and 2010 used a
gun.
More than 170,000 veterans died by suicide during the study period, with suicides among female veterans
rising by 40 percent during the decade.
Brownley’s bill would require the VA to study which suicide prevention programs work best for each
gender and disseminate the guidance to providers within VA.
A similar bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate last week by Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Joni
Ernst, R-Iowa; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, women in the general population attempt
suicide at three times the rate as men but men die at rates three and half times that of women.
Drug overdosing tends to be the method of suicide more favored by civilian women, increasing the
likelihood that they might be found and survive.
Veterans or family members experiencing a mental health crisis can get help by calling the Veterans Crisis
Line at 800-273-8255 and pressing 1, by texting 838255 or going online at www.veteranscrisisline.net.
Patricia Kime covers military and veterans' health care and medicine for Military Times. She can be
reached at [email protected].
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/02/10/unisex-dress-blue-coat-less-popular-seniorfemale-marines/79750860/
Unisex dress blue coat is less popular with senior female
Marines
By Lance M. Bacon
Marine Corps Times, February 12, 2016
A female Marine tries on a prototype of the new, unisex dress
blues coat for women. Although enlisted women generally
supported the move to the new coat in a recent uniform board
survey, about half of female majors, lieutenant colonels,
colonels and staff NCOs voted to keep the existing female-style
dress coat.
(Photo: Jim Katzaman/Marine Corps)
While three out of five female Marines surveyed supported the
Corps' move to adopt a unisex-style dress blue coat, one group
was less enthusiastic about the gender-neutral look: women
serving as field grade or staff noncommissioned officers.
A new female dress blue coat was one of the biggest changes that came out of the Marine Corps' most
recent uniform board survey. About 3,650 Marines weighed in on the proposed change to the service's
iconic dress uniform, which proved more popular with younger Marines, according to survey results
provided to Marine Corps Times.
The majority of male and female respondents — about 55 percent — favored replacing women's
classic dress blue coat with a unisex prototype tested over the past 18 months. Enlisted women in particular
supported the move, with roughly 60 percent of those respondents hoping to get the new coat.
But the move wasn't quite as popular with majors, lieutenant colonels, colonels or staff NCOs. About half
of Marine women in those ranks who completed the survey voted to keep the existing female-style dress
coat — with the option of adoptingthe unisex-style prototype as a special assignment item to be issued at
unit expense.
That compared to just 28 percent of more junior Marines who voted for that same option.
The new coat was adopted after more than two years of tests and experiments that coincided with the
Pentagon’s push for gender-neutral physical standards and job opportunities. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus
last summer said his goal is a collection of uniforms that “don’t divide us as male or female, but rather
unite us as sailors or Marines.”
While it was one of the most notable uniform changes Marines will face as a result of the survey, it also got
the lowest amount of votes. Nearly three times the number of Marines chimed in on four other possible
uniform changes.
Commandant Gen. Robert Neller sided with the majority opinion each time, and made the changes official
Jan. 8. In addition to the switch to the unisex-style dress coat, the new rules allow commanders to set
seasonal uniform policies based on location and mission. Marines voted against a recommendation
requiring leathernecks to wear their service uniforms year-round and the idea to eliminate desert Marine
pattern camouflage.
Nearly 10,000 Marines weighed in on these changes. Here are the results:

84 percent of Marines wanted force-level commanders to have the authority to adjust seasonal
uniform periods based on climate and mission.

63 percent of Marines wanted to allow more flexibility with the seasonal uniform policy set in 2008.
Though it was meant to bring uniformity to the Corps' look worldwide (everyone wore desert
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/02/10/unisex-dress-blue-coat-less-popular-seniorfemale-marines/79750860/
camouflage utilities in the spring and summer, and woodland cammies in the fall and winter),
Marines soon questioned the wisdom of wearing desert cammies in Okinawa, Japan, or woodland
cammies at Twentynine Palms, California.

84 percent of Marines were opposed to a recommendation that would require all Marines wear the
service uniform unless they were in the field, training or deployed.

65 percent of Marines were opposed to the elimination of desert MARPAT combat utility uniforms,
an idea officials presented as a cost-saving measure.
The new uniform guidance is detailed in Marine administrative message 011/16.
Misconduct
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/11/military-hazing-gao-report/80225446/
Military hazing: Unclear if the problem is better or worse
By Leo Shane III
Military Times, February 11, 2016
The services are failing to keep good records of hazing incidents, according
to the General Accounting Office. (Photo: Cpl. Caitlin Brink/Marine
Corps)
Military officials have stepped up their anti-hazing efforts in recent
years, but haven’t tracked whether any of those changes are working,
according to a new study out this week.
The Defense Department "has not conducted oversight by regularly
monitoring the implementation of its hazing policy by the military services,” researchers from the
Government Accountability Office say in their new report. “Likewise, the Coast Guard has not required
regular headquarters-level monitoring of the implementation of its hazing policy.”
GAO officials also found inconsistencies with the collection of data about hazing incidents in the Army,
Navy and Marine Corps, and no real tracking of cases in the Air Force and Coast Guard.
As a result, researchers could not determine whether the problem is getting better or worse in the ranks.
“If [troops] do not fully understand the hazing policies, hazing victims may not be able to recognize hazing
when it occurs, including hazing by those in positions of authority,” the report states.
Officials from the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast
Guard, said that changes made in recent months should improves those shortfalls, and promised that leaders
are committed to stopping hazing among service members.
Each of the five services has put in place anti-hazing offices and policies in the last decade, and developed
new training courses and related instructional materials. The report said those recent efforts provide “a
general overview of prohibited conduct and the potential consequences.”
But the efforts are often too broad to be of real help to service members.
“The training materials generally focused on clear examples of hazing behaviors, and did not illustrate
where accepted activities such as training and discipline can cross the line into hazing,” the report states.
Despite those problems, GAO researchers said surveys conducted by the services show understanding of
the potentially devastating consequences to morale and readiness of hazing.
The report, mandated by Congress, was prompted by multiple reports of hazing in the ranks in recent years,
including the 2011 conviction of seven Coast Guard members for hazing on board the cutter Venturous and
the suicide of an Army private in Afghanistan later that year reportedly after being subjected to verbal and
physical hazing.
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be
reached at [email protected]. Follow @LeoShane
SEE ALSO:
Military hazing is often horrifying — and the Pentagon has no idea how often it happens [The Washington
Post, 2016-02-12]
Military isn't sufficiently tracking hazing incidents, watchdog says [The Virginian-Pilot, 2016-02-10]
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2016/02/07/navy-air-force-lag-behindprofessionalism-top-pentagon-official-says/79826372/
Navy, Air Force lag behind in professionalism, top Pentagon
official says
By Andrew Tilghman
Military Times, February 7, 2016
The Navy recently launched its Leadership and Ethics Center at the
Naval War College in Rhode Island.
(Photo: Lindsay Church)
A force-wide look at misconduct among senior military officers —
and the efforts to prevent it — found significant differences among
the services’ cultures.
“The Army and the Marine Corps have a very mature profession of
arms,” said Rear Adm. Margaret “Peg” Klein, the defense
secretary’s senior adviser for military professionalism.
“The ground forces, they send really junior people into leadership positions. They have company
command, they have O-3s going into command, and their professional identity is learned very early on,”
Klein said, referring to the paygrade for captains in the Army, Marines and Air Force. Navy O-3s are
lieutenants. Yet the Navy and the Air Force, historically, “are very technically focused,” she said.
Klein has spent nearly two years helping the services sharpen their professional development and
leadership training. Her office was created in March 2014 by then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel amid a
spate of scandals involving senior officers and mounting concerns of a systemic or cultural problem in the
ranks. Those fears may have been overblown, she said.
“We’re not in a crisis. But this subject of human behavior requires constant attention,” Klein told Military
Times during a recent interview.
Early on Klein found that the Army and Marine Corps created "centers of excellence" for
commanders' professional development, but the Navy and Air Force had not. These organizations develop
training programs for current and future leaders that focus on the intangible virtues of leadership as well as
more mundane matters like travel regulations, restrictions on accepting gifts and using official vehicles —
issues that can cause headaches for some leaders and their staffs.
