Four-star general faces demotion over misspending allegations
By Barbara Starr
The first four-star general to command U.S. military operations in Africa is facing the possibility of being demoted after an investigation by the Pentagon inspector general found that Gen. William "Kip" Ward spent thousands of dollars on inappropriate travel expenses, according to several administration officials directly familiar with the case.
Ward had been known to be under investigation but this is the first indication of the results of the probe.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was presented with the findings this week and is expected to make a decision on the case within days, the officials said Wednesday.
The inspector general found that Ward had engaged in several "inappropriate" activities, including submitting expense reports with extravagant and unacceptable charges, inappropriate use of military staff, and misuse of government funds, according to one administration official. The official described the amount involved as "not an insignificant sum of money."
Panetta must now decide whether to allow Ward to permanently retire at a four-star rank with full retirement pay, or demote him back to a three stars, the last rank at which it is believed he served honorably. Retirement pay varies widely depending on years of service, but many four-stars receive well over $100,000 a year.
It is not yet publicly known if any charges will be recommended through the military justice system.
Under military rules and laws, a secretary of defense makes personnel decisions about three- and four- star officers.
Ward went through a public retirement ceremony from Africa Command in April of last year, but did not retire pending the outcome of the investigation. Since leaving Africa Command, he has worked in an Army staff job out of the limelight, serving as a two-star general. Under Army guidelines, a four-star who is not serving at that rank for 60 days is automatically demoted until the case is resolved.
CNN has asked the Army for a comment from Ward but has not yet received a response.
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
He should face Court Martial and be discharged dishonorably. Officers are supposed to hold themselves at the highest level of professional conduct. This is an embarrassment to the branch and he should face reprocussions. He should be required to pay back the reimbursements he received and not be given benefits. As an above poster said, had it been a buck private, or any other enlisted for that matter, they would be dishonorably discharged and put in chains doing hard labor for ten years.
Nothing will happen. He's not white.
Actually, you have that backwards...
What a sense of humor...sending an African American to the African command. It's like recruiting an Italian American to stock the pasta aisle at Walmart.
We should go over the spending logs of retired generals who now sit on the board of military suppliers.
100% agree... Let's not just settle most recent sacrificial lamb..If they are going to look under the hood, lets jack thing up and really see what has been going on under there.
I hear alot of yelling on this thread that he should be jailed, demoted, retirement taken away, etc but nothing in the article about the scale of his alleged offences. "Not an insignificant amount of money" is open to wide interpretation. Another website claims the following:
MilitaryCorruption.com has learned the head of U.S. Africa Command was probed on allegations the general "improperly had his wife accompany him on TDYs (Temporary Duty Assignment)."
Did you all notice that this thread seems to be populated with two kinds of posts? One-liners with racist overtones, and longer posts from people who served or met him which are well thought out and balanced.
Bottom line.....if what he did was wrong and he knew it, then he should be punished!
Only the SIth believe in Absolutes.
I agree. and any individual receiving a government paycheck should be held responsible for their actions.\
but dream on. They are just leeches on society we cannot rid ourselves of.
since when does a top military leader get canned for spending money.He can spend no more than he is alloted. If you do not use all you have been alotted in one year you will lose when allotments come next year. I feel sure there is something we are not hearing.I think it behooves all miltary commanders to use up allotments.They do not want to be shorted next year.
yes but you can't spend it on crazy things, we will have to see what they were
It looks like you didn't read the article, or simply didn't understand it. This is not about allotments, but about reimbursements.
General: "I got demoted today"
General's wife: "why?"
General: "I couldnt keep my hands off the privates"
dangit...."my privates"
joke blown...moving on
Was this related to Sandusky..../
So according to his boss 'justice' means just allow him to retire but with full benefits? That's like letting him have his cake and eat it too! Or to demote him just one grade would be equivalent of letting him slice the pie and remove one slice for the others but keep the rest for himself. And what about reimbursement of the money? True justice huh? Go figure!
You forget, Rank Has Its Privileges! Now had it been a buck private who did the same thing you would see him in chains and cracking rocks at hard labor for the next ten years with forfeiture of pay. But again, when you're in management, management sticks together!
Same thing happens to corporate thieves – the bigger the organisation and scam the less sever the punnishment
I seem to remember the whole tail hook incident and then there was the Captain of the USS Enterprise, weren't thsoe like more than 4 years ago. I guess I would have to read the article again but I do not see a time frame. I also remmber the uproar about the GSA, it was building and allegations go back to 2002. How about all the issues with contractors working on the US Embassy in Iraq given contracts without performance clauses, these were also issued going back 4+ years ago.
How about all the crooked ones in ME right now running death camps...
All I have to say is this: http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/29/audit-u-s-defense-department-cant-account-for-billions-for-iraq/
I am not surprised by this news...lol...some of these guys think they are above the law!
A person always rises to their highest level of incompetence.
heh heh heh heh heh heh...."rises"
As much as I hate to apologize for an officer,
it is impossible to do business of any kind in Africa without violating US spending rules. Diplomatic business, trade business, monkey business, what-EV-ah yo bid-ness, you will be doing some inappropriate spending.
The only way they don't bust his successor for the same thing is if (a) they don't look, or (b) he doesn't do anything.
So sad to attempt to rationalize bad behavior. It's clear the general misappropriated funds, behavior which is patently unacceptable wherever he would serve. A private wouldn't even receive this much consideration before he was clapped in irons and drummed out of the service without any retirement whatsoever.
Somewhat true George. However, it would be a pretty poor soldier to be a private and reach the 20 year mark to be able to draw retirement so not really a good analogy.
Thanks for keeping us honest. I forget how sheltered American's are when it comes to how transactions occur in these far away places.
I tend to agree with Lou. There is a reason why (foreign only) bribery is a tax deductible cost of doing business in the UK and most other countries. It's because when dealing with lesser developed countries with the omni-present corrupt regimes, graft is an ordinary expectation in order to get things done. You want permits processed etc. you need to pay the fee and then you need to pony up to the officials. Unless we're going to take over the host countries in Africa, we had best be prepared to do as they do. Otherwise, don't expect much in the way of cooperation any time soon and expect nothing in the way of progress.
Reduction in rank to Private, forfeiture of all pay and benefits, ten years hard labor at Ft Leavenworth, followed by Dishonorable Discharge.
Put him in jail...like Abu Ghraib....! no pun intended.
No pun achieved!
As an active duty Soldier, I have had exposure to several General Officers over my career in the Army. Like any organization, we have good leaders and bad ones. And mostly, you can spot them a mile away. My experience with GEN Ward is that he is an articulate, compassionate, and responsible leader. I did not work directly for him, but close enough to develop an informed opinion. Before you criticize, take the time to read his bio. He has served our country admirably in some of the worst places on earth. I am not proclaiming the man is/or is not at fault. No one is infallible. I am merely suggesting that the public should consider the man and the facts, before casting him into a role that is conducive to whatever agenda you might support.
