Posted on Oct 20, 2015
"Air Force Launches Probe Into ‘Miley-Gate’"
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From: The Daily Beast
A group of elite Air Force pilots were shocked to find their careers in jeopardy after they sent a juvenile series of text message, featuring allusions to rap lyrics and Miley Cyrus songs, that their bosses said were evidence of drug abuse.
Now, the country's most senior Air Force officer has ordered an inquiry into how the pilots’ case was handled, and whether any legal processes and procedures were violated, The Daily Beast has learned.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh ordered the service’s inspector general to open an inquiry of the case, according to two individuals with direct knowledge of the general’s decision. An inquiry is a preliminary step before opening a more serious investigation, which is generally aimed at determining whether someone violated a specific rule or standard. Welsh has also ordered a separate investigation, known as a general officer review, that will address decision-making by senior officers at Laughlin Air Force Base, where the men are stationed.
According to people familiar with the general’s thinking, he is concerned that the pilots’ case may not have been handled according to proper investigation procedures and that the texts they sent, which did contain references to drug use, may have been dramatically misinterpreted. The men were issued letters of reprimand and suspended from flying, which could ruin their Air Force careers and make them less competitive for jobs as commercial pilots.
The commander at Laughlin, Col. Brian Hastings, who issued letters of reprimand to the pilots, will come in for particular scrutiny. Hastings accompanied Welsh to a meeting last week with two members of Congress who have taken up the pilots’ cases and attempted to defend his decision to punish the men.
As The Daily Beast previously reported, Hastings had tried to portray the men as part of an illicit drug network at Laughlin, one of the Air Force’s main flight training centers. The pilots say Hastings was confused and took their exchanges out of context.
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In one exchange, a pilot joked about overdosing on ecstasy, but later explained that he merely meant to evoke memories from a trip to Las Vegas with his buddies and a running commentary about hedonistic partying. One message was signed #sorryimnotsorry, a well-worn Twitter hashtag that investigators, and Hastings, seem to have interpreted as a defiant confession.
Some of the pilots also texted lines from the Cyrus song “We Can’t Stop,” which became a sort of text motif after they heard it playing on the radio during the Vegas trip.
Cyrus sings: “So la da di da di/We like to party/Dancing with Molly/Doing whatever we want.”
Molly is a street name for ecstasy, and every time investigators found it in a text, they seemed to think the men were acknowledging getting high on pills.
In one exchange, a pilot texted a colleague that he should bring some food to grill for a cookout at the man’s house.
“You got the Molly,” the friend texted.
According to people familiar with the general’s thinking, he is concerned that the pilots’ case may not have been handled according to proper investigation procedures and that the texts they sent, which did contain references to drug use, may have been dramatically misinterpreted. The men were issued letters of reprimand and suspended from flying, which could ruin their Air Force careers and make them less competitive for jobs as commercial pilots.
The commander at Laughlin, Col. Brian Hastings, who issued letters of reprimand to the pilots, will come in for particular scrutiny. Hastings accompanied Welsh to a meeting last week with two members of Congress who have taken up the pilots’ cases and attempted to defend his decision to punish the men.
As The Daily Beast previously reported, Hastings had tried to portray the men as part of an illicit drug network at Laughlin, one of the Air Force’s main flight training centers. The pilots say Hastings was confused and took their exchanges out of context.
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In one exchange, a pilot joked about overdosing on ecstasy, but later explained that he merely meant to evoke memories from a trip to Las Vegas with his buddies and a running commentary about hedonistic partying. One message was signed #sorryimnotsorry, a well-worn Twitter hashtag that investigators, and Hastings, seem to have interpreted as a defiant confession.
Some of the pilots also texted lines from the Cyrus song “We Can’t Stop,” which became a sort of text motif after they heard it playing on the radio during the Vegas trip.
Cyrus sings: “So la da di da di/We like to party/Dancing with Molly/Doing whatever we want.”
Molly is a street name for ecstasy, and every time investigators found it in a text, they seemed to think the men were acknowledging getting high on pills.
In one exchange, a pilot texted a colleague that he should bring some food to grill for a cookout at the man’s house.
“You got the Molly,” the friend texted.
“You know what it is,” the host replied.