During the past two years, Klein and her seven-member staff have helped the Navy and Air Force set up
their own centers: the Navy Leadership and Ethics Center at the Naval War College in Rhode Island and
the Air Force’s Profession of Arms Center of Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio.
The Air Force recently established its Profession of Arms Center of Excellence
at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas. (Photo: DOD)
“Those two organizations are helping airmen and sailors to understand the
importance of trust, humility, integrity, empathy. They are helping them
understand those very important virtues of command,” Klein said.
“Collectively, over time, the cultures will grow to adapt to that, from being very
technical to balancing out the need for technical and virtuous leadership."
Klein singled out the Marine Corps for its distinctive culture, saying “their
messaging internal to the Marine Corps and their marketing external to the
Marine Corps is really tight. The way they communicate inside the Marine
Corps is much different than the way any of the other services communicate."
She highlighted the Marines concise command climate survey, which was recently distilled to 37
questions, asking rank-and-file Marines to agree or disagree with straight-forward statements such as
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2016/02/07/navy-air-force-lag-behindprofessionalism-top-pentagon-official-says/79826372/
“Alcohol abuse is a problem in my unit” or “Leaders/supervisors in my unit have set a command climate
wherein sexual harassment is not tolerated.”
To encourage "cross pollination" among the services, this month Klein is gathering dozens of professional
development experts from across the force for a first-of-its-kind "Professionalism Summit" at the Air Force
Academy in Colorado to exchange best practices.
Klein’s office, initially created as a two-year project, is slated to stand down in March. She has asked
Defense Secretary Ash Carter to extend its life through January 2017. “A little bit more time is a really
inexpensive investment in getting traction in these ideas that we're trying to institutionalize,” she said.
The slew of scandals that emerged a few years ago made for stunning headlines. A Navy corruption
scandal. An Air Force major general who oversaw nuclear missiles was fired after his drunken bender on a
visit to Moscow offended both his Russian hosts and his own staff. An Army four-star general was
reprimanded for spending lavishly on official trips.
But Klein said those are anecdotal and she’s found no systemic or deeply rooted cultural problem. “We’re
seeing numbers within historic norms," she said. "We always want to be shooting for a target that decreases
the incident rate."
“We think the right answer is a little different for each service based on their heritage."
http://gazette.com/article/1570162
Pentagon sending leaders to Colorado Springs to focus on
misconduct in the ranks
By Tom Roeder
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.), February 17, 2016
The Air Force Academy will be the site of the "professionalism
summit," which is the first of its kind and will bring together about
three dozen leaders from across the military to talk about their
programs to improve military culture. (Photo by Mark Reis, The
Gazette)
The Pentagon said Tuesday it will gather officers at the Air Force
Academy next week in a bid to clean up misconduct in the ranks.
The "professionalism summit" is the first of its kind and will bring together about three dozen leaders from
across the military to talk about their programs to improve military culture. The goal is to quell sexual
assault, toxic leaders, bullying and other issues that have bedeviled the brass for years.
"We're trying to take it up a level and focus on shaping the culture," said Air Force Lt. Col. Kevin Basik,
who works in the Pentagon office focused on professionalism.
The Pentagon's latest push for improved behavior began two years ago with the appointment of Basik's
boss, Rear Adm. Peg Klein, to lead Defense Department ethics efforts. Each service has since created
offices dedicated to professionalism in the ranks. The next step is getting the services to coordinate their
work, which is the focus of the three-day academy gathering that begins Monday.
"It takes intentional effort to make sure everyone is talking across service boundaries," said Basik, who
worked at the academy before he moved to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon's meeting comes ahead of next week's National Character and Leadership Symposium which
starts Thursday, Feb. 26, at the school. In addition to cadets, the symposium will draw hundreds of students
and academics from around the country to hear from speakers including Medal of Honor recipients,
astronauts, business leaders and an NFL kicker. The theme of the symposium, the 23rd at the academy, is
"Professionalism & The Profession of Arms."
Basik said the Pentagon event will focus on ways services can raise the bar for behavior in the ranks. If all
troops have a higher level of professionalism, those who don't meet the standards will stand out more
clearly, he said.
"It is like weeds being choked out by a healthy lawn," he said.
One of the toughest behavior problems faced by the Pentagon has been sexual misconduct.
A 2014 report on sexual assault in the military, the latest available, showed a 16 percent increase in
reported sexual assaults in the ranks. Another troubling statistic showed that more than 60 percent of sexual
misconduct victims felt some form of reprisal after coming forward.
Basik said sexual assault will come up in talks at the academy, but the problems the group will try to
address are wider.
The goal is to create an environment inside military units where leaders and the troops won't tolerate those
who step out of line.
http://gazette.com/article/1570162
He cited the Army's new "Not in My Squad" program, which focuses on training sergeants how to foster a
climate in the Army's smallest units to stop misconduct.
The forum next week will examine that and similar programs from other branches to see what works and
how those ideas should be shared.
"Each service has their unique traditions, culture and heritage," Klein, who heads the Pentagon's
professionalism office, said in a statement. "But we all share the beliefs that culture is a driver of combat
efficiency and that trust is a force multiplier which affects our ability to innovate. The right answers will be
a little bit different for each service based on their heritage, but I can't overstate the positive impact of
fostering cross-service conversations."
Basik said the Colorado Springs summit could be the start of a larger movement in the military to give the
same focus to good behavior that is given to defeating enemies.
"People are hungry for a conversation about how do we translate core values down to the day-to-day life,"
he said.
Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240; Twitter: @xroederx
SEE ALSO:
Survey: Air Force Academy tops Colorado locations on Ashley Madison [The Gazette (Colorado Springs,
Colo.), 2016-02-16]
Racism
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/56b8640775854214856fb3081e4f4379/bar-owner-apologizes-afterpolynesian-men-turned-away
Bar owner apologizes after Polynesian men turned away
The Associated Press, February 18, 2016
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Salt Lake City bar owner has apologized after one of his employees refused
to serve two Polynesian men because of their ethnicity.
Patron Frank Maea said he and a friend had just entered Willie's Lounge and ordered a drink when the
bartender checked his ID and asked if he was Polynesian. When he confirmed that he was, she said she
couldn't serve him.
"I have never been treated like that, never," Maea told Salt Lake City's KUTV.
Shocked, he took a short cellphone video and posted it online before he left.
"This is wrong. Should they be punished? Of course they should," he said. "We should not spend our hard
earned dollars to go there."
Owner Geremy Cloyd didn't dispute the account in interviews with reporters on Wednesday but
acknowledged it was a mistake.
He said he has an informal rule allowing female bartenders working alone at night to turn away people who
look like they could make trouble, and acknowledged that he has included Polynesian people in that
category.
"White people too, you just don't hear about them," Cloyd said. "Whether they are Polynesian, just got out
of jail, have neck tattoos, look like they are hooked on drugs, across all spectrums, not just Polynesians. It
just so happens, our problem has been with Polynesians."
Maea and friend Stephen Wily said that bars do have the right to refuse service to people making trouble,
but they were calm and civil.
Cloyd told The Associated Press Thursday that he's planning on meeting with leaders of Salt Lake City's
Polynesian community as he tries to repair the damage.
"Anyone that was offended, I will try to make it right. That's not representative of us," Cloyd told KSL-TV.
"You can come in here every single day of the week and find every single race."
Maea said he'll accept Cloyd's apology, but doesn't plan on going back to Willie's.
The Salt Lake City area has a relatively large community of people of Polynesian descent. Originally drawn
to Utah by Mormon missionaries in the 19th century, the state today has nearly 27,000 people who identify
as being Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, census figures show. That's more than every state other than
California, Hawaii and Washington.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/02/05/alabama-confederate-monument/79874114/
Confederate groups plan monument, flag across from black
college
Josh Moon, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser
USA TODAY, February 5, 2016
A Confederate flag flies next to the Alabama Confederate Memorial on the grounds
of the Alabama Capitol building in Montgomery, Ala., on June 22, 2015. (Photo:
Albert Cesare, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — At a time when some cities and states are removing
monuments to Confederate soldiers and Confederate battle flags, members of
three Confederate groups in Alabama are planning to erect a monument
featuring a large Confederate flag in front of one of the nation's oldest statesponsored historically black colleges here, the Tallassee Tribune reported.