Chris, I actually ran in Gen Ward on several occassions while at AFRICOM. He was exactly as you had describe if not better. He did serve our country for almost 40 years. My thoughts are that AFRICOM brought out the worst in everyone. The problem I see now is that if the charges are substantiated and Gen Ward does get punished our partners on the African continent will want even less to do with AFRICOM now. As you may or may not know only two countries in Africa, Liberia and Djibouti wanted to host the HQ AFRICOM on their soil. All other countries in Africa were against it. The allegations that the most senior leader of AFRICOM is being investigated for excessive spending while people in Africa starve will definately have dire consequences on the integrity of AFRICOM.
My thoughts are that this happens all the time, in all branches of the military and government, but only occasionally falls in the crosshairs of someone that wants to actually do something about it (but the rest are still ignored due to the "sensitivity" of the matter). In other words, it is all over the place as part of the culture, but like a speeding ticket, one car out of 100 that are going the same speed catches the eye of the patrol officer and pays a penalty for doing what everyone else is doing.
As an honorably retired soldier, my response is.....no one is questioning his character or his career. When a decision is made, you live with the consequences. This time, he should face what's coming to him from the findings. Been a general shouldn't make a difference in the outcome of this case, but, sadly, it will.
However, being singled out when there are so many others participating in the same behavior is where the "injustice" comes in.
Yeah, If he receives any punishment at all, it will most likely be downgraded to an Article 15 and then he'll be permitted to retire at his current rank of MG.
Bust his a$$...take all his stars...make an example of him. How much did he cost the defense of his country by wasting money? D@mmit, this isn't a game anymore.
hear yea...hear yea...! obama is in control so no worries about Govt losing money, petty theft by govt or military officers. Yo'all take it easy...obama is in control. Just to refresh your memory, solyndra, bank bail-outs, etc...nobody yes I mean no one has been put to jail, been arrested or being demoted. For godsake, obama is in control...peace to yo'all and no pun intended.
Given all the problems with Obama....we're supposed to vote for Romney? No pun intended.
well, what do you think? what common sense will tell you? unless your thinking cap is not working anymore...no pun intended.
OK! You guys need to look up pun in the dictionary...
It's hypocrites like you who scream for cuts from social spending while howling at the mere mention of cuts to the bloated, fat-laden Pentagon budget (as exemplified so well here) that are helping to destroy this nation.
@Johny Utah: Solyndra investigation is ongoing; Bank officials have been prosecuted. Yes, Obama is in control. Unlike when the VP of this country deliberately exposed an undercover CIA agent that directly lead to the torture and death of several people who helped this country with the understanding they'd be protected. And the only person to be prosecuted for that was pardoned. And unlike when Bush started two illegal wars that have cost this country $3 Trillion and counting, and left hundreds of thousands dead across the world and countless more maimed. And don't forget that Bush started the bail-outs. What about the massive waste by FEMA following Katrina (when yes, Bush was in charge)? Want me to go on??
Ok Johnny. Like government waste is solely attributable to Obama? Have you forgotten about the billions that the DoD under Bush couldn't find or account for? Or the billions spent on contractors like Blackwater? You do not appear very informed about this. I find all of the waste painful... And I'm a moderate Republican.
As for Gen. Ward, I'd like to hear more about the investigation (which we probably won't... thanks in advance CNN). I wouldn't have a problem busting the general down a star... but at the same time, maybe we need to re-evaluate rules for military expense spending in places like Africa. Sometimes a one-size-fits-all policy is a bit of folly (though a specialty of our government)
This should not have been made public until after Obama's reelection. It is an outrage that this comes up during the campaign. Someone should resign over this. Bad news should be revealed after the election. The msm dropped the ball on this one.
What does this have to do with a campaign?
If this had been an enlisted person, they would have been arrested, court-martialed, convicted, and sent to jail. I'm quite sure he will be "retired" as a 4-star with full benefits. Also amazing how this "leader" that's supposed to preach fraud, waste, and abuse is guilty of doing it himself. High ranking officers get away with way too much.
And if it had been a government contractor, they would have "evaluated the current process and made adjustments" and life would have gone on...
Highly unlikely. Had it been a senior enlisted they would probably be forced to retire after receiving some form of non-judicial punishment. If it was a junior enlisted Soldier they would probably get non-judicial punishment, period.
Either way if he gets demoted or not he still will retire as a 4 star general.
That doesn't make sense..."whether he gets demoted or not, he will retire a 4-star'? Not if you're demoted.
Wouldn't it be great if the rich and powerful were held accountable, like everyone else!
Nothing new for the military. When I was in IRAQ we had a Major that was caught awarding bogus contracts to a company that his wife and mother-in-law formed, he then used US service member to do the actual work, His wife was then charged with using his base quarters at Ft Belvoir as a "social" club where service member could meet young ladies.
Obuma "The long nose" will not let his boy go down. Gotta save them votes.
The BlameTards are out early this morning!
When I working at AFRICOM, I remember how Gen Ward took his entire senior staff (about 50 people) to an off-site at a castle about an hour away from Stuttgart, Germany. He stayed at the castle along with some other members of his staff and other's stayed a local hotel – Hotel Coinvita. The cost for the room at the Coinvita was about 100 Euros per night, I am not sure how much the castle hotel was but it was significantly higher. I do remember, that they had a dinner that cost each person about 100 Euro's. Off-sites are official military events where senior officers invite their staff out for planning and strategy sessions, they usually meet for lunch at a local resturant. In some cases, the attendees pay for their meal but in most cases these off-sites are paid for out of unit funds. Since the off-site was less than 50 miles away, in most cases this would not be characterized as a temporary duty (TDY) where you are on travel status and getting per diem. If this was not on a TDY then I sincerely doubt, that the attendees would fork over $300 of their own money to attend an official meeting. In short, this off-site cost AFRICOM atleast $25,000 and this was just one off-site. I remember he held these off-sites several times a year. AFRICOM was one of the worst places in the world to work at. 90% of the people who work at AFRICOM only work there so they could be in Germany. IF AFRICOM moved to the AFRICA or back to United States, they would lose 90% of their staff over night.
no worries. Govt has lost money before. Solyndra, for example, where Govt lost $350 Million...yes, you read it right. And nobody has been arrested, put in jail or being demoted...relax, obama is in control !
Of course, that only is 3 percent of the federal loans. 10% of the loans went to high-risk ventures (not unlike any other venture capital investment). If ALL of the 10% high risk ventures failed, the federal program still has half a BILLION dollars set aside by congress.
JRR2: what's your point. A loss is still a loss and 350 mil is not small at all. So do you think we should blame obama for this loss?
Cut him some slacks! his crime is not meaningful, it is petty theft compared to Solyndra where Govt has lost 350 million USD. And nobody goes to jail or even being demoted !!!
One crook down, Now lets focus on the Obama`s,
Now look here – he's been in AFRICA, finding more of that yellow cake, representing for America. That takes serious cash y'all! He's been under cover, buying ALUMINUM TUBES! That's some expensive s***!
Big deal...!!! think about Solyndra where Govt lost $350 Million yes big numbers. And nobody is in jail or being demoted...calm down, obama is in control.
