Here is another, slightly differant post of the original artical that I
found along with some research on the fratrinization thing.....
My research: according to
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/.../aa061702b.htm - "Army
fraternization policies are contained in Army Regulation 600-20, Army
Command Policy. (Note: The term "officer" as used below includes both
commissioned and warrant officers). Certain types of personal relationships
between officers and enlisted personnel are prohibited....Dating, shared
living accommodations other than those directed by operational requirements,
and intimate or sexual relationships between officers and enlisted
personnel."
The artical goes into more detail, but I beleave that clarifies that
what they were doing was wrong. I hope that one day the Army can stop
things like this from happening.

Sunny

The artical...


Let's get this out fix this problem so hopefully it won't happen when our
soldiers return from Iraq.

December 31, 2002
"The hard right over the easy wrong", "What goes TDY, stays
TDY", "Screw-up and move up", we have all heard these sayings before but
just how true are they? Well I'd like to tell you a story and let you
decide.
A few years ago a women deployed to Bosnia with the 3rd Armored Cavalry
Regiment in support of SFOR7. She was a SPC, an avionics tech, married and
the mother of three children. While in Bosnia she met a man. He was a CW3,
OH-58 pilot, also married with children. They would both call back every
few days to their spouses and say that all was well. But it
wasn't, the SPC and CW3 were having an affair. The affair started not long
after they arrived in Bosnia and lasted almost until their redeployment, 8
months later.
They would eat, watch movies, and go on trips together. They would
also meet in his office late at night, after he finished his night flights.
They spent a lot of time together, so much time that rumors started. But no
one cared to look into the rumors, too much trouble maybe? When they called
their spouses, they would even warn them that rumors were going about and
not to worry, the rumors weren't true.
She was promoted to SGT and even earned her Spurs, while having an affair
with a Chief Warrant Officer. He continued to fly and earn his flight pay
while getting his "Becky fix", a term they used for their private moments.
But, as all things do, the affair was found out.
Not by some one with them in Bosnia, but by her husband. The rumors where
too much and he confronted her. She admitted to her husband that yes she
was sleeping with this pilot, whom he also knew. So the affair stopped (?)
and they returned home to FT. Carson, CO. In time her marriage ended, but
not her career. She applied for and was accepted to the
Warrant Officer Flight program and is now a WO1 attending flight school at
Ft. Rucker, AL. The pilot? He is still flying and is now a maintenance test
pilot. She earned her promotion and her Spurs, but did she disserve them?
Screw-up and move up?
The base in Bosnia was small and everyone knew just about everyone. So
I wonder how their affair was missed. The Army has a policy about
relationships between enlisted and officers. In basically states that
officers and enlisted personnel will not have improper relationships. It
goes on to define "improper" as anything other then professional. I think
eating alone, going to the movies, and going on MWR trips together would
fall under the improper category. One of the duties of a NCO is to know
your soldiers. It's hard to believe that her Squad Leader, Platoon
Sergeant, and First Sergeant did not notice that something might be going on
between her and this CW3. Where they just bad NCO's who didn't care or did
they see the problem and decide it was just too hard to confront? The easy
wrong over the hard right? What about his peers and superiors? Didn't they
notice either? What goes TDY, stays TDY? What about the command? Well a
few months after the 3d ACR returned to Ft. Carson someone spoke up about
the affair and an investigation was started. The SGT was asked about her
relationship with the CW3 and she said they were just friends and the
investigation was dropped. A short time later her packet for Warrant
Officer was approved and letters of recommendation signed. Maybe the
command was just wanted her to quietly disappear. The "Not my problem
anymore" syndrome? A lot of people who were with them in Bosnia knew about
or at least suspect that they were having an affair. My question is how
come no one said anything about it? Is the Army fostering a climate were
actions like this are ok? Are the soldiers being taught by example that as
long as you don't get caught in the act it's ok? As long as they do their
job, no one cares what they do in their off time? Are our leaders afraid to
confront soldiers about their personal life? Do we expect our soldiers to
follow the Army values or are the Army values just lip service?
I hope that the Army can train its leaders to be more perceptive and
not afraid to approach a problem which may be "touchy" and embarrassing. To
guide and mentor our soldiers to do the right thing and to up hold the Army
values.
This story is true. How do I know? Because the SGT in this story is
Rebecca Beasley (now WO1 Rebecca Clark) ) and
the CW3 is Edwin Annis ).