How do you handle abuse of power from NCO's and Officers?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 04:43:13 -0400

I'm sure we've all ran across one or two or probably more NCO's or Officers at some point in our military career who had been known to abuse power entrusted to them. What are your thoughts on this and some possible tips to combat such abuse of power as a junior enlisted man?

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Jul 7 at 2015 5:47 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 05:47:13 -0400

This happens across all branches, not much but it does happen.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Jul 7 at 2015 6:09 AM

Cpl Jeff N. — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 06:09:50 -0400

I think you might need to define "abuse of power". One man's abuse of power is another man's legal order. Not saying that is the case here but telling folks to clean the barracks or some other task no one wants to do is not abuse of power. A little detail here (no names etc) might help folks give you better advice.

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2015 6:16 AM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 06:16:06 -0400

The first thing I would recommend is to take copious notes privately detailing the incidents. Is this NCO doing it to everyone? Or singling folks out? Is there a common denominator to the folks that he/she is singling out (they are taking long lunches, showing up late for work/PT/formations, etc.). I am not saying that NCO's behavior is correct, yet pointing out what may be causing his/her behavior. From there, armed with support documentation, see your next in CoC.

It very well could be the NCO; I have had my fair share of awful ones. But, a distinguished General once said, “When things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasing larger concentric circles around your own desk.” When I have an issue, I start with the mirror. "Have I contributed to this?" If so, nothing wrong with that, as long as you identify it and take the chance to unf*ck it.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2015 8:27 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 08:27:07 -0400

Those who have to resort to authority/rank, seldom hold it for long. Real leaders pull others up, they don't push others down.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2015 8:39 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 08:39:57 -0400

Abuse of power is probably going to involve something illegal, unethical, or unsafe, in which case even the greenest Private, Sailor, Airman, Marine, or Coastie should report it. Using public office for private gain, hazing, and sexual misconduct are probably the best (worst) examples.

In ten years I've only had the misfortune to meet one "leader" who abused a position of power to belittle subordinates.

My advice is that "a junior enlisted man" advise an NCO of the problem, probably in the form of a question.

Response by SGT William Howell made Jul 7 at 2015 9:00 AM

SGT William Howell — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 09:00:44 -0400

Being that you are a PFC and here on RP we love to see young enlisted that are engaged I am going to try to work both sides of this. As a MP investigator I have seen my share of these investigations. Being as this is a hypothetical, you need to tread lightly when thinking of accusing an NCO or an Officer of unethical conduct. If it is not black and white you may be getting yourself into a shit storm that only a change of duty is going to make things better for you. I am by no means encouraging you not to live by the army values. Just sometimes just because you believe you are correct does not mean it is going to go well for you.

As a PFC you know just enough about how the Army works to get yourself into trouble. What you may take as abuse, may be a lawful order. With that being said, if a NCO asked you to lie for them, or cover up something (that kind of stuff), write that down, date, time, location and what was said. DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT. It may be your word against a higher ranking individual. You better look like you got your poo poo together.

Before you take something official you need to run it by somebody that has a little time under their belt. If you don't have someone, go see the chaplain. I can honestly say that I have never gotten bad advice from anybody that is a chaplain.

I also encourage you to get yourself a copy of FM 7-22.7 The NCO Guide. You need to read it as it will make you a better leader and get you ready for your strips.

Response by Capt Mark Strobl made Jul 7 at 2015 10:09 AM

Capt Mark Strobl — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 10:09:02 -0400

PFC Private RallyPoint Member, Officers and NCO's often do not have the time/resources to explain their actions. However, if your leadership is engaged in unethical or immoral activities, YOU have a duty to report it. As others have mentioned, take notes and document the activities. Include specific dates/times/names of those involved. But, make sure you're recording facts... keep emotion out of it. While you have an obligation to execute legal orders, you similarly have the right to deny illegal orders. Know the difference & make sure your proverbial ducks are in line.