350 million dollars. Big Deal. What about the billions lost in Iraq?
Pat carr: I believe we are still in Iraq...so ask Obama why he is still wasting govt money in Iraq.
I see you're riding Obama's hump today. Question were you this vocal when Dubya was tanking the economy and his lying cowboys Cheney and Rumsfeld were leading young soldiers to their death while bilking taxpayer to cover their wars under the quiet? I get it you're from Utah but no way the stomach turning lying Bishop is gonna win...deal and move on. Drink some prune juice...that will help you!!!
Nothing to see here folks. Just TNB.
TNB? I guess that if you spelled it out, it would have been censored.......
This guy is laughing all the way to the bank.
Demotion in military is like a kick in the stomach!!...it is shameful to the bone.
Inappropriate travel expenses.. like these? http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/06/usa-defense-panetta-travel-idUSL2E8F614L20120406
If you actually read the article you linked, you would be blaming George W Bush
Why do you think it went to Panetta because he's an expert on misappropriation of funds for personal gain, personally, he can see it and identify it cuz he does it! Why you got a problem with that?? ha hA...remember it's don't do as I do, do as I say.
What a stupid comment. Can you explain to me why it is inappropriate for the Secretary of Defense to travel on military aircraft even if the trip is to his home and family? Like the article says, "no one wants the secretary of defense making decisions on classified military operations from the middle seat on a crowded JetBlue flight." Moron.
I'll bet money the Commander in Chief will give him a pass.
How much?
BlameTard
Pat Carr: regarding your comment below. I believe we are still in Iraq. So, you have to ask POTUS obama why he is also wasting govt money over there.
Al Sharpton will be here soon to defend him - If Al does not show, the General still has a good chance of getting off because he gave 9 Secret Service officers as character references...
Al sharpton is dimwit...
Atleast he is on the side of the people and not the 1%.
maximusvad, please don't tell me you still believe in thos two guys. Esp after how they showed their butts in the Travon Martin situation
So he's a dimwit for the people....nice
African American people are even getting tired of the Al Sharptons and Jessie Jacksons in the US. Their time has passed.
THANK YOU mikrik13 It is time for those two to go away. I have been trying to get that msg out for years. The Travon Martin situation explains why those two need to just go away!!!!
Retirement with 3 star versus 4 star pay?!?!?!?! The man should be in the brig and then mustered out with a dishonorable discharge and left with no retirement. what a crock.
Way over the top!
wat do yeah expect..dogg?
@sam Would you like a tissue?
yup Sam is a cry-baby typical democrat !....no pun intended.
If that's the case, They should DEMOTE Obama for doing the same thing.
Just come out of your coma after Bush left office?
Alex
If that's the case, They should DEMOTE Obama for doing the same thing
--
Did they demote Bush?
People died when Bush lied.
He is a military guy but he rolls like Rock Star?...unbelievable.
Why is this big news for the military and the public? Others have done far worse and have gotten off, Look at Senator Edwards, Kennedy and Bernie Madoff etc. You news organizations only headline something like this against the military because he is "BLACK" in the "MILITARY" and is a "FOUR STAR GENERAL". Why did you not headline the story about the naval submariner who tried to fake his death or even the best one of them all that never got any air time the "WHITE" "COLONEL" in the "ARMY" in Europe who last month was found not really guilty of defrauding the government for hundreds of thousands of dollars, when there was a paper trail that would circle the earth. illegally forging paperwork that showed he divorced his wife, without her even knowing, Illegally removing her and their children from all benefits and medical privileges.etc,etc, and more etc's. This all involved his "IRAQI" concubine from Iraq and her family that he helped to move to Europe so she could be with him. Oh yeah! one more thing did I fail to mention that he graduated from "WEST POINT" and is the son of a "RETIRED GENERAL" and he was on the fast track to become a general also. Why don't you run that story and see how it compares.
Dear Sam, last time I checked Bernie Madoff was in prison for life.
Last time I checked, Kennedy is dead and Edwards? ehm...AWOL with his girl friend.
AMEN!!! CNN should run that story. If that doesn't prompt the politicians to get involved in revamping the UCMJ there is no hope. For the most part, the enlisted are the ones that fear the UCMJ and courts martials, not officers. COL Johnson's story epitomizes the difference between what would happen to an enlisted compared to an officer.
So using your logic we shouldn't prosecute anyone ever again because others have gotten away with it in the past?? Look out MENSA!! You must be guilty of committing a few crimes me guess!!
Actually, sam, CNN did run that story about the Col in Europe. You must have missed it while following Obama on his golfing & campaign tour of the US.
He must be a democrat since all blacks are democrats ! no pun intended.
I am white. You are an idiot with your racist views. No pun intended.
You must be democrat too!!!...Speak the same language.
You mean black Democrats like Herman Cain and Michael Steele?
(I'm being sarcastic.)
No, he means Black, like J.C. Watts, I'm sure.
Condaleeza Rice is a Republican
Davidbarak: you must be democrat too..and will put y'all self back in chains...
Stupid comment! Another moron whose cowardice speaks volumes!
He should have joined the GSA and then he would not have to worry about how much of the taxpayer's money he spend on travel plans, the justice department would have forgiven him and then blamed President Bush problem of over spending like the Obama staff did.
Why don't you stick to the facts of the story instead of trying to push your political agenda. That goes for the democrats who slam Bush as well.
WOW! This is great. Under these guide lines, we can demote ALL members of Congress who 1. have not been performing at the approbriate level for decades, 2. Misuse travel funds, 3. inapprobriate spending. They could work as coat room cleks at local restaurants even though that might be a little hard for them to do (they have to read the ticket numbers and basic reading of numbers is WAY beyond their education level.
If you're so much smarter than they are why aren't you in congress? or President? If you're gonna say money, well why aren't you rich? Genius.
We probably deserve our elected officials. Election after election, we hear calls to "throw the bums out" only to replace them with more bums. Maybe if we weren't such mindless sheep and so likely to be swayed by buzz words and advertising, maybe if we were capable of a little actual thought, then maybe we wouldn't elect people who come up with phrases like "peacekeeper missile" and "preemptive self-defense" and tell us they're going to cut taxes, raise military spending, and balance the budget. We like the bu!!sh!t. We lap it up.
Inappropriate travel expenses? Looks like he's been taking lessons from Michelle Obama.
Well...the guy is black so he will learn from Mrs. Obama who is black too !....no pun intended.
Dat's rite, Johny Can't-Even-Spell-His-Own-Name Utah, all dem blacks jus be lookin' roun', here and dare, jus be lookin' to each udder see how dey ack. An' ain't nobody gon' do nuttin' 'til dey done seen its right by seein' somebody else do whatevuh it wuz dey was gonna do...like votin' and all such like dat...we juz wait and see who all be votin' fo' who...you dayum right...
And Bush with his 800+ days of vacation or did you forget to include that bit of info?
No big deal. We know the only reason that he made General, anyway. The promotions surely came quick for him, and they can go away just as fast.
You stupid racist f_cks.
No one is above the law. They should make an example of him that will serve as a deterrent to others.
