The Aberdeen Scandal was a military

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

scandal in 1996 at

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...

, a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

base in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. Ultimately, twelve drill instructors were charged with sex crimes; four were sentenced to prison, while eight others were discharged or received

non-judicial punishment In the United States Armed Forces, Non-judicial punishment (NJP) is a disciplinary measure that may be applied to individual military personnel, without a need for a court martial or similar proceedings. General In the United States Armed Force ...

.Steve Vogel
Scandal-Scarred Army Busts Drill Sergeant in Sex-Crime Clampdown
''Washington Post'' (May 14, 2000). Additionally, "letters of reprimand were issued to Aberdeen's commanding general and three other senior officers."

Charges brought against the officers

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Derrick Robertson and

Sergeants Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage from the British ...

Delmar Simpson and Nathanael Beech were accused of participating in the Army's biggest sex abuse scandal on record. Robertson and Simpson faced

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

charges and Beech was charged with

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

.Three soldiers arraigned in U.S. Army sex scandal
/ref> Army Secretary Togo West accused those charged of abusing their power, and ordered all soldiers to undergo

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...

training so they could learn the Army's "

zero tolerance A zero-tolerance policy is one which imposes a punishment for every infraction of a stated rule.zero tolerance, n.' (under ''zero, n.''). The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed. 1989. Retrieved 10 November 2009. Italy, Japan, Singapore China, I ...

" policy towards sexual harassment. The men accused felt that statements made by West and other officials within the Army were prejudging the case and would result in an unfair trial. Robertson's attorney, Jerome Murphy, asked the military judge Linda Webster, to enact a

gag order A gag order (also known as a gagging order or suppression order) is an order, typically a legal order by a court or government, restricting information or comment from being made public or passed on to any unauthorized third party. The phrase may ...

on West and others, but she deferred judgment. However, she did order prospective jurors not to follow media coverage of the case to avoid interference with their judgment.

Individuals involved and outcomes

*Sergeant Delmar Simpson was held at the Marine Corps Brig, Quantico while his court-martial was pending. He was convicted of 18 counts of rape and 29 other offenses, and was sentenced to 25 years in military prison. *Staff Sergeant Vernell Robinson Jr., "was convicted of 19 counts involving the abuse of five women under his command," including

sodomy Sodomy (), also called buggery in British English, principally refers to either anal sex (but occasionally also oral sex) between people, or any Human sexual activity, sexual activity between a human and another animal (Zoophilia, bestiality). I ...

, communicating a threat,

obstructing justice In United States jurisdictions, obstruction of justice refers to a number of offenses that involve unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investiga ...

and disobeying orders.Francis X. Clines
Drill Sergeant Gets 6 Months For Sex Abuse at Army Post
''New York Times'' (May 31, 1997). At his

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

, Robinson "made a dramatic plea for clemency, weeping and beating his head contritely against the witness stand." Robinson was sentenced to six months in prison, demoted to private, forfeited all benefits, and was dishonorably discharged from the military. *Captain Derrick Robertson, a thirty-year old career soldier, was the highest-ranking of the defendants,Captain Enters Guilty Plea In Sexual Abuse of Private
''New York Times'' (March 21, 1997). serving as a

company commander A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are made up of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and struc ...

.Michael E. Ruane
Army Captain, Sergeant Charged in Trainee Rapes
''Philadelphia Inquirer'' (November 8, 1996). He was charged with rape, forcible sodomy, adultery, indecent assault, conduct unbecoming an officer, violating a general order, and obstruction of justice. He pleaded guilty to adultery, consensual sodomy,

conduct unbecoming an officer Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations. Use in the United Kingdom The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of t ...

and

dereliction of duty Dereliction of duty is a specific offense under United States Code Title 10, Section 892, Article 92 and applies to all branches of the US military. A service member who is derelict has willfully refused to perform their duties (or follow a given ...

under a

plea agreement A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include ...

with military prosecutors. His case involved one female soldier.Dana Priest & Jackie Spinner
Close Look at Army Cases Urged
''Washington Post'' (March 13, 1997). Robertson was sentenced to one year in prison, with eight months suspended. * Staff Sergeant Herman Gunter was charged "with rape, assault, adultery, indecent assault, sexual intercourse by fear, conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, violation of a general order, and cruelty and maltreatment for inappropriate sexual comments and harassment"; the allegations involved three female trainees. The Army subsequently dropped the two counts of sexual intercourse by fear. At court-martial, Gunter was acquitted of four of the remaining seven counts (of "indecent assault, adultery, cruelty and maltreatment, and engaging in a forbidden social relationship with one of the two women") but was convicted of inappropriate behavior (by trying to hug and kiss another woman) and of obstructing an investigation (by asking both women not to speak with investigators). Gunter was sentenced to a reprimand and to demotion by two grades.
Associated Press (August 19, 1997). *Sergeant 1st Class William Jones, a drill instructor assigned to B Company of the 16th Ordnance Battalion, was charged with one count of indecent assault involving an ex-trainee (a civilian at the time of the alleged offense), one count of drunkenness on duty, and "seven counts of fraternizing with recruits that involve six female trainees." The Army ultimately dropped the charges, choosing to pursue discharge proceedings instead. *Sergeant 1st Class Theron Brown, an instructor, was "charged with violation of a general order, sodomy, adultery, making a false statement and disobeying a superior's order" in connection with incidents involving two female trainees and one female civilian. Brown was discharged from the service in lieu of court-martial. *Sergeant Nathanael C. Beach, another drill instructor, was charged with "violation of a superior's order, failing to obey a general order, making a false official statement, adultery, communicating a threat and fraternization with a female soldier" for incidents involving two female soldiers. Beach was accused by a trainee "of having sex with her and threatening to kill her if she didn't keep quiet."Some accused in Army sex scandal are cleared
CNN (February 20, 1997). Charges were dropped against Beach, who faced administrative discipline rather than court-martial. *Sergeant Isiah Chestnut was initially charged with a variety of offenses, involving four female trainees, but the Army decided not to pursue a court-martial, choosing Article 15