According to the Tribune, leaders of the Tallassee chapter of Sons of
Confederate Veterans, Tallassee Armory Guard and First Capitol Flaggers
announced at a meeting this week that donations had been given to support the
building of the site, which will be located along Interstate 85 on land donated by a Montgomery doctor.
The group wouldn’t provide the name of the doctor because it didn’t want people to “pitch a fit.”
A leader of the Tallassee Confederate Veterans group, Dana Jones, told the newspaper the flag pole would
be 50 feet tall and that she hoped “everyone can see it.” When WACQ-AM owner Fred Randall Hughey
told the gathered crowd where the flag would be located — directly across from Alabama State University
— a loud cheer went up.
When asked about the message the flag’s location might send, given the current racial climate in the
country, Jones said her group had no intentions of antagonizing. “We are descendants of Confederate
veterans,” she said. “Our lives matter just as much.”
A message left for Alabama State University officials seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Jones said the organizations are “about halfway” to their goal of $3,000 to cover the monument’s cost.
Calls to remove the Confederate battle flag — often considered a symbol of slavery — from government
buildings and colleges grew louder over the summer after the shooting of nine people at a historically black
church in Charleston, S.C. The suspected gunman, Dylann Roof, posted online pictures of himself holding
the Confederate flag.
The June 17 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church spurred calls from around the
country to remove the Confederate flag from prominent places, including the statehouse grounds. A week
after the shooting, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley had the flags removed from the capitol building. Bentley
called it “the right thing to do.”
Colleges and universities in the South also removed the flag from campus, including the University of
Mississippi. When Ole Miss took the flag down in October, it became the fourth public university in
Mississippi to do so.
In December, the New Orleans City Council voted to remove four Confederate statues. There was no
timetable to remove the statues, but at the time Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the monuments represented the
“wrong side of history” and should be relocated to a Civil War museum after removal from public places.
Contributing: WWL-TV, New Orleans; The Associated Press.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/02/18/decorated-marine-vet-attacked-dcmcdonalds-stop-racism/80579940/
Decorated Marine vet attacked in D.C. McDonald's: Stop
the racism
By Jeff Schogol
Marine Corps Times, February 18, 2016
Veteran Marine Sgt. Christopher Marquez, shown here in South
Korea, was recently assaulted at a McDonald's in Washington,
D.C. Marquez said he believes the incident was racially motivated.
(Photo: Courtesy of Christopher Marquez)
The Marine Iraq War veteran who was assaulted and robbed outside
a McDonald’s in Washington, D.C., wants everyone to stop using
what happened to him as an excuse to inflame racial tensions.
Former Sgt. Christopher Marquez was knocked unconscious on
Feb. 12 while leaving a restaurant in Chinatown. He told Marine
Corps Times that prior to the attack, a group of people was very
confrontational with him and asked him "if I think that black lives
mattered."
Marquez, a Bronze Star with combat valor recipient, said he does
not condone people citing the attack on him to make racial slurs on
social media. He also would like the Black Lives Matter movement
to condemn what happened to him because he feels the mugging
was racially motivated.
“Even though this was a racially motivated attack, more violence or hate is not the answer,” Marquez said
Thursday in an email to Marine Corps Times. “These people want to create more racism and division in our
country because it serves their narrative. The best way to counter this cowardly movement is to be united
and not divided."
Marquez said he strongly condemns any acts of retaliation and encourages people to have faith in the
Washington police department and judicial system.
The police report of the Feb. 12 incident does not ascribe a motive to Marquez' attackers. In the brief
narrative of events, police wrote that the suspects began to argue with Marquez and called him a racist. The
police report quotes Marquez as responding by saying, "I am not even talking to you and that's your
opinion."
Police released surveillance footage on Thursday showing three people they want to speak with in
connection with the attack: A black male wearing a white tank top, a black female and a third person whose
gender cannot be determined from the surveillance video.
On Thursday, Marquez condemned anyone who is trying to exploit the violence against him to attack
others.
"The people who attacked me were racist, obviously," he told Marine Corps Times. "It would serve their
purpose if they created more racism out of this, more chaos, because that's what they want."
While Marquez is critical of the Black Lives Matter movement, he is also urging people to stop using social
media to make racial slurs and unfounded accusations against African Americans.
"That's just increasing people's anger on these matters," Marquez said. "People need to condemn this,
regardless of their skin color. If someone commits a racist crime, it's a racist crime."
Marquez was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for refusing to leave his team leader while under
intense fire in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004. He was eventually able to drag his mortally wounded team
leader to a position of relative safety.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/02/18/decorated-marine-vet-attacked-dcmcdonalds-stop-racism/80579940/
Later, Marquez helped carry then-1st Sgt. Bradley Kasal out of Fallujah’s infamous “Hell House.” A
photographer captured the moment, which became an iconic image of the war. A bloodied Kasal had his
arm draped over Marquez’ neck, M9 pistol firmly in hand.
“That was a crazy deployment,” Marquez told Marine Corps Times on Monday. “There were constant
firefights all over the place.”
Investigators advise people who can identify the suspects to call police at (202)727-9099 or text your tip to
the Department's TEXT TIP LINE to 50411.
SEE ALSO:
Marine Bronze Star recipient from iconic Fallujah photo attacked at a D.C. McDonald's [Marine Corps
Times, 2016-02-16]
Former Marine, AU student says he was beaten in racially motivated attack [The Washington Post, 201602-16]
Former US marine attacked at McDonald's. Was it racially motivated? [Christian Science Monitor, 201602-18]
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/90f4df56ceae4f62b8465b219311d2fb/ferguson-asks-changes-reform-dealdrawing-criticism
Government sues Ferguson after city tries to revise deal
By Jim Salter and Eric Tucker
The Associated Press, February 10, 2016
Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference
at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10,
2016, about Ferguson, Missouri. The federal government sued
Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to
revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts
treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (AP
Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — The federal government sued Ferguson
on Wednesday, one day after the City Council voted to revise an
agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis
suburb.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Ferguson's decision to reject the deal left the Justice Department no
choice except to file a civil-rights lawsuit.
"The residents of Ferguson have waited nearly a year for the city to adopt an agreement that would protect
their rights and keep them safe. ... They have waited decades for justice. They should not be forced to wait
any longer," Lynch told a Washington news conference.
The Justice Department complaint accuses Ferguson of routinely violating residents' rights and misusing
law enforcement to generate revenue — a practice the government alleged was "ongoing and pervasive."
Ferguson leaders "had a real opportunity here to step forward, and they've chosen to step backward," Lynch
said.
Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small declined to comment. Messages left with Mayor James Knowles III were
not returned.
Ferguson has been under Justice Department scrutiny since 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black
and unarmed, was fatally shot by white officer Darren Wilson 18 months ago. A grand jury and the Justice
Department declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014.
But a scathing Justice Department report was critical of police and a profit-driven municipal court system.
Following months of negotiations, an agreement between the federal agency and Ferguson was announced
in January.
A recent financial analysis determined the agreement would cost the struggling city nearly $4 million in the
first year alone. The council voted 6-0 Tuesday to adopt the deal, but with seven amendments.
Hours before the lawsuit was announced, Ferguson leaders said they were willing to sit down with Justice
Department negotiators to draw up a new agreement.
That seemed unlikely from the outset. Within hours of the Tuesday vote, Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice
Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement that the department would take "the necessary legal
actions" to ensure Ferguson's police and court practices comply with the Constitution and federal laws.
Knowles said the seven amendments were formulated after the analysis showed the deal was so expensive
it could lead to dissolution of Ferguson. The analysis suggested that the first-year cost of the agreement
would be $2.2 million to $3.7 million, with second- and third-year costs between $1.8 million and $3
million in each year.