By the way, great to see a PFC posting a question on RP!

Response by SrA Christine Martinez made Jul 7 at 2015 1:32 PM

SrA Christine Martinez — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:32:52 -0400

Dear PFC Thomas Landers,
You pose a hypothetical question to seasoned NCOs and Officers from across the realm of our military branches, which is all well and fine; however, it would be helpful if you could also give a specific example of a hypothetical situation of an NCO or Officer abusing the authority of their rank/position.
First, off, let me remind you of the 'low man on the totem pole' theory. That man is going to get orders and probably a little flack from everyone above him. This is a stage of life in the military and the real-world, but it passes, sometimes not soon enough, but it passes.
Secondly, if this hypothetical situation is one that you can foresee happening and you're looking for guidance in how to handle the situation if/when it arises, if I were you, I would speak with my Unit Chaplain and ask for guidance and direction. Is this abuse of power something that needs to be run by Legal, or Social Actions, the Inspector General (IG), to Military Police (specifically the Office of Special Investigations -OSI), or directly to your Unit Commander? One word of advice: follow your chain-of-command.
If the NCO or Officer that you believe is abusing their rank/position in illegal, immoral, or unethical standards is in your chain-of-command, you (used to) still have to go to him/her and say "Sgt. So-and-So" or "Lieutenant So-and-So" -- I have a complaint that I don't feel comfortable discussing with you, so I'm going to take it to your supervisor/superior. At least you used the chain-of-command.
As other NCOs and Officers have counseled you, before you accuse someone of 'abusing their power' make sure you have specifics: who/what/where/why/when for what you believe to be illegal, immoral, or unethical violations.
Let me give you an example of a hypothetical situation that may/may not happen: Your Platoon has PT at 0500hrs every morning. A female Pvt, we'll call 'Johnson', is Married, but her husband hasn't been able to accompany her to your duty station because he's in adult education classes at the community college from their hometown. Because she's unaccompanied and low-ranking, she has to live in the barracks. Last night you saw your Platoon Sergeant dropping Pvt. Johnson off past curfew. Before she got out of his POV, you believe you saw them embrace. Now, it's 0510 hrs, and Pvt. Johnson has just arrived late to PT. She makes eye contact with your Sgt, but he doesn't reprimand her for being late to formation. You see this as special treatment because you suspect Pvt. Johnson and the Sgt. are having or engaging in an extramarital affair, and she's getting away with things that neither you nor your Platoon-mates would: breaking curfew, and being late. You should document the facts you see, not what you feel/think. If you file an official complaint, you need to have facts and specifics. The person or agency receiving your complaint
will have the responsibility of investigating, and if they find justifiable cause, they'll charge the individuals named in the complaint with specific charges. Now, you know, intellectually, legally, morally, that preferential treatment of Soldiers is detrimental to the good order and discipline of units, such as Platoons. So you accuse your Platoon Sgt. and Pvt. Johnson of having an extramarital affair, which would constitute illegal, immoral, and unethical violations, but say you didn't know Pvt. Johnson had been given permission to break curfew, not by your Platoon Sgt, but rather your Captain, who had gotten a phone call from the Red Cross, saying they were trying to reach Pvt. Johnson for a family emergency, and your Captain called your Platoon Sgt. at home, to take Pvt. Johnson from the MWR office, back to the barracks. Maybe that 'embrace' you saw was your Platoon Sgt. showing a little humanity for a subordinate, and he gave her a brotherly hug. Knowing more than just what you could see, kind of changes ones' perspective.
In any case, before you complain, have facts. When you complain, use your chain-of-command.

Response by CW2 Ernest Krutzsch made Jul 7 at 2015 3:52 PM

CW2 Ernest Krutzsch — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:52:41 -0400

If what they are doing is legal, not much you can do, found most were frauds and the system eventually caught up to them. Not much solace to one who is the brunt of their abuse, but in the long run, they will weed themselves out

Response by Razhel Pausa made Jan 1 at 2018 11:41 PM

Razhel Pausa — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 23:41:18 -0500

I agree sir coz my husband is one of the victims of abusing power by NCO's where he assigned even right now.