He needs to be charged according to the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) the same as anyone else would be for THEFT and EMBEZZLEMENT, and suffer the same punishment as any other member of the military. Otherwise it sends a message of "once you reach a certain rank you can get away with anything" !!!!!!! Whats good for an E1 is damn sure good enough for an O-10 !!! Plain and simple, why is there any discussion at all???? Charge him, if found guilty fine him, reduce his rank, jail him, and dishonorably discharge him!
How many O-10s do you know that does not have a staff of O-9s and below that is suppose to catch and filter everthing before it get to the desk of a Commanding General. GOs are very suspect about what they sign their name on. His staff of Senior leaders failed him.
Why not apply the same standards to our government (ie GSA, Congress, etc)? The difference is that the military understands ACCOUNTABILITY. I am sure this General will step down if he is found guilty of wrongdoing. No appeals, no lawyers, no Presidential privilege.
LMAO!!!!! You are right, he will just fade away. He has already had his retirement ceremony. If there is no courts martial, he will just go to the house with a big check. What would he need a lawyer for? I truly doubt that he is concerned with how his name is written GEN William Ward, USA, RET or LTG William Ward, USA, RET when he checks his account on the 1st of the month. If they were trying to send him to jail he would not go quietly, that is for sure.
I retired at 24 years as an enlisted Soldier. And I am here to tell you if this were an enlisted Soldier he would have been Court Martialed. Not just demoted and still retire with a nice pay check!
I served in the Army and worked at my battalion headquarters directly with the officers. They ALL did that. Every single one of them in one way or another. It's unfortunate this guy is black because it's brought the heartless, mind numbingly ignorant bigots out in droves.
So you think it is okay to steal from the taxpayers with bogus travel claims?! Maybe you should join him and your former buds in jail – if the world was run right! It is true though that once you reach a certain level in the Gov't you are pretty much untouchable as far as punishment for crimes and other misdeeds (this needs to be changed immediately).
You are absolutely right jaintn ! They all do it ! My son in law, I have NO respect for him and he's an MP. They stay at the expensive hotels, and eat the best food, with tax papers money. They work fours a day, take 2 hour lunches, and go to the gym for 2 hours. They all do this at the office, not to mention all of the other things they do and get away with.
If an enlisted guy did this he would be demoted to E-1 then discharged.
I do not condone what this man alledgedly did. Race is irrelevant – we ALL came from the same place orginally. This man has HONORABLY and COURAGEOUSLY served this county for however long, and he has reached a remarkable rank in his career. He deserves his FULL rank retirement because he won't get anything ELSE from his government contributions! What confounds me is that the presidential canidates can spend RIDICULOUS millions of dollars spewing hate and lies, and we are going to threaten demotion of a man who has protected this country for most of his adult life.
SHAMEFUL!
Yup! He made the choices. We are judged by an employer for our entire tenure, not just MOST of it.
A demotion????? How about this: "YOU'RE FIRED"
So the guy lacks integrity and judgment.....let's have him retain rank as a military official.
He would fit perfectly in obama's administration. He surely can get a job in the most corrupt government there ever was.
Don't you mean Bush and his lie for a war in Iraq and don't forget about the good 'ol Reagan administration and Iran/Contra.
I personally worked for Gen. Ward and I will tell you that he displayed impeccable integrity.
I wish I could cut-and-paste this entire discussion board into the next conversation I have where white people (I'm also white) are passionately claiming that anti-black racism and bigotry are gone. The flagrant and unashamed racism on display in many of these comments makes me honestly wonder if the KKK sent out a tweet or something telling their members to all log on and comment on this blog.
It didn't take long for someone to play the worn-out race card. Please, please, come up with something new.
It's called the KKK so the inbred, illiterate only have to remember one letter. It makes it easier for them to remember how to spell their group's name. And you expect them to be able to blog?? You might be expecting too much from that gene pool.
I agree that the level of intolerance displayed in these comments is very sad.
It's insulting to everyone to say he was a General because he is black. Have you ever thought someone gets promoted because he is white and received a favor from a white friend. When you are black, its ten times as hard to get promoted because you don't have the networking power of some whites.
Rodney, don't complain about a situation that Affirmative Action created, unless you want to get rid of Affirmative Action.
Affirmative Action is real, promotions and job/college admissions happen based on it all the time, so it is personally reasonable for people to suspect it played a part in this man's promotion, as it almost certainly did at some or several points in his career.
If you don't want people to question whether a promotion was really earned by a minority, you have to get rid of official policies that advance people before others based on 'minority' race.
Hey DUMBAZZ,
There is no Affirmative Action in the military. This man earned and deserved his rank. This is coming from a white Marine. Now he will earn and deserve his demotion. His race has nothing to do with it.
@USMC oh but there is. It may not be as flagrant, but there is. There still is. And there has been for decades. Especially when it comes time for a star. Please don't speak of things you are not knowledgeable of. With a view like that you have obviously not reached the level of rank that requires a centralized board (or Congress) to promote you. You're probably also still on your first enlistment if you think that highly of the Corps, the rest of the military, or any other good-old-boy system that's in place. This is coming from an Army vet.
Randy do you know that for sure that they have to select a certain amount of black Generals? Where are you getting your facts from? If it is mandated by law then it should be public record then right? That we had choice but to select and promote him because we were one shy of meeting our quota?
At least they put him in charge of the right part of world, you know blacks they will take anything not nailed down and sometimes that too. I mean look at Obama and family, flying around in separate planes will 100 friends.
At least they have friends. I'm sure you're home alone trolling the internet...
And I'm sure Bush did the same on his 800+ vacations. Got anything new?
I was a budget analyst at AFRICOM from 2008 to 2010 and I'll tell you that innapropriate travel expenses was not the only hokey thing that was going on there under Kip Ward. I sent a letter to the DoD IG AND GSA and the reply that I got from them was they could see nothing wrong.
DoD IG is useless! I have went to them before as well about inappropriate things. They don't investigate anything deeply and take comments at face value. If GEN Ward said that he did nothing wrong they would say okay. You were probaby fired or administratively moved from your position if you went to them over something like that. If you were moved it was because you were a problem, lol. The machine continues to roll!!!
Sounds like the U.N. Completely worthless.
Cant swing a dead cat without hitting a four-star general
I've always wondered.....why would you swing a dead cat in the first place?
LOL, I never undestood it either.
The "cat" in the aphorism does not refer to a kitty, it refers to the "Cat o' Nine Tails" which was a whip used in the British Navy to flog offenders as a punishment
Waiting for the "race card" to be played.
Race card played as soon as it is known a person in question is black. Do we know via CNN of every single solitary demotion of generals, white or black? Ooops, race card played.
Tell that to LTGEN Patrick O'Reilly. His azz is about to get demoted, and he's white...
This is disgusting. When you think of what enlisted personnel get paid, and what they have to do. This guy sits in his ivory tower. This guy could take a lesson from Schwartzkopf, who during the first Persian Gulf war stayed in a low-rent hotel room while commanding the whole war. THAT is someone that soldiers can look up to, and be proud to serve under.