Based on that two-line exchange, the host pilot was accused of distributing ecstasy and eventually grounded.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, who met with Welsh last week had previously asked him why the pilots were given what they called “excessive punishment” based solely on text messages that showed “no evidence of drug use” and were clearly joking in nature.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/16/air-force-launches-probe-into-miley-gate.html?
A group of elite Air Force pilots were shocked to find their careers in jeopardy after they sent a juvenile series of text message, featuring allusions to rap lyrics and Miley Cyrus songs, that their bosses said were evidence of drug abuse.
Now, the country's most senior Air Force officer has ordered an inquiry into how the pilots’ case was handled, and whether any legal processes and procedures were violated, The Daily Beast has learned.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh ordered the service’s inspector general to open an inquiry of the case, according to two individuals with direct knowledge of the general’s decision. An inquiry is a preliminary step before opening a more serious investigation, which is generally aimed at determining whether someone violated a specific rule or standard. Welsh has also ordered a separate investigation, known as a general officer review, that will address decision-making by senior officers at Laughlin Air Force Base, where the men are stationed.
According to people familiar with the general’s thinking, he is concerned that the pilots’ case may not have been handled according to proper investigation procedures and that the texts they sent, which did contain references to drug use, may have been dramatically misinterpreted. The men were issued letters of reprimand and suspended from flying, which could ruin their Air Force careers and make them less competitive for jobs as commercial pilots.
The commander at Laughlin, Col. Brian Hastings, who issued letters of reprimand to the pilots, will come in for particular scrutiny. Hastings accompanied Welsh to a meeting last week with two members of Congress who have taken up the pilots’ cases and attempted to defend his decision to punish the men.
As The Daily Beast previously reported, Hastings had tried to portray the men as part of an illicit drug network at Laughlin, one of the Air Force’s main flight training centers. The pilots say Hastings was confused and took their exchanges out of context.
ADVERTISEMENT
In one exchange, a pilot joked about overdosing on ecstasy, but later explained that he merely meant to evoke memories from a trip to Las Vegas with his buddies and a running commentary about hedonistic partying. One message was signed #sorryimnotsorry, a well-worn Twitter hashtag that investigators, and Hastings, seem to have interpreted as a defiant confession.
Some of the pilots also texted lines from the Cyrus song “We Can’t Stop,” which became a sort of text motif after they heard it playing on the radio during the Vegas trip.
Cyrus sings: “So la da di da di/We like to party/Dancing with Molly/Doing whatever we want.”
Molly is a street name for ecstasy, and every time investigators found it in a text, they seemed to think the men were acknowledging getting high on pills.
In one exchange, a pilot texted a colleague that he should bring some food to grill for a cookout at the man’s house.
“You got the Molly,” the friend texted.
According to people familiar with the general’s thinking, he is concerned that the pilots’ case may not have been handled according to proper investigation procedures and that the texts they sent, which did contain references to drug use, may have been dramatically misinterpreted. The men were issued letters of reprimand and suspended from flying, which could ruin their Air Force careers and make them less competitive for jobs as commercial pilots.
The commander at Laughlin, Col. Brian Hastings, who issued letters of reprimand to the pilots, will come in for particular scrutiny. Hastings accompanied Welsh to a meeting last week with two members of Congress who have taken up the pilots’ cases and attempted to defend his decision to punish the men.
As The Daily Beast previously reported, Hastings had tried to portray the men as part of an illicit drug network at Laughlin, one of the Air Force’s main flight training centers. The pilots say Hastings was confused and took their exchanges out of context.
ADVERTISEMENT
In one exchange, a pilot joked about overdosing on ecstasy, but later explained that he merely meant to evoke memories from a trip to Las Vegas with his buddies and a running commentary about hedonistic partying. One message was signed #sorryimnotsorry, a well-worn Twitter hashtag that investigators, and Hastings, seem to have interpreted as a defiant confession.
Some of the pilots also texted lines from the Cyrus song “We Can’t Stop,” which became a sort of text motif after they heard it playing on the radio during the Vegas trip.
Cyrus sings: “So la da di da di/We like to party/Dancing with Molly/Doing whatever we want.”
Molly is a street name for ecstasy, and every time investigators found it in a text, they seemed to think the men were acknowledging getting high on pills.