Response by Karen Fountain made Jan 9 at 2018 4:43 PM

Karen Fountain — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 16:43:56 -0500

You don't have to believe us, just look at satellite photos over our home since 2009 and the altitudes at which they flew. It will tell you all you need to know. Our home is in Mission Viejo. We just need one person with power that finds this completely unacceptable and unAmerican. We need a hero and it's harder than we ever imagined to find. Just a few facts: We are not under a flight path and even if we were, we are over 20 miles from the airport and would never hear jets much less have them shake our home. My husband used to be a pilot and had a plane at John Wayne Airport. I was raised here and we both have lived here most of our 64 years of life. Because my husband use to fly, we understand flight paths, the same planes over us again and again, etc. Mr. Michael Huerta, the head of the FAA, seems to be running a mafia style organization and is arbitrarily deciding who gets to live and who doesn't. If a woman calls noise complaint, she gets a flight path over her home. Other women in Orange County are suffering the same thing. We are being made to look like the bad guys by our county because they are unwilling to go against other government employees. We have been taken to court as a preemptive strike in an election year to keep us from recalling the ex mayor of Mission Viejo. No fair play any longer. Government employees just destroy good peoples' lives as a favor, as a political move, or just because they want to? It's been quite an education for many of us up here. They are using Camp Pendleton to bully us. We have been dive bombed so many times on the beach with military helicopters and Mr. Alan L. Murphy's private plane along side, we stopped going. Mr. Murphy and Mr. Rondinella, using military and so many of their friends who are willing to do whatever Mr. Murphy asks them to, have stalked us every place we have gone for over 8 years now. They have dive bombed us in jacuzzi's, hotels, restaurants. We haven't gone one place in almost 9 years, where these guys haven't stalked us there and bullied us with aircraft. Please read our story. We are over 60 years old, been married over 30 years, own a home and business in our community, have never been in any trouble. We are being spied on, stalked and bullied by Michael Huerta, Alan L. Murphy, Barry Rondinella, Lt. Binning, Jennifer Wilson, Mission Viejo Police Department and Camp Pendleton for almost 9 years now. We called noise complaint at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California in early 2009 to ask very nicely if the private planes could please stop doing stall maneuvers over our homes. We were told by Maria in noise complaint that we were in a designated area for student pilots to practice these maneuvers. It is actually against the law to do these maneuvers in residential areas. Within 15 minutes, Mr. Alan L. Murphy was over our home doing figure 8s just above our home and driveway where I was still visiting with our neighbor (on whose behalf we called). Within one hour, we were being bombarded by every small plane in the area and then within three weeks, every jet, helicopter, military jet and helicopter and private plane was buzzing our home 24/7 (our airport opens at 7am and closes at 10pm - we are over 20 miles from the airport and not under a flight path). When I called noise complaint again to see if they had received my email about this increasingly low traffic where there is no flight path, Maria at John Wayne Airport Noise Complaint Office told me "we don't read your emails. They go into a computer file." (we've never had one person with the FAA tell us the truth). We thought that the airport just didn't understand how low they were flying over our hill so started a group called "The Green Grannies". A group of us older retired women began emailing politicians/environmentalists for help. We looked for a new home, but Mr. Alan L. Murphy sent military jets screaming over every appointment we made online. 