I can definitely think of more "disgusting" things than this. Let's see, was it not some white service man who killed and buried his service member girlfriend in his backyard? Disgusting. This faux outrage by white people is in a word, "disgusting".
He didn’t say this was the MOST degusting thing. You’ll need a better defense of this man’s actions that pointing fingers at others. By your logic we should ignore a political corruption because someone else actually k!lled someone.
he'll retire at 4 stars. Regardless if they demote him to 3 or not
Don't worry. Obama and Holder will step in like they did with the black panthers and shut this down for the obvious reason.
Obama 2012
You must be the most idiot, racist, and a low life man that has nothing bright in your life to think and say things like this. You are a disgrace to human race.
Turn off Fixed News.
Congratulations, your post makes no sense.
What do you mean? Are you stating an opinion or stating Army policy?
Affirmative Action strikes again.
You're a fvcking moron
Yeah that a fool
Dear Lord, Please rid our country of EVERY SINGLE racist/bigot/white supremicist. Thank you in advance. Sincerely, MollyBee
Goes both ways, MollyBee....not since the Rookie-in-Chief ascended his throne has this country been so divided by obvious racism from some black Americans....Black Panthers with automatic weapons at a polling location doesn't cause you to lose sleep over your latte?
Or citizens coming to an Obama rally carrying weapons?
that sorry A GW left this a mess and you know it...... only had his agenda in mind; haven't heard from that fool since.... you and him are wipes.........
Just as much as the guy in the suit with his AR-15 at a republican political rally. Guess your black guy & my black guy can get together & exchange pleasantries.
http://www.coloradopols.com/diary/10092/why-bring-a-machine-gun-to-a-political-rally
What about the black supremacists and jewish supremacists? If you only want to get rid of the white ones, then you are racist, and your own prayer might make you disappear.
you are right; there are supemacists and extremists in all classes, races, .......no one is exempt....
Dear Lord, Please rid our country of EVERY SINGLE racist/bigot/black panther. Thank you in advance. Sincerely, bark obammy
MollyBee – 90% of the "racism" is perpetuated by BLACKS. Every single time something doesn't go the way a black person wants, they scream RACISM. However, when Affirmative Action sends a MORE QUALIFIED white person away, that person is to just say "Oh ok, It's the best thing for this country".
GET RID OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. A PERSON SHOULD BE PROMOTED/ACCEPTED/GRADUATED BASED ON THEIR MERIT AND ABILITY NOT THE COLOR OF SKIN!!!
Because of Affirmative Action, look what we ended up with in the WH!
How in the H E L L did affirmative action put some one in the White House? White people put President Obama in the White House and I for one hope they do it again....
Woo!! Woo!! Texan, you've hit the nail right on the head, my friend, by telling it like it is! I am with you 100% on this and sure hope and pray President Obama gets a well-deserved Second Term in office! The alternative, Romney and what's his name, is a very Scary thought that would leave most Americans stripped bare and holding our front with one hand and our rear with the other under their kind of administration of CUTS. OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!!
To the forces that be please get rid of MollyBee.
That's a real hateful thing to say. I thought you were better than that... guess not.
If he appolgises Obama will let him off the hook.
Come on Obama, can't you help a brother out?
If Michelle can do it why not him ?????
Oh, look, more children posting unsupervised on CNN and showing the world what they learned from their daddies.
in your defense, "apologize" IS a fowr silluhbull word
fvcking idiot
You're not so bright yourself Sparky.
In your defense, sentences begin with a capital letter.
I have to agree with you there. I've read a number of his posts and he really should look in the mirror once in awhile.
Spell much?Think much?
Not surprising, since Congress had to approve his 3rd and 4th star...
congress basically just follows the recommendations of the pentagon genius
They will never get any type of punishment past Jesse J or Al the race baiter Sharpton, you are picking on him just because he is black.
Not really true, J Jackson and Co hate anyone in a military uniform and concider blacks who wear one as traitors to thier race.
Wow... Promoted because he's black.... What a crock of crap. WTH is wrong with you people... I'm a retired Marine... Do you think the reason I was promoted was because I was black? I guess that is one of the check blocks that the board looks at when promoting people... Is the selectee black? Check. Promote him. Holy jesus man... Makes me laugh that you idiots have no clue. Semper Fi.
Finally...a voice of reason!
Well I don't know about the USMC, but the US Army definately has a quota along racial lines for promotion.
The USMC does also.
USMCBBALLER – You may have very well been promoted because of your race. The military has an affirmative action policy, which means that we'll never know if you were really the best candidate for promotion, just the best black candidate. Semper Fi
Sooo.. my medals meant absolutely nothing. Expert on the Rifle and Pistol. My Combat tour in Iraq, 1st Class PFT. College classes so on and so forth....
@USMCBBALLER
No one has suggested that. However.. affirmative action is a legal mandate not a myth. You may well have deserved all those metals and even the promotions but that doesn’t mean you race wasn’t a factor. Wake up man.
Alas, another person who does not understand what Affirmative Action means.
USMCBBALLER – I know alot of Marines with alot medals who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, who not only have college courses but degrees. You can't believe that you were the only Marine qualifying expert with both pistol and rifle and 1st class pft. I'm just saying that we'll never know if you were the best person for promotion. By the way, thanks for all of your service. I do appreciate it.
Ok I know what AA is and do I agree with it? Maybe... A few years back, the university of Michigan sent out 10 resumes with 5 that would appear that the applicant was white and the other 5 black. The KSA's of the black resumes we're much better and much more qualified for the job over the white resumes but the sad part was that companies would email/call the white applicants over the blacks... That's truly sad. I mean, my boss dang near creamed himself at my interview for my current job. 20 years experience in IT helped land me the Deputy Director position. 🙂 Anyway, yes I would hope that I was selected because I was the best qualified. Also I don't see AA with military promotion board since the board is made up of 21 voting members of all races.
Umm how about reduction in grade, forfeiture of pay, and 6 months confinement!! Had this been an enlisted perosn, they'd be thrown out with a dishonorable discharge and at least 6 months confinement. I've seen it happen! Just because he's a top ranking officer he gets special treatment. I'd love to audit all his vouchers!!
Under the high three, his retirement benefit will be at the 4 Star rank if I'm correct. I was a Gunny in the Marines ( E-7) when I retired. If I had gotten busted to Private, I still would have received GySgt retirement pay because It was my highest rank achieved in my last three years. At least that's what I was led to believe (Sea Lawyers)... Now my discharge status would have been knocked down to Other than Honorable maybe but who knows...
This guy must be from the Detroit Political machine.
Those of us who had interaction with General "Kip" Ward while on active duty are hardly surprised. Back then (I'm only talking about a few years ago) we couldn't believe this guy had one star much less four. The corruption is only on top of very average (i'm being generous here) leadership skills. The Army, my Army, should be ashamed for promoting this officer.
He was only promoted because he's black.
So you personally sat on his promotion board?
Yeah no crap dumb@$$... You should keep your pie hole shut cause you don't have a clue moron....
feeling inferior, Andy?