Ferguson has an operating budget of $14.5 million and already faces a $2.8 million deficit. Voters will be
asked to approve two tax hikes in April, but approval of both would still leave the city short.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/90f4df56ceae4f62b8465b219311d2fb/ferguson-asks-changes-reform-dealdrawing-criticism
A big part of the cost was the requirement that Ferguson raise police salaries to attract better candidates,
including more minority officers. Removal of the pay-raise clause was among the seven amendments.
Another provision the City Council added states that the agreement would not apply to any other
governmental entity that might take over duties currently provided by Ferguson. That means, for example,
that St. Louis County would not be beholden to the agreement if it takes over policing in Ferguson.
St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said if the county were ever asked to take over
policing in Ferguson, "we would consider the implications of the consent decree before entering into such
an agreement."
Knowles doesn't believe neighboring municipal departments would agree to cover Ferguson under the
Justice Department's requirements.
Defiance has often defined Ferguson since Brown's death.
Days after the shooting, then-Police Chief Tom Jackson released surveillance video showing Brown's
involvement in a theft at a small grocery store shortly before his death, with the burly teenager pushing the
store owner. The video's release only heightened anger among protesters.
Jerryl Christmas, a St. Louis attorney who has represented a number of Ferguson protesters, said the Justice
Department now understands the frustration the black community has felt with the city for years.
"If you cannot operate a legal and just city, you don't deserve to exist," he said. "If you can't put measures
into place so you operate under the Constitution of the United States and guarantee rights to the citizens of
the area, the city needs to dissolve."
Ferguson resident Bob Hudgins, 52, an activist who plans to run for City Council, applauded the lawsuit.
"I'm proud of my federal government today," Hudgins said.
Knowles has vigorously defended Ferguson. Even as protesters and civil rights leaders called for reforms,
the mayor noted that Ferguson was already making changes to municipal courts aimed at easing the burden
on people accused of minor violations. In fact, city revenue from court fees and fines has declined by
hundreds of thousands of dollars since the shooting.
It's not uncommon for local governments to seek changes to agreements even after negotiations, but the
overwhelming majority of investigations still end up in a settlement.
The Justice Department has initiated more than 20 civil rights investigations into law enforcement agencies
in the last six years, including in Baltimore and Chicago. In the last 18 months, the department has reached
settlements with police departments that included Cleveland and Albuquerque.
There have been occasional disagreements.
In 2012, the Justice Department sued Maricopa County, Arizona, after failing to reach agreement on
allegations that the sheriff's office targeted Latinos with discriminatory stops and arrests. County officials
voted in July to settle parts of that lawsuit.
The federal government also sued North Carolina's Alamance County following an investigation that
alleged biased policing practices against Latinos. A federal judge last August ruled in the county's favor,
saying the Justice Department failed to prove the sheriff ordered deputies to target Hispanics. That case is
on appeal.
___
Tucker reported from Washington.
SEE ALSO:
Ferguson mayor: City told DOJ agreement no sure thing [AP, 2016-02-12]
Religion
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/02/08/religious-sign-mcb-hawaii-again-underfire/80020464/
Religious sign at MCB Hawaii again under fire
By Kent Miller
Marine Corps Times, February 8, 2016
A sign at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, proclaiming "God bless the
military," is again drawing fire. The Military Religious Freedom
Foundation says it will sue if it is not permitted to erect nine similar
signs referencing other deities or no deity at all.
(Photo: Military Religious Freedom Foundation)
In its continuing battle to have a "God bless the military" sign at Marine
Corps Base Hawaii taken down or moved to chapel grounds, the
Military Religious Freedom Foundation says it will pursue federal
litigation if it is not permitted to erect nine similar signs referencing other deities or no deity at all.
The commanding officer of the base ruled in October that the original sign would remain where it is.
"This sign will remain in its present location and not be altered in any way," Col. Sean Killeen wrote in a
Oct. 9 letter to Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the MRFF.
'God bless the military' sign to stay at MCB Hawaii
Killeen did not, however, respond to the foundation's demand that, if the sign were not moved or taken
down, its clients be allowed to erect additional signs next to it. In a letter today to Killeen, MRFF Legal
Affairs Coordinator Tobanna Barker reiterated that demand.
"[Y]ou have remained suspiciously silent on the option to construct additional signs containing messages of
support on behalf of MRFF’s 117 clients under your command practicing a variety of religious faiths, as
well as no faith," Barker wrote. "In the event you were hoping that remaining silent would make this issue
disappear, we must disappoint you. We take constitutional violations very seriously and we aren’t going
anywhere. We demand that you timely respond, one way or the other, so we can either begin planning
construction for sign placement or preparing for aggressive federal litigation."
The sign at the corner of E Street and 2nd Street on base, which reads "God bless the military, their families
and the civilians who work with them," was erected not long after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United
States, as service members were preparing to deploy, according to base officials.
Weinstein has said his clients demand the right to build and display signs that start with "Yehweh bless,"
"Allah bless," "Odin blesses," Vishnu blesses," "Goddess bless" and "There Is No God." He later added
three more groups to his original list of six that want their own signs — the Church of Satan, the Baha'i
faith and the "Jedi Church." The latter group's sign would begin "May the Force be with the Military ...."
"There is simply no compelling state interest that would justify allowing a public message of support
from only one religious viewpoint — to the tyrannical exclusion of all others," Barker wrote in today's
letter to Killeen. "If you claim that the sign is lawful because it gives support to the service members at
MCB Hawaii, then messages of support are clearly allowed to be constructed on the base you command,
sir. If a message referencing God is permitted, messages referencing Allah, Yahweh, Odin, Vishnu, Satan,
and all other deities, as well as messages referencing no deity, must absolutely also be permitted."
The foundation has given the base a Feb. 17 deadline for a decision.
"If you choose to officially refuse MRFF’s demand for equality for our Marine clients at MCB Hawaii,
it will constitute the exhaustion of administrative remedies," Barker wrote. "Consequently, federal litigation
will be the only remaining recourse for these Marines for whom you refuse to provide equal protection
under the law."
SEE ALSO: Watchdog: Conservative President May Mean More God-Friendly Military [Military.com,
2016-02-16]
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f600e664dd9b4dceaee8e4ff6004b509/sikh-man-barred-mexico-flight-seessmall-victory
Sikh man barred from Mexico flight sees 'small victory'
By Peter Orsi
The Associated Press, February10, 2016
Waris Ahluwalia, a member of the Sikh community, gives an
interview in Mexico City, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. The IndianAmerican actor and designer who wasn't allowed to board a
Mexico City-to-New York flight after refusing to remove his turban
said Tuesday that he is satisfied with an apology from the airline.
Ahluwalia said he is now waiting for Aeromexico to implement
special training on how to treat Sikh passengers, for whom the
headgear carries deep religious significance. (AP Photo/Eduardo
Verdugo)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — An Indian-American actor and designer who was turned away from an airline
flight after refusing to remove his Sikh turban during a security check said he's "thrilled" that Aeromexico
is vowing to overhaul its screening protocols.
In an interview Tuesday night at a Mexico City hotel where he ended up extending his stay by two nights,
Waris Ahluwalia also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support on social media that he believes
helped pressure airline executives to change and apologize.
Ahluwalia showed an excerpt from an email that he said came from Aeromexico. The text said the airline
had "issued a directive to its staff regarding the religious significance of the Sikh turban" and planned to
ask that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and the Mexican government implement
sensitivity training on religious headwear for airport agents.
"That's all I wanted, and here it is in a few lines — it's right there in black and white," he said. "I'm getting
goosebumps right now that if this makes a difference for anyone traveling into the country or leaving the
country, then it was all worth it."
He said the agreement had been worked out by lawyers for Aeromexico and the Sikh Coalition in New
York and the deal had not yet been made public.
Aeromexico said earlier in the day that because of the incident it intended to revise security protocols to
respect cultural and religious values of its customers.
The turban carries deep religious significance for Sikh men. Many members of the Sikh community have
objected to the practice of frisking turbans, calling it unnecessary in a world with machines for body
scanning and metal detection.