27 pages of listings, 4 listings per page, all with "JETS" at the top. We had so many real estate agents say “we have never had jets over this area”. This is when we realized we were being spied on and stalked. All you have to do is look at satellite photos over our home beginning in 2009. It will tell you all you need to know. When we called the police finally here in Mission Viejo. An officer came out and refused to take a report and threatened us that we had better never call the police again for any reason??? Why?? We haven't done anything illegal. We now realize it was because the police were bullying us also. They have dive bombed us with the police helicopter so many times and stalked us to Home Depot, grocery stores, bank. Left police radio calls on our phone machine for intimidation, uploaded pornography to our computer, called our phone machine and repeated the sound we just made in our home so we fully understood we have no privacy. This is really sick stuff, but satellite photos will prove us right. We believe that Lt. Binning of the Mission Viejo Police Department has called our home at night to wake us up (2009). If I clap my hands 3 times in our home, they call and clap 3 times on our phone machine. Psychological warfare on housewives. We haven't found one man they are doing this to. Just housewives. We understand how crazy this sounds, yet not one person will look into it because they then would have to admit they are aware of what's going on and do something about it. We have wasted 8 years begging a totally corrupt county. We can tell you where Mr. Murphy was 30 times in the last 5 years. Summer of 2009, cloudy day. A lot of us outside in our yards. Mr. Alan L. Murphy had the Thunderbird jet crew come over our hill with total silence and then turn up their engines so loudly, our neighbor screamed. We thought a jet was falling out of the sky. This is a game to these men. They are playing with women like a cat plays with a mouse until it's dead. They chem trail X's over our home and in the skies around our home so we cannot even open our drapes without feeling bullied. There should never be chem trails over Orange County. When you see chem trails over Orange County, is it a woman being bullied. There are only two flight paths in Orange County. One due north towards Riverside, and one due south, out to the ocean and back north under Dana Point. We are due east and over 20 miles from the airport. I have a tumor so large in my thyroid and I throw up almost every day from this abuse for almost 9 years. My mother died at 52 years old of stomach cancer and her dad at 37. I am being bullied to death. Just a few more examples: December 4, 5 & 6 , 2015, Mr. Alan L. Murphy and probably Barry Rondinella, followed us to Ojai for my birthday weekend. It is very important for these men to ruin every holiday, every vacation, every day. They dive bombed our hotels, stalked us every place we have gone, in every parking lot, restaurant, etc. They flew large jets over the middle of town although this is a condor preserve and jets are illegal. On Dec. 5, 2015, they got the Santa Barbara Coast Guard (four huge orange helicopters!) to hover right above our heads over the gem fair in Santa Barbara until we left (you can see this on satellite photos). We had a friend arrive separately and video tape a half hour before we came and half hour after we left. They came with us and left with us. We have begged every politician and organization in Orange County for help. Our county is totally corrupt. The DA's office, the police, Camp Pendleton (heartbreaking). At the end of the Summer 2015, Mr. Alan L. Murphy flew in a circle a "Presidential" helicopter with the accompanying jet (so loud!) over our home 4 times so we would think the President, who was in SoCal, was bullying us. Bullies want their victims to believe everyone hates them. These guys are consummate bullies. We believe they have been getting away with this for so long and cannot stop. Fixated and obsessed. Look at satellite footage over Yosemite on our 30 year anniversary. April 14, 15 & 16, 2017. We were dive bombed by private planes and chem trailed with so many jets over Yosemite to ruin our anniversary. It took years for us to realize this was all on purpose as no sane person expects anyone else to behave this way. NO ONE SANE AND SOBER DOES THIS TO ANYONE FOR ANY REASON. THAT'S WHY IT'S ILLEGAL!! On November 13, 2015, we got a new director at John Wayne Airport, Mr. Barry Rondinella. We were praying he was going to be a decent human being. We couldn't have been more wrong. He promised in the newspaper that he was going to strictly enforce the curfew laws in Orange County (our airport closes at 10pm). He flew everything he could over our home 24/7 (satellite photos will show this abuse of power). We taped for 5 days, from 6pm - 2am. Over 50 hours of pure illegal abuse on video. We were kept from sleeping for over 8 years. I emailed Lt. Binning at the MVPD on January 28, 2017 and told him that he could say anything he wanted to about the abuse during the day but the jets at night are clearly bullying (they kept us from sleeping for 8 years!). The night bullying stopped that night. Our airport opens at 7am and closes at 10pm. We are over 100 miles in any direction from an open airport at night. People have told me for