Notice that is is a bIack gay spending our money just like odopey does...I've seen a lot of bIacks back east steal things that and try to pass the things that they they took from someones else and try to pass them off as their own like a fancy car or something that looks out of place for them to own...they think that they have to be the big guy or a super star when they are nothing but a lazy worthless pile of amphibian shhit...then when they get caught they lie and say you just did this because I'm bIack...no they did it because your an idio! so now this gay will try to play the race card...wait and see.
Reading your comment gave me a headache. Go take a grammar class.
And you're not playing the race card? Your entire spout is anti black which makes you a bigot.
you have issues...
what about Powell.
I'm embarrassed for you because you are talking about a man who made it to the rank of 4 star General and you could not complete a sentence of a fourth grader. I can assume alot about your education and your views on race but I think you told enough.
Treat him the same as you would treat an enlisted man. That will gain the respect of the UCMJ among the troops. To allow him to retain his 4 star rank sends the wrong message: ie the "brass" are better than the common soldier and don't have to follow the rules.
Being demoted is just about pride, but his check will most likely not change. Unless there is something written for this particular situation he would at least receive 75% of the average of his last three years of base pay or may be under Final Pay. Not sure how this last year as a two-star would effect that though. Anyway, under a newly passed law his pay has been limited under law, but in retirement he would receive 75% of the uncapped amount (passed in the last year). In GEN Ward's situation, if no change in pay has occurred, he could actually make more money in retirement than he did serving. Bottom line, his pride is the only thing being determined, but his pay will not suffer and he will head some Defense business making six figures shortly after retirement.
no, he won't. He'll be a token black board member on a few corporations after the scandal dies down. Unless the details of what he actually did become public somehow. If he were not black, this would be a front page story on the NYT. I'm sure CNN was reluctant to even cover it. Notice how deeply it's buried. you also don't seem to "get it" that for a 4 star general–esp a black one–to have this happen, the behavior was so egregious that it was beyond any possible justification.
I have been in over 22 years and worked for general officers and actually met GEN Ward when he was a one-star. I do "get it" though. His spending will be excessive, but if he is not referred to a courts martial then nothing will happen and he will still be an advisor to some big defense business in DC like most of the other retired general officers. There is no scandal here, at least yet. He travelled nearly daily in that job and probably made some bad decisions on his travel vouchers. This will be the extent of it. He will receive a slap on the wrist and be allowed to retire with no real punishment. If he went to courts martial he will most likely be just fine. Look at the recent events with COL Johnson III. If he were enlisted this would have never made it to the news, he would have been kicked out without retirement benefits and nobody would be interested. Officers are not treated the same and real punishments under UCMJ are reserved for the enlisted.
the high 3 rules and such all go out the window when you are faced with a forced retirement at a lower rank. so if sec def decides to bust him, he wont receive the highest average it would be based off of the last honorable rank served
Nitro, thanks for clarifying that as I was not sure how that played into it. I only know that he will still receive a large paycheck at the end of the day.
an enlisted service member wouldnt get such consideration. He should get demoted to butterbar and drummed out
real class comments here. hate much?
As someone who has served alongside Gen Ward, he is a true gentleman and exceptional military Officer. He has served this nation for nearly 40 years. His leadership skills were impeccable and he was truly a friend and advocate of every Army Soldier. If he made poor decisions then he will be held accountable, as he should be. He has a host of JAG officers and ethics advisors who failed to prevent this and should be held accountable as well. Good luck Gen Ward.
to follow up that comment, like a good General he took the blame and fall!!
You're either a liar or you have no idea how the upper echelons of the military work. you know he has a private jet on standby at all times and that whenever he travels, he stays in 5 star hotels. That's a given. so, yes, his "ethics advisor" should take the blame for the general spending millions of dollars on mistresses or whatever it was? Look at how Obama is fighting to keep Holder as a black AG. For a 4 star general to face this, his behavior was EGREGIOUS and you either know it or you are brainless.
horsefly23, this case sounds like one we had in Canada a few years back. Col Reno Vanier. To the troops he was a great guy, a good leader and an accomplished officer. Behind the scenes he was committing fraud, obstructing justice and got his aid pregnant (he was married with other children). Our military leaders must have impeachable conduct, they MUST be absolutely above reproach. I was a military policeman and investigated these type of files and unfortunately some of our senior officers do not conduct themselves in this manner. They should pay the price just like any other member of the armed forces or civilan.
You must be black.
Horsefly23, you are correct that GEN Ward had JAGs to advise him. The problem was that GEN Ward ignored the advice of the lawyers. He created an environment at AFRICOM where the law, rules and regulations did not apply and were regularly ignored. GEN Ward and his spouse lived, traveled and acted like they were the President and the First Lady. He was corrupted by power and will soon find out he is not above the law.
I work for the Army. Every 4-star general has a plane on standby. That is just part of being a 4-star. In the long run it saves huge amounts of money for DoD. Officers who serve at this level are basically on call to go to washington to brief their bosses or congress on very short notice. Rarely do they go alone because of the requirements of their job they will take an XO, a speech writer and probably a couple of additional support staff. So having military planes available to support them saves A LOT of money vs making flight arrangements for 6 ppl who need to depart withing 24 hours. It also means they can move out when necessary vice hoping they can get on a commercial flight. RE saying that they always stay in 5-star hotels....that's a little far fetched. I've done protocol for the army for 25 years. They don't as a rule stay in 5-star hotels...usually they stay on post at the installation they are visiting for security reasons. If they do stay off post...it probably would be a nicer hotel for a number of reasons...and most of those reasons have to do with security. I don't know this general personally...and I am certain that if these charges have become publick knowledge there has been quite an indepth investigation and he has in fact done some things extremely wrong. I'd be interested to know what's going on with the investigation of LTG Patrick O'Reilly...another high level Army GO accused of horrible conduct.
This issue is not a matter of personal opinion of what you or I or anyone else thinks or believes that a general officer deserves for accommodations when traveling.....the guidance is clearly spelled out.
It's called the JTR or "Joint Travel Regulation."
Follow the JTR and you'll never go wrong. Violate it and you are subject to prosecution.
It's just that simple.
No worries, Obambi won't let pathetica make an example of his homie!!!
learn to spell and maybe just maybe you be the example for stupid!!
they can't because of racism . Didn't you read it
learn to spell and maybe just maybe you be the example for stupid!!
Learn to spell...
How did this low life thug even make General? Was it a result of affirmative action? This thug exhibites the same kind of unethical traits that I see from minimum wage low life thugs I work with.
you're obviously a racist....go back to the south where you came from!
you're an idiot, ive met more white meth riddled trailer trash racist pieces of sh*** living in new england than i did living in the south. im not from the south, the midwest, but when i lived in the south i didnt have to deal with nearly as many idoiots harassing me over being black as i did when i moved north.
wow can we say KKK!!! Im suprised can use a computer with the stupid and ignorant comment that you just made!!
If it is ignorance it’s not stupidity. Get a dictionary.
Wasting all this tax payer money,spending like crazy...who does he think he is ..a politician?