Ahluwalia, who had traveled to Mexico for an art fair, left his hotel around 4:30 a.m. Monday planning to
catch a morning flight to New York. When he checked in he noticed the boarding pass had an "SSSS"
notation on it, which he said he has encountered "more than a dozen times" before at airports and
apparently flags passengers for secondary screening.
After passing through the security checkpoint, he said, he was pulled aside at the gate and checked with a
wand, a pat-down, and swabs on his belt and bag.
"Then they asked me matter-of-factly, 'Can you take off your turban?'" Ahluwalia said. "At that point I said
the thing that I always say when I've been asked that before. I said, 'I will not be taking my turban off
here.'"
Ahluwalia said he was then told he would not be boarding any Aeromexico plane and should arrange to fly
with another carrier.
He turned to Instagram to let his followers know what had happened. Word spread rapidly on social media,
and within about an hour airline executives tracked him down at the gate and offered him a boarding pass
for the next flight to New York.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f600e664dd9b4dceaee8e4ff6004b509/sikh-man-barred-mexico-flight-seessmall-victory
He declined, deciding to speak up as an actor and prominent member of the Sikh community to demand
change.
"That was the moment I realized that if I didn't say anything, if I didn't do anything, if I didn't step out of
my comfort zone, that this could happen again to someone" else, Ahluwalia said. "And I couldn't in good
conscience get on that plane knowing that someone else would have to experience this."
He returned to the hotel.
That night, Aeromexico issued a statement saying it was "committed to transporting all its passengers
without regard to their religion, social status or gender ... but the airline is obliged to comply with the
federal rules determined by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for inspecting selected
passengers travelling to the United States."
However, U.S. guidelines put into effect in 2010 no longer require air passengers to remove turbans if
doing so makes them uncomfortable.
"TSA officers are trained to treat all passengers with dignity and respect, and receive periodic training
regarding cultural and religious sensitivities," the agency said in a statement Wednesday. "When additional
screening is needed that requires the removal of religious apparel, our officers offer private screening and
request the passenger remove the item."
On Tuesday, the airline issued a more explicit apology to Ahluwalia "for the unfortunate experience he had
with one of our security guards during the boarding process prior to his flight."
Ahluwalia said he isn't angry with Aeromexico or the agents who turned him away.
"The only way to combat that is with love, is with tolerance, is with understanding and is with education,"
he said.
He noted he was booked to return home Wednesday on the same Aeromexico flight he was blocked from.
"The reality of the situation is that it could have happened anywhere — and it has happened everywhere,"
Ahluwalia said. "It just so happened it went this far here."
___
Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson contributed to this report.
___
Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi
Sexual Assault /
Harassment
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/86baa606b2744cfe945033d7d067f9bd/army-pays-woman-820000-settlesexual-harassment-case
Army pays woman $820,000 to settle sexual harassment case
By Julie Watson
The Associated Press, February 10, 2016
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Army has paid $820,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former military police trainee
who says she was fired after she filed a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor, defense lawyers
said Wednesday.
An attorney representing Luydmila Starkey said the payment was one of the largest made by a military
branch to settle a sexual harassment case. A notice of dismissal of the 2014 lawsuit was filed in U.S.
District Court in San Jose, California on Wednesday.
Department of Justice lawyers representing the Army declined to comment.
The case was settled shortly before going to trial.
Starkey filed suit alleging her then-supervisor, Sgt. Wayne Lord, sent her sexually explicit text messages
and nude photos of himself when she was employed at the Presidio of Monterey, an Army installation in
Northern California. The suit said she lost her job after she filed a sexual harassment complaint.
In a statement provided by her attorneys, Starkey said she was ostracized at work. She believes she was
fired because Lord was popular, and she dared to report him.
"Rather than support me as the trainee officer that had been continuously harassed, the Army chose to set
me up for termination while at the same time finding my harasser a new job without any repercussions for
him," Starkey said in the statement.
Starkey's lawyers said Lord went to work in a police position for the Department of Defense after the Army
was presented with evidence from Starkey's case.
Lord could not be reached for comment.
A spokesman said the Army regrets what happened.
"The Army and the Starkey family have agreed on a settlement so that all parties can move beyond this
breach of Army Core Values," Scott Malcolm said via email in response to reporter questions.
Lord could not be reached for comment.
Starkey received hundreds of text messages from Lord at all hours, according to the lawsuit.
"I have never seen a stronger case of sexual harassment and wrongful termination," her attorney Mark
Epstein said in a statement. "The text messages were highly sexual and incredibly offensive, not to mention
plentiful."
Lord's wife also worked as a lieutenant at the installation, where she was Starkey's direct supervisor before
she was terminated, Epstein said.
The Army knew Lord had a history of sexual harassment, according to Epstein.
"Where the military chain of command is everything, the Army had further handcuffed Ms. Starkey by
allowing a known sexual harasser to supervise a female trainee officer and placed the harasser's wife in the
position of being the person that would need to be told of the improper conduct," said Wendy Musell,
another attorney representing Starkey.
Starkey said she will never be able to work in law enforcement again because of the case.
"I only hope that my coming forward helps other women and the culture at the Army of silence and
retaliation will change," Starkey said.
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/16/coast-guard-e-6-sentenced-attempting-film-womenundressing/80461968/
Coast Guard E-6 sentenced for attempting to film women
undressing
By Meghann Myers
Navy Times, February 16, 2016
Gavel (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A 32-year-old Coast Guardsman has been convicted of trying to film two
of his female shipmates in a locker room aboard the cutter Northland,
according to a Tuesday release.
Machinery Technician 1st Class Michael Cote was originally charged with
two counts of indecent visual recording but pleaded down to attempted
indecent visual recording and was sentenced to six months in the brig,
Coast Guard 5th District spokesman Lt. Scott McBride told Navy Times.
The recording of the women took place multiple times between October 2014 and May 2015, McBride
said, while the women were in the Portsmouth, Virginia-based ship's locker room.
He attempted to film them while they were in the female locker, he added, through a space in the wall of
the adjacent crew lounge
"The first victim reported one of the incidents to the command in May 2015," he said. "During the
investigation, it was discovered that he attempted to record a second victim."
There is a possibility that Cote's recording was more widespread, but there are no indications it was as
widespread as the high-profile videotaping ring that allegedly recorded women officers and midshipmen
undressing in a shower changing room aboard ballistic missile submarine Wyoming.
Report: Sailor ring repeatedly filmed undressing women on sub
"We know that he tried to film at least two individuals," McBride said. "We have no forensic evidence to
support that he filmed any additional victims."
Cote was sentenced to 12 months in the Naval Consolidated Brig in Chesapeake, Virginia, busted down to
E-1 and a bad-conduct discharge, according to the release.
However, because of his pre-trial plea agreement, he will have six months knocked off of that term.
The conviction is the second for sexual misconduct-related offenses for Northland in the past year, after a
senior chief was found guilty in April of sexually assaulting two junior enlisted shipmates over more than a
year.
Coast Guardsman sentenced for alleged sexual misconduct
A previous Northland commanding officer, Cmdr. Holly Harrison, wrote an essay for the United States
Naval Institute on the bystander effect in 2013, about harassment and other discipline issues aboard the
ship.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/17/montana-quarterback-receives-245ksettlement-for-universitys-unfair-and-biased-rape-investigation/
Montana quarterback receives $245K settlement for
university’s ‘unfair and biased’ rape investigation
By Michael E. Miller
The Washington Post, February 17, 2016
Former University of Montana quarterback, Jordan Johnson,
center, reacts to being acquitted of rape charges during his trial in
Missoula, Mont, on March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Gouras, File)
It was the most high-profile of cases, one that seemed to cut straight
to the core of America’s struggles to confront sexual assault on
college campuses.
Jordan Johnson was the star quarterback for the University of
Montana. He was tall and handsome and an NFL hopeful. He had
nearly led the team to a national title.
Then, suddenly, he was accused of rape.
On March 19, 2012, a Missoula television station reported that a female student had filed a restraining
order against Johnson after she accused him of raping her six weeks earlier. Life quickly unraveled for
Johnson. He was expelled from school, then criminally charged with rape. In February of 2013, a year after
the alleged incident, he went on trial.