In one exchange, a pilot texted a colleague that he should bring some food to grill for a cookout at the man’s house.
“You got the Molly,” the friend texted.
“You know what it is,” the host replied.
Based on that two-line exchange, the host pilot was accused of distributing ecstasy and eventually grounded.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, who met with Welsh last week had previously asked him why the pilots were given what they called “excessive punishment” based solely on text messages that showed “no evidence of drug use” and were clearly joking in nature.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/16/air-force-launches-probe-into-miley-gate.html?
Celebrities
Air Force
Drugs
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 11
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AF Times is running with it too.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/10/19/texting-can-kill-your-career/73954112/
I hope the CC realizes how foolish he looks over this and that cooler heads will prevail and get rid of those LORs for the pilots involved. One other guy choose to take it to Article 15 proceeds, fought it and won. That should have set the precedent that an LOR is not warranted, but all too often it's the opposite. Some Commanders feel like the can just push an LOR (administrative punishment) when they know they can't get an Article 15 (UCMJ punishment).
The spokesman in the AF Time article almost blows off the fact that they only got an LOR, but I think they are way off base:
"Huygen stressed that getting a letter of reprimand does not necessarily mean your career in the Air Force is over. It is not hard to find junior enlisted airmen who have received an adverse administrative action and have gone on to senior enlisted ranks, she said.
OK, great, but that is complete bullshit when you talk about officers. One LOR past being a 2LT, you are done. Get a LOR as a pilot and lose your wings = career over. You will not find a General Officer out there who received an LOR and lost their flying status as a CGO to then go on to make O-7 or higher. You probably won't even find one that made O-4 or O-5.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/10/19/texting-can-kill-your-career/73954112/
I hope the CC realizes how foolish he looks over this and that cooler heads will prevail and get rid of those LORs for the pilots involved. One other guy choose to take it to Article 15 proceeds, fought it and won. That should have set the precedent that an LOR is not warranted, but all too often it's the opposite. Some Commanders feel like the can just push an LOR (administrative punishment) when they know they can't get an Article 15 (UCMJ punishment).
The spokesman in the AF Time article almost blows off the fact that they only got an LOR, but I think they are way off base:
"Huygen stressed that getting a letter of reprimand does not necessarily mean your career in the Air Force is over. It is not hard to find junior enlisted airmen who have received an adverse administrative action and have gone on to senior enlisted ranks, she said.
OK, great, but that is complete bullshit when you talk about officers. One LOR past being a 2LT, you are done. Get a LOR as a pilot and lose your wings = career over. You will not find a General Officer out there who received an LOR and lost their flying status as a CGO to then go on to make O-7 or higher. You probably won't even find one that made O-4 or O-5.
Miley Cyrus song crashes Air Force pilots' careers
The next time you want to send your buddies a joke text message, remember that it could end your career.
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Col Joseph Lenertz
Exactly. And in this case, if they lack real evidence, they need to withdraw the LORs and reinstate the flying rating (wings).
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Maj Matt Hylton
Hopefully this makes it to light during the investigation as well. Another officer wrote a letter for the defense of another officer Hastings was punishing under Art. 15. His OPR got downgraded and he lost a 1/74 stratification.
http://www.jqpublicblog.com/bombshell-report-laughlin-reprisal-campaign-destroyed-anyone-providing-support-to-witch-hunt-targets/
http://www.jqpublicblog.com/bombshell-report-laughlin-reprisal-campaign-destroyed-anyone-providing-support-to-witch-hunt-targets/
Bombshell Report: Laughlin Reprisal Campaign Destroyed Anyone Providing Support to Witch Hunt...
From time to time, in life and in the Air Force, people find themselves subject to disciplinary proceedings. In the Air Force, these most often take the form of either nonjudicial punishments (Article 15 UCMJ) or administrative actions (letters of reprimand, counseling, admonishment). In the course of these processes, accused individuals are entitled to raise a defense. …
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Maj Matt Hylton
Furthermore, LOAs were administered to anyone that wrote a letter for the defense of the other accused AFTER the CC read them aloud at a formation and called out the individuals writing those letters in defense of the accused. Sounds like a case of pure toxic leadership if I've ever heard it.
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Sounds like this REMF Hastings ought to take a long walk off a tall cliff.
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