Well, if Michelle can do it......
The days of ecessive military waste are over my friend. Until Romeny is elected that is. Then the military spending goes wild.
Does that include your dear leader Obama's 70+ golf trips and vacations per year? If you are going to spread manure, spread it evenly you left wing nut job.
all presidents golf and vacation....bush was out of office more than any other for vacations you moron....also romney will NOT win....a lot of americans are total morons and will vote for him...but thank me, not enough!
Either you don't do a lot of REAL research, or your nose is growing and your tongue is forked. Keep drinking the kool-aid!
in first year of office
carter – 19
obama to 26 days vacation – many of those were just weekends...not real vacations.
reagan 42
bush #1 – 40
george w. – over 82
Obama spends more time on vacation than any 10 "public servants" cobined. Heck, I guarantee he spends more time on vacation than any CEO even, because people in private industry have to actually show up to work to not go belly up. Obama doesn't care if we go belly up, that's the difference.
Prior to Iraq, the last Republican President to take the US into a war was Lincoln.
I'm sure most of the posts on here are from people that never served in the military so they have no concept of what this means to him. His demotion will be a horrible mark on his 25-35+ career. His "crime" while in the 'Thousands" is it, 2,000, 5,000 or 750,000? If it's $5,000 it amounts to a truck driver lying about the gas mileage on a cross country trip. This "crime" will not only take down his rank it will be a major dishonor for him the rest of his life and it cost him some retirement cash as well. Believe me, I recently saw the presidents motorcade fly through my city for what amounted to a 10 second view and he had no less than 10 city police cars and several SS vehicles as well and they stopped all traffic signals for 8 blks prior to it crossing. This does not even count all the cops there were parked at major intersections. He wasn't getting out of the SUV so tell me, why did he need so may taxpayer funded policeman in his escort? Now tell me, who is stealing taxpayer money?
Good to see you're so concientious about our Presidents" ", misuse of tax funds...if you were consistent over the duration of your 'awareness of the 'theft', and misdeeds of ALL Presidents, you'd comment might hold water; but you're clearly using a pail with no bottom.
so stealing from our taxpayers and protecting the commander in chief are the same....i already know you are a moron b/c you were in the military so we don't need to check your IQ.
A moron because you served in the military huh. Clearly you are an undereducated nutjob who has no clue what you are talking about. Let me remind you that a 4 star General will often have 1-3 Masters Degrees and even a Doctorate in some cases. Choose your words carefully when speaking of the military, you wouldnt want them coming after you...
And you have the audacity to call yourself God???? Bashing the military. Let me guess you enlisted then got booted out in Basic training because you couldn't adapt. Being a Drill Sergeant I recognize it. You were too stupid to be able to conform.
so you were a general? unlikely dude....you were a regular shmoe who couldn't get into college and thought you'd get fed for free by joining the military.....you were real hero..support the troops while they make money for the rich...genius!
@ghyhu – so here in the good old USA we DON'T have freedom to express ourselves without fear of retaliation from our gov't and you support that? MUST BE A REPUBLICAN!
Is this particular General serving under this particular President going to get a pass on this one? The customary action is a general courtmartial. If he walks on this, Obama loses the respect and support of every serving military officer.
You are sadly mistaken. The individual would only be court martialed if he/she were enlisted. If it is an officer the typical response is to brush it under the carpet. He may retire one rank lower, but will still retain significant benefits instead of being put in prison for theft. If you don't believe me then all you need to do is look at even some of the more recent cases involving officers and their misdeeds.
@D: You are mistaken, and you obviously hold a grudge against officers. If you would take the time to do a little research, you will find there are a number of former officers incarcerated at Ft. Leavenworth. Hence, your premise is flat WRONG!
There are bad apples in every rank and senior position within the government.
I think the ship has sailed on whether Obama has the respect of military personnel in general. He lost it a long time ago...
I think the respect thing is LONG GONE!
Don't all generals and admirals do that nowadays? After all, the right-wing fanatics in Washington throw away enough on the military as it is! This is going to continue as long as the right-wingers keep getting themselves elected over and over again!
Aren't you due to go back to CVS to refill your anti-idiot medication?
Thanks, Hof. I couldn't have said it, better!
PUNK!
Can't a niqqro lives jussa little bit? He buy some ribs an some Sammy Davis Jr records an some malt liquor.
In the dictionary beside the word idiot is your picture.
No one bats an eye when Congressmen and Senators wrack up huge travel expenses why should senior military members be any different, I'm not justifying what General Ward did but its no secret Generals can make a whole lot more in the private sector. A 4 Star is a very prestigious rank, a 4 Star and his family is expected to live in a certain way. A generation ago, most high ranking military guys had family money, but when the US is now looking for diversity and promoting generals that didn't even graduate from USMA, they should be more understanding and increase their expense accounts. Is a 4 Star's family really going to fly coach?
Chris, you are out of your mind. the only generals who ever had "family money" were Patton and probably Roosevelt's son. A 4 star general has a private jet on standby 24 hours a day. for them to make a big issue of this–esp given the "diverse" nature of the individual– we're talking in the tens of millions here. A general lives like royalty already. If they revealed the level of theft here, if would shut you up in a hurry.
Chris, your comment about "didn't even graduate from USMA" requires a reply!
Some of the best commanders I ever worked for were OCS graduates who had spent time as enlisted soldiers before getting their commission.
Also, I've worked with lots of ROTC officers who went to schools at least as prestigious as the Academy.....such as Duke, Stanford, Princeton, and Purdue.
These comments are not intended in any way to diminish our superb national resource at West Point but only to illustrate that isn't the only course of action possible to becoming a great officer and leader.
Chris, you are nearly totally misinformed. Many senior officers are somewhat wealthy, but not filthy rich like an athlete, and it's not due to inheritance.
Many senior officers use the same self-discipline used in their daily life, and apply it to consistent, long-term investing in stocks, mutual funds, and property. After 20 or more years, those disciplined investments pay off, and a significant percentage of senior officers have a net worth in the millions.
He should be made to pay back the money and be demoted and retired
Interesting concept. Break the law and be demoted and allowed to retire.
Doesn't Panetta fly home most weekends at a cost of thousands of dollars to the tax payer?
It's equal to you lying about the gas you used on your cross country truck driving job to get a few extra bucks in your pocket. I'm guessing he also has 25-35 years in service so they are letting him go gracefully and he will have this dishonor with him for the rest of his life. This is a very huge penalty for him for a very very petty thing. He will not be retiring as a 4-star so this cost him retirement cash as well.
you have NO idea how much $ it was yet and you call it petty...perhaps but we don't know....if it's $100,000 is that petty?
NO, it really isn't equivalent to a trucker lying about his gas mileage. You people don't seem to understand the perks that come with being a general. Not only was there theft involved here, but I STRONGLY suspect there is an illegitimate child with a subordinate involved here. For a general to face this kind of public disgrace, the offense has to be EGREGIOUS. Especially given that he's black and was given the appointment in the first place as a poster boy for "diversity" in the army.
$100,000? for a General, YES, that is petty and he never would have received any sort of public opprobrium for it.