The accusation divided the college town, already on edge over a series of rape accusations, including
several against other UM football players.
Missoula was labeled the “rape capital” of the country. Investigative reporter Jon Krakauer turned the town,
and Johnson’s trial, into the centerpiece of a book on America’s college campus rape epidemic.
But then came a series of blindside hits to the narrative.
Johnson was acquitted in March of 2013. He promptly sued the university.
And on Tuesday, four years after the alleged rape took place, it was announced that the ex-quarterback
would receive $245,000 over the expulsion.
“Any student accused of wrongdoing deserves a fair and impartial hearing of the facts of his or her case,”
Johnson said in the statement, according to the Associated Press. “Officials at the University of Montana —
people who were in positions of great power — were unfair and biased. Their misconduct made my family
and me suffer unnecessarily, both emotionally and financially.”
The dramatic reversal is just one of a slew of lawsuits nationwide in which young men have accused
universities of erroneously and over-zealously clamping down on sexual assault.
On Monday, two male students at the University of Texas filed lawsuits claiming the school used them as
scapegoats to build a reputation for being tough on sexual assault, the Austin American-Statesman
reported.
Those complaints are part of a growing phenomenon. As American universities try to rein in sexual assaults
on campus, more and more men are claiming — often in multi-million-dollar lawsuits — that they
innocently have been caught up in the crackdown.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/17/montana-quarterback-receives-245ksettlement-for-universitys-unfair-and-biased-rape-investigation/
As of November, more than 50 pending lawsuits have been filed nationwide by men who say they were
unfairly expelled from college after being accused of sexual assault, according to Inside Higher Ed.
“Almost every week, there’s at least one more suit like this,” Samantha Harris from the Foundation for
Individual Rights in Education told the website. “It’s a very rapidly emerging area of law. Up until this
point, it’s an area that has not been super fleshed out by the courts, and earlier lawsuits have been largely
unsuccessful. But that’s starting to change.”
All kinds of universities have been hit with these lawsuits, from big state schools like UM or UT to the Ivy
League. In October, a male student sued Brown University after he was suspended for two and a half years
for unwanted sexual advances.
Emma Sulkowicz, a senior visual arts student at Columbia
University, carries a mattress in protest of the university’s lack of
action after she reported being raped during her sophomore year
on September 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew
Burton/Getty Images)
Perhaps the most famous such suit is against Columbia University.
In what has become known as the “Carry that Weight” rape case,
former undergrad Emma Sulkowicz carried her mattress around
campus for much of the 2014-15 school year to protest how the university handled her sexual assault
complaint against a fellow student. When her protest became global news, the student she accused was put
in the spotlight. Paul Nungesser’s name appeared on fliers posted around campus, and former friends began
avoiding him.
Last April, Nungesser sued the school, arguing Columbia had “damaged, if not effectively destroyed” his
reputation and career prospects.
“By refusing to protect Paul Nungesser, Columbia University first became a silent bystander and then
turned into an active supporter of a fellow student’s harassment campaign by institutionalizing it and then
heralding it,” the complaint claimed.
Columbia has moved to dismiss the lawsuit.
The Obama administration has lent its weight to efforts to crack down on sexual assault on college
campuses. In Sept. 2014, the White House announced a national campaign, called “It’s On Us,” to combat
the problem, enlisting the support of major college sports leagues and celebrities to get American university
students to speak out about sexual assault.
“An estimated one in five women has been sexually assaulted during her college years — one in
five,” President Obama said. “Of those assaults, only 12 percent are reported, and of those reported
assaults, only a fraction of the offenders are punished.”
That effort was partially undermined, however, by controversy surrounding Rolling Stone magazine’s now
retracted cover story about gang rape at the University of Virginia.
A handful of recent legal success by male students suing their schools has also contributed to the
complexity of efforts to crack down on rape on campus.
Last summer, a California trial court judge ruled that the University of California at San Diego had to
reinstate a male student who had been suspended over a report he sexually assaulted a female student,
according to Inside Higher Ed. He had accused the school of violating his due process rights by presuming
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/17/montana-quarterback-receives-245ksettlement-for-universitys-unfair-and-biased-rape-investigation/
his guilt ahead of a hearing, restricting his access to witnesses and evidence and informing a hearing panel
of his guilt instead of letting the panel reach its own conclusion.
Since then, male students at the University of Southern California, Middleburg, Swarthmore and the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have won similar legal skirmishes.
In the Tennessee case, a judge ruled that the university’s policies were unfair because they forced an
accused student to prove his innocence rather than requiring the school to prove his guilt.
Like that ruling, the University of Texas lawsuits filed this week point to the problematic gap between the
criminal justice system and the scholastic version now under scrutiny.
In one of the UT suits, a recent graduate claims he only became aware in Dec. 2014 that a woman with
whom he had sex more than three months earlier had accused him of sexual assault, according to the
American-Statesman. Austin police investigated, but cops and local prosecutors closed their cases against
the student without charging him.
The dean of students, however, recommended he be expelled. (He appealed and has since graduated.) The
university had ruled that “the evidence supported a finding that (he) had sexually assaulted Ms. Roe, the
opposite of the conclusion reached by the more experienced detectives of the police department,” according
to the lawsuit.
In the other UT suit filed on Monday, an undergraduate claims he was also treated unfairly. When the
student was accused of raping a woman after a house party in March of 2015, UT police investigated —
although officers did not interview the alleged victim — and did not bring charges. A complaint from the
woman’s father, however, was forwarded to the university’s dean, who recommended the male student be
expelled.
“I don’t remember throwing up, or coming home, or having this random (expletive) guy in my bed,” the
woman texted her friend the day after the alleged rape, according to the lawsuit. “I didn’t want this guy. At
all. This guy wanted me and got me when I wasn’t conscious.”
According to the lawsuit, however, the friend said she saw the woman awake and talking while kissing this
man.
The two UT suits, filed by the same lawyer, contain identical language suggesting that the school
was putting its image ahead of individual students’ rights.
“The university has been placed under enormous political pressure to appear tough on those accused of
sexual assault and as a result have [sic] adopted a practice of expelling males from the university without
regard to the rights of the accused student of the evidence,” the lawsuits say, according to the AmericanStatesman. “The university has furthermore sought publicity and prestige by portraying itself as a national
leader in the effort to curb on-campus sexual assaults.”
But Paul Liebman, UT’s chief compliance officer, said that the school should not be expected to follow
criminal procedure.
“The police follow the Texas Criminal Code,” he told the American-Statesman. “We have the General
Information Catalog. One of those policies is a prohibition against sexual assault. When someone comes to
us (with an allegation of sexual assault), we look at our policy. … We’re not finding a crime; we’re just
trying to figure out whether someone has violated our policy.”
The standards schools use to investigate student misconduct were also at issue in the Montana case.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/17/montana-quarterback-receives-245ksettlement-for-universitys-unfair-and-biased-rape-investigation/
Johnson, the football player, was accused of raping a friend while they watched a movie.
“Omg … I think I might have just gotten raped,” the woman texted her flatmate shortly after the alleged
assault. “He kept pushing and pushing and I said no but he wouldn’t listen … I just wanna cry … Omg
what do I do!”
Johnson denied wrongdoing, telling the school, and later a jury, that the sex was consensual.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education told American colleges and universities that they were required
to use a standard of “preponderance of evidence” for sexual assault complaints — meaning 51 percent of
credible evidence — rather than the higher threshold of “clear and convincing evidence” or, highest of all,
the criminal standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Although the University of Montana had already used the “preponderance of evidence” standard against
other male students accused of sexual assault, it had not updated its Student Code of Conduct. And when
Jordan Johnson was accused of rape in February of 2012, his attorneys jumped on the discrepancy.
Johnson’s lawyers argued that the school’s handling of the complaint had been “undermined and tainted by
serious failures of due process and fundamental fairness,” Krakauer wrote in his book on the sexual assaults
at the university, “Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town.”