years that the police were in on this. I didn't want to believe them. We are dive bombed at the YMCA, our home every single day, and anywhere we go. They have parked airport vans across the street from our home to keep the stress up. We have tape with my husband asking the driver who he is here to pick up, etc., and shows him not having a name or address. They have the military shaking our foundation of our home. If our home gets quiet, they come up here and dive bomb us or shake the house to keep us from getting any sleep during the day. These men are so sick and no one will stop them. A very important element to this abuse of power is that we are not allowed one day off. This is so important to these men. They understand that this must be sustained egregious psychological bullying in order to destroy the women they are going after. Now it's just a "maintenance dose" every day. Barry Rondinella comes over our home every single day in his private plane and sits over our home for hours, dive bombs us when we reach out for help. God, we are being brutalized for trying to get help from these men. They have totally lost all perspective and are so out of control because no one can afford to take on the FAA. NO ONE. Our neighbor calls this Lord of the Flies on steroids. Our county won't do one thing. And, maybe our state. We heard from one man who believes they stressed his wife until she got cancer and died. This is what has to happen to cause cancer or suicide and they have been dedicated to causing these tragedies in my life and other women we have found here in OC. Women are petrified to say anything because these guys will just ramp up the grief until you want to die. We have had this for almost 9 years now. We called Michael Huerta's office in May of 2014 (he is the head of the FAA, a self policing organization) and we were all but laughed at. No one will stop them and this isn't being done in private. All anyone would have to do is come over here and watch this or watch "flight tracking" to see the aircraft and altitudes or look at satellite photos over Mission Viejo from 2009 to present to understand this is vicious and intentional. In the last year, we began emailing Michael Huerta directly with copies of our emails to political leaders and anti bullying organizations. When we finally told Mr. Huerta "if this isn't you bullying us, then make them stop", Mr. Huerta really ramped up the abuse. He has been using Camp Pendleton to bully us on a whole new level. These men know psychological torture tactics and are using them on housewives with the help of Camp Pendleton, the police, government employees to destroy lives that they have arbitrarily decided shouldn't continue. I have written two books: Path of a Monster Crossed, and When Suicide is Homicide. Women who are powerful and rich are too afraid to tell anyone about abuse by Hollywood directors. Yet, everyone thinks women who have no power and no money should stand up to the military, the FAA and the police department? Camp Pendleton just bullied us yesterday with a helicopter so low over our home it shook (12/18/17). All anyone would have to do is look at satellite photos over our home for the last 8 and a half years and it would be very clear that we are being bullied to a degree most people cannot imagine. It will tell you all you need to know. We will live in fear for the rest of our lives, being hunted. This is America? No excuses. Not one person can say “we didn’t believe them”. Even though it's illegal to spy on, stalk and bully anyone, these men have made it very clear to all of us up here that they are above the law. After realizing that Orange County is corrupt, we have contacted Jerry Brown (4 years now), Kamala Harris, Diane Feinstein, Lt. Gov. Newsom, every military organization, and anyone else we could think of. No one has contacted us. Not one leader” has contacted us about something so sick. Please know that if a government employee comes after you, you will be on your own. We are hoping our community will contact these leaders and ask them to stop this here in Orange County. Since we have begun contacting the press, Mr. Huerta is back to sending jets over our home all night. Sleep deprivation is one of their favorite torture tactics. These men are completely out of control. Our neighbor calls it Lord of the Flies on steroids. These guys have lost all perspective and are too sick to stop. We are in big danger. We need our community. Please help us soon. We need a hero. People commit suicide every day from bullying far less damaging than this. There are no organizations to help adults with bullying. I want to die. Please say the world is not this cold and apathetic. Please help us.