50 UK police stormed Ecuador embassy. Julian Assange arrested.
You keep going on with that rant – they have threatened to, they have done nothing yet, no decision is expected until Thursday.
I'm sorry to report to the decenters that nobody rises to 4 stars in the military by just being an African American. They had to go through all the officer ranks, serve honorably, be educated, place their butts on the line more than once, be a diplomat, serve under other Generals as aids, and survive promotion boards. The "man" earned his 4 stars and should be allowed to retire at that level.
The next question is who turned him in and why? Being in command of the African Theater would dictate that certain customs and gifts be given to keep the locals happy and aligned with the USA. To think other wise is being ignorant of the ways of the world, especially the 3rd world countries.
The man stole U.S. taxpayer money.
Ya a few thousand dollars. You've probably stole more...
Leave the General alone, the man deserves all as an infantry 4 star general...God Bless you sir
I'm sorry, but with those four stars comes responsibility and a higher than usual ethical code. He should be demoted to three stars and retired. On another note Chico, those congressmen jack billions of our taxpayers dollars every year. What he 'stole' is a drop in the bucket in comparison.
Yes and we as Americans keep voting them into office everytime re-election comes around. So who's to blame?
test
guess he forgot his oath, hang him.
Wrong decade, wrong region, wrong crime.
Before everyone jumps off that 10m Olympic dive board, i believe in America you are innocent until proven guilty. The fact that as an African American Army Officer he spent almost 4 decades in uniform through the majority of the wars of this century should warrant him the suspension of instant vilification. Though some of you will simply continue with your irrelevant babel about the President and other figures elected that you do not agree with.
You need to go back and reread the article. This investigation has been going on for over a year. They have had him in casual status for that time. That is no laughing matter or in any way trivial. If it got this far then had it been anyone from colonel down to a private they'd have met a courts martial by now. If the only thing that happens is that he is not put in to retire as a four star general then he has gotten off extremely lightly. (And retirement at the three and four star grade is not automatic....they must be nominated to be retired at that way or it automatically reverts to the last rank they were "promoted" to versus nominated to....which is two star.) And, as a side note, people don't suddenly start do this as a four star.... if investigators went back to when he pinned on that first star they would no doubt start to see inklings of it here and there which grows as their rank and power grows.
Kelcy,
Kudos to you! Your posting is the most intelligent one I've seen on this article!
And you are absolutely correct. I've seen several soldiers get court-martialed over the years for BAH fraud and TDY fraud.....and in every case the investigators found that the abuse had been going on for years before they were actually caught.
That's why these investigations take so long.....they look at every DD form 1610 you ever filed and every PCS move you ever made. So it might very well take a year to complete the investigation. But when it's done, the court-martial is an open & shut case......in fact, many soldiers just go ahead and plea bargain since they know they're caught.
It's a lot different than other types of cases of misconduct that depend upon "he said / she said" testimony because there is a paper trail right that in black & white that cannot be denied.
So many stupid posts with flagrant and subtle hints of Race. I know, that's how you were raised in the trailer park. You very smart people (in gest of course) think he is the only flag officer over the years who crossed the line? You know nothing; flag officers have used their position to excess for many years. Some will dial it back now while Ward walks the planks and when heads are turned, back to their usual ways. And all you writing pundits and race baiters will fire up your computers and once again, humor us with your ignorant posts. @ Melanie, I join you in throwing up at these fools.
I think many people are just following the example given us by our President.
I had a CO that could not carry an infrantryman's load for 15 miles on is feet. This was the Marines, infantry. Hopefully Frank Mckenzie is no longer in charge of anyone.
So in other words you got your panties in a bunch because it was an officer.
If this was a Command Sergeant Major, he'd be busted to Private, do time in Leavenworth, and then be dishonorably discharged with no benefits. But since it's a General, he gets demoted one grade and allowed to retire. Disgusting.
Nonsense. A CSM would not be busted down to Private in this case. Please stop the hyperbole.
Totally disagree. I am a retired CSM. If I had done this I would probably been reduced to e4 and sent on my way. Oh by the way since I served at least 3 years as a e9 I would have recieved e9 pay even though reduced to a lower pay grade. Look up former SMA McKinney and see what he punishment was. Reduced to MSG (e8) and retired. Guess what I bet he receives e9 pay even with his MSG ID card.
Hey, go easy on him. He is just following the example of his commander in chief.
What part of this do you not get?
http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2007-07-10-voa61-66566757/555223.html
Melanie, just becaue he was appointed by George Bush doesn't mean his reckless spending is Bush's fault. Unless of course you are a Obamacrat and then everthing is Bush's fault. What part of my suggestion that Ward is only following the example of Barack Obama don't you get?
@MKRiley: If this man's actions are not attributable to Bush (who appointed him to the post), why are they in any way attributable to Obama – who was CIC in when he was busted? Your arguments and insinuations fail on their own words. What part of that don't you understand?
Upyers d'nozzle, 30 years at work, it's probably always been this way, he's just exercizing his "rights' as a tax wasting fool.
English please?
Ugh Bush's fault, Obama's fault, would you people PLEASE grow up?
You people make me sick. President Bush appointed him to the Africa command in 2007. He was in no way one of "Eric Holder's people." Your racism is showing.
General Ward was just following White House policy set by Obama to spend, spend, spend on travel! Given that the Obama's charged the taxpayers for their trips to Africa, Spain, Hawaii, and Martha's Vineyard, it's just status quo. Don't forget Malia's trip to Oaxaca, Mexico in March 2012 with 25 Secret Service Agents on a government jet. We're paying for the Obama's world travels with taxpayers monies!
Got that off your chest? Please share all the posts your penned with the former MBA president traveled. By the way, please add the posts that talked about the number of Secret Service agents who accompanied the former president's daughters and they went club hopping. I'm sure you have those stats handy since it is obvious, you are a research genius. Tick tock..tick tock...
A much better reply than I could have produced. Well done Ran.
Ran you must be an Obama supporter and a Democrat becasue you seem terrified of factual information and reality.
It's called stimulating the economy.
we need an african american general but he's not qualified for a real position.......let's create "The first four-star general to command U.S. military operations in Africa"
Your name speak volumes. Did your mom think it up for you when you popped out? Or did you grow into stupid?
He was chosen so he could perform undercover work with the brothers.
It is RACIST to notice one of Eric Holder's people behaving badly.
You are supposed to pretend that it isn't true that Eric Holder's people commit 50% of the US murders while being only 12% of the US population, among other things.
Because 50% of the time they kill each other 90% of the time.
Dumb.
Eric Holder is the Attorney General. A four star general would not be "one of his people". Four star generals belong to the Department of Defense.
it is racist to call this General "his people" when clearly Holder is at the justice dept while the general is at the Pentagon, the only link between the two being their race.
U r so racist, u don't even know it ... u r a piece of stinking crap
Wow, is Eric Holder the father of all black people?
Stolen rims stolen Hummer.....
Another profligate brother.
Outstanding.
Maybe he bought some rims for a decked out hummer...