When Johnson’s appeals failed, he appealed to the state’s commissioner of higher education. It was a Hail
Mary, but it worked. Commissioner Clayton Christian controversially overturned Johnson’s expulsion,
sending it back to the school and calling for “clear and convincing” evidence.
After another dean took over the school in 2012, she found both Johnson and his accuser to be credible,
writing that it was “a case of differing perceptions and interpretations of the events in question,” according
to a letter obtained by Krakauer. “The [dean] concluded that there was not clear and convincing evidence to
find that [Johnson] committed sexual misconduct.”
After a tear-filled trial, during which Johnson decided to take the stand to defend himself, a jury took less
than two hours to find him not guilty.
On Tuesday, the former quarterback’s comeback was complete when a court approved his $245,000
settlement agreement with the state. The agreement listed 11 claims made by Johnson, including violations
of due process and his civil rights, along with sexual discrimination, negligence and destroying
evidence, according to the AP.
“I want to put this entire situation behind me and move forward with my life,” Johnson said in a statement.
Whatever happened in that Missoula bedroom, however, the issue of sexual assault isn’t going away
anytime soon in America — or at the University of Montana.
After at least 80 alleged sexual assaults in three years on the campus, most of which were not prosecuted,
the U.S. Department of Justice launched its own investigation. The DOJ signed settlement agreements with
the university, the city and county prosecutors requiring changes in reporting, responding to an oversight of
sexual assault cases.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/187881/quartermaster-school-training-brigade-develops-app-combatsexual-assault
Quartermaster School training brigade develops app to
combat sexual assault
By Amy Perry
Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, February 4, 2016
Sgt. 1st Class Randeen Espinoza, right, 23rd Quartermaster
Brigade sexual assault response coordinator, shows two advanced
individual training students how to use the new 23rd QM Bde. app
on their phone during a recent in-processing session. The
application provides information and support options for victims of
sexual assault or harassment. (Contributed Photo)
FORT LEE, Va. -- The 23rd Quartermaster Brigade has turned to
new technology to provide assistance for Soldiers who experience sexual assault, sexual harassment, or
suicidal thoughts or actions by others.
After learning it would cost $12,000 a year to print SHARP cards, the brigade team decided at look to other
methods to provide the information to their troops.
Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Kelly, brigade CSM, sent an email to Col. Tamatha Patterson, brigade
commander, presenting an idea to create an app with the information. She forwarded the proposal to Sgt.
1st Class Randeen Espinoza, the brigade’s sexual assault response coordinator, who said she thought it was
a great idea.
Espinoza researched it and learned they could use an application developed by CASCOM in 2012 – the
WeCare app. Espinoza contacted one of the developers of the CASCOM app who said she would help them
create the 23rd QM Brigade-specific version.
Through the app, Soldiers have access to a plethora of telephone numbers – from victim advocates to clinic
services to the chaplain – to use to report a sexual assault or to get help. Many off-post resources –
including the National Suicide Hotline – also are included, which can be helpful if a Soldier wants to go to
someone outside the unit.
Using this type of technology appeals to the younger generation of Soldiers going through the school
house, said Patterson.
“The Soldiers we have today are different from when I came in the Army,” she said. “They always have a
phone in their hands. My idea was if we can put this information at their fingertips as soon as they get here,
instead of when we brief them during in-processing, it will be right there for them. It’s easily accessible and
everything they need to know about sexual assault and sexual harassment is right there.
“If we can put this kind of information in front of them – all the time – then maybe they can help us
eradicate it out of our ranks and make them more confident to step up if they see something,” Patterson
continued.
The application also spells out what sexual assault is, per Army Regulation 600-20, and it shows the
different categories of sexual assault and harassment, said Espinoza.
“This is helpful because some Soldiers think only rape is sexual assault, but they don’t realize there are
other categories like abusive sexual contact or aggravated sexual contact,” she said. “It also tells them the
reporting options and who to report these issues to.”
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/187881/quartermaster-school-training-brigade-develops-app-combatsexual-assault
The information is useful even if it’s not the Soldier who experienced the trauma, said Espinoza.
“Maybe they have a battle buddy or a friend – or even a cadre member – who may be upset,” she said.
“There are links to different websites – SHARP-related and suicide prevention – that could help the Soldier
help their friends.”
The application – which is available on Apple and Android devices – was available when the Soldiers
returned from holiday block leave earlier this year, and the Soldiers are excited to use it, said Kelly.
“The feedback I’ve received is that it’s an awesome app,” he said. “We used to pass cards with this
information on it and Soldiers would have to show the cards during inspections. But with an app, you don’t
have to worry about washing the card in your uniform – you’re not going to wash your phone with your
uniform.
“Stuff like this app should be Army-wide,” he continued. “Every company, battalion or brigade should
have their own app that caters to the organization, versus spending unnecessary taxpayer money on getting
the cards printed when it could just be digital.”
Maj. Gen. Darrell K. Williams, CASCOM and Fort Lee commanding general, agreed with Kelly and said
he was amazed at the potential after he got a look at the program a few weeks ago.
“This app … is a phenomenal best practice,” he said, during the Motivated Logic of the Sexual Predator
presentation in January.
“Initially, I didn’t fully understand the power of this app or appreciate what had been developed. Now, I
think a similar application will be Army-wide in the very near future.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/09/sweeping-sexual-assault-suit-filed-against-ut/79966450/
Sweeping sex assault suit filed against University of
Tennessee
By Anita Wadhwani and Nate Rau
USA TODAY, February 14, 2016
University of Tennessee logo
(Photo: File)
A.J. Johnson is among at least six players on UT's Fall 2014 roster who
have been accused of sexual assault. Knox County Sheriff
Six women filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday claiming the University of
Tennessee has created a student culture that enables sexual assaults by
student-athletes, especially football players, and then uses an unusual,
legalistic adjudication process that is biased against victims who step forward.
The lawsuit, filed by plaintiffs identified only as "Jane Does," accuses five Tennessee athletes of sexual
assault. They are former basketball player Yemi Makanjuola, former football players A.J. Johnson, Michael
Williams and Riyahd Jones and a current football player named as a "John Doe."
The lawsuit also details an incident involving a female student who says she was sexually assaulted by a
nonathlete, who was named a John Doe. The alleged assault took place after attending a football team party
at Vol Hall, a campus dorm where she was served drinks by former UT player Treyvon Paulk, the lawsuit
says.
THE TENNESSEAN
COMPLETE COVERAGE: University of Tennessee sex assault lawsuit
In making its case that the university enabled an environment of bad behavior and used
a disciplinary system that favored the players, the lawsuit cited more than a dozen incidents involving
football players that included underage drinking, sexual harassment, assault, armed robbery and sexual
assaults that did not involve the Jane Doe plaintiffs. Some of the incidents cited have previously never been
reported.
The plaintiffs say that UT violated the Title IX laws, which protect students from gender discrimination in
federally funded education programs. UT created a hostile sexual environment for female students by
showing “deliberate indifference and a clearly unreasonable response after a sexual assault that causes a
student to endure additional harassment," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit said blame for the hostile policies should be placed at the very top of the UT administration.
“UT administration (Chancellor Jimmy Cheek), athletic department (Vice Chancellor and Athletics
Director) Dave Hart and football coach (Butch Jones) were personally aware (as ‘appropriate persons’
under Title IX) and had actual notice of previous sexual assaults and rapes by football players, yet acted
with deliberate indifference to the serious risks of sexual assaults and failed to take corrective actions,” the
plaintiffs said in their lawsuit.
The plaintiffs say that UT’s administrative hearing process, which is utilized by public universities across
the state, is unfair because it provides students accused of sexual assault the right to attorneys and to
confront their accusers through cross-examination and an evidentiary hearing in front of an administrative
law judge. The administrative law judge who hears the case is appointed by Cheek, the lawsuit says.
The university "delayed the investigation process until the athlete perpetrators transferred to another school
or graduated without sanction or discipline," the lawsuit said. Johnson was suspended at the end of his
senior season but was able to participate in the UT commencement ceremony.
Responding through legal counsel Bill Ramsey, the university released a detailed statement that said:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/09/sweeping-sexual-assault-suit-filed-against-ut/79966450/
"Like the many other college campuses facing the challenges of sexual assault, the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, has devoted significant time and energy to provide a safe environment for our
students, to educate and raise awareness about sexual assault, and to encourage students to come forward
and report sexual assault. When the University receives a report of sexual assault, we offer care and support
to the person who came forward and work to investigate and resolve the matter in a timely, thorough, and
equitable manner. When warranted, the University takes disciplinary action but will not do so in a manner
that violates state law or the constitutional due process rights of our students.
"In the situations identified in the lawsuit filed today; the University acted lawfully and in good faith, and
we expect a court to agree. Any assertion that we do not take sexual assault seriously enough is simply not
true. To claim that we have allowed a culture to exist contrary to our institutional commitment to providing
a safe environment for our students or that we do not support those who report sexual assault is just false.
The University will provide a detailed response to the lawsuit and looks forward to doing so at the
appropriate time, and in the proper manner."
An unusual hearing process
Tennessee is the only state in the country to use such an administrative hearing process, according to the
lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that UT student-athletes frequently hired prominent Knoxville attorney Don
Bosch to represent them in their administrative hearings.
“Athletes knew in advance that UT would: support them even after a complaint of sexual assault; arrange
for top quality legal representation; and then direct them to the (Tennessee Uniform Administrative
Procedures Act) hearing procedure that denies victims the right to a hearing and to the same equal
procedural, hearing, and process rights as given to perpetrators of rape and sexual assault,” the plaintiffs
said in their lawsuit.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages including reimbursement and pre-payment for all of their tuition and
related expenses incurred as a consequence of the sexual assaults, as well as damages for deprivation of
equal access to the educational benefits and opportunities provided by UT. They're also seeking damages
for emotional suffering. The lawsuit also is seeking an injunction that would force the state to stop using
the administrative hearing process.
"This Title IX suit seeks to remedy institutional failures at UT and in its athletic program that, we contend,
made female students vulnerable to sexual assaults," Nashville attorney David Randolph Smith, who is
representing the plaintiffs, said. "With respect to the Tennessee Uniform Administrative Procedures Act
(TUAPA) and the way in which sexual assault cases are handled at UT and other state colleges and
universities, the case has important ramifications to ensure compliance with federal law.”
Lawsuit details assaults
The lawsuit comes on the heels of two Title IX investigations initiated by the federal government after it
received complaints in June and July of last year. Title IX, in part, governs how universities should handle
sexual assault allegations. University officials have said they are cooperating with the federal investigation.
No further details about those investigations have been made public.
The Tennessean was the first last year to detail a sexual assault report and order of protection sought
against Makanjuola, who transferred to the University of North Carolina Wilmington with public well
wishes from his coaches shortly after the February 2013 alleged assault was reported to UT officials. In
July 2013, an administrative law judge at the university found that “by a preponderance of evidence”
Makanjuola had violated university codes of conduct by sexually assaulting the woman. The district
attorney did not pursue charges.
Williams and Johnson are awaiting separate trials to be held in June and July related to the alleged assault
of the same woman during a football party in December 2014. Both men have denied the accusations.
Johnson and Williams are among at least six players on UT's Fall 2014 roster who have been accused of
sexual assault.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/09/sweeping-sexual-assault-suit-filed-against-ut/79966450/
Riyahd Jones, 20, was named as a suspect in a reported sexual assault that allegedly occurred at an offcampus apartment Feb. 5, 2015, according to a Knoxville police report. Jones, a senior and Vols defensive
back for the prior two seasons, was part of the football team until Jan. 2, 2015. The woman chose not to
pursue charges against Jones, and Knoxville police said in April that it would close the case.
The alleged assaults took place on and off campus and involved women who ranged from a freshman who
had been on campus just three weeks to a varsity team athlete. At least three of the accusers dropped out of
school within weeks or months after they reported their attacks to university officials.
Two of the student-athletes named in the lawsuit — Johnson and Makanjuola — were publicly praised by
UT coaches and administrators while they remained on their teams, graduated or transferred, even as those
officials were aware that sexual assault allegations had been made against the players.
Last February, a Tennessean investigation detailed how a campus investigation into a sexual assault
allegation against a football player was handled when a female student stepped forward in September 2014,
three weeks into her freshman year. The report did not name the victim or the football player. The
Tennessean, relying on university emails to the woman and her parents and a campus report, detailed how
the investigation took what experts called an "unusual" turn. The case was transferred from one university
department to another, with the charges against the football player dropped midway through the
investigation and the eventual finding that the incident was "consensual." Typically, campus administrators
do not conclude whether an incident was "consensual," instead finding there is not enough evidence for
them to conclude an assault took place.
'Undue influence' alleged
In March, the ongoing Tennessean investigation revealed that a former vice chancellor at the university had
raised concerns in the spring of 2013 that athletics department director Hart exerted undue influence over
student-athlete discipline. At the time, Vice Chancellor Tim Rogers, who oversaw the office that
investigated allegations of student misconduct and sexual assaults, said the UT athletics department placed
students and institutional integrity in "peril." The concerns were outlined in a memo written by Rogers and
obtained by The Tennessean.
Rogers, a 38-year veteran of the university, authored a memo detailing his concerns about pressure from
athletics department administrators on how athletes should be disciplined for misconduct ranging from
minor infractions to sexual assaults. The document said the athletics department's "undue influence" into
allegations of student-athlete misconduct had been "enabled by way of the Chancellor's directives and
interference." Cheek at the time refuted those allegations.
Rogers took his concerns directly to UT President Joe DiPietro and Cheek in the spring of 2013. DiPietro
told The Tennessean that he never investigated those claims but spoke with Cheek and Hart. DiPietro said
he was "confident in the statements" from Cheek and Hart that no such influence existed. Rogers abruptly
retired in June 2013 shortly after his conversation with DiPietro, saying at the time it was due to an
"intolerable situation."
The lawsuit claims Rogers' memo detailed a "hostile sexual environment, rape culture and an
increased risk of placing athletes with freshmen women at Vol Hall," the site of some of the incidents.
Other prominent lawsuits
There have been several prominent lawsuits against universities under the federal Title IX law.
A young woman recently agreed to a $950,000 settlement with Florida State University after she sued over
how the school investigated and adjudicated her claim of sexual assault against star quarterback Jameis
Winston. That case centered around the so-called “after clause,” regarding how universities handle sexual
assault claims after they are filed.
In 2007, two former Colorado University students who said they had been sexually assaulted reached
settlements totaling $2.85 million after they alleged the university created a party culture to show football
recruits a “good time” without proper supervision. The plaintiffs in that case, citing the so-called “before
clause,” said Colorado was to blame for fostering an environment that led to their assaults.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/09/sweeping-sexual-assault-suit-filed-against-ut/79966450/
The suit filed on Tuesday against Tennessee cites both clauses — claiming the university allowed an outof-control party culture among student-athletes. The Jane Does also say that after they stepped forward to
report assaults, the university’s adjudication process was unusual and weighted in favor of the athletes.
The women are represented by Smith, who has been on the winning side of several prominent cases. Smith,
who specializes in civil litigation and medical malpractice suits, was one of the lead attorneys representing
victims of the 2003 Nashville nursing home fire.
He also was lead counsel in the lawsuit that attempted to block the petition effort to hold a referendum
deciding whether to make English the official language of Metro government. Smith was the lead attorney
on the successful legal challenge to the state's initial law allowing guns in bars.
Tennessean reporter Matt Slovin contributed to this story. Reach Anita Wadhwani at 615-259-8092 and on
Twitter @anitawadhwani. Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.
About the lawsuit
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief requiring UT to address its violations of Title IX law, including:
"instituting, with the assistance of outside experts, and enforcing a comprehensive sexual harassment
policy, including procedures for effective reporting of sexual harassment incidents, an effective and
immediate crisis response, and an expanded victim assistance and protection program, adopting a real zero
tolerance policy under which there will be expedited proceedings and punishment proportional to the
offense for violation of sexual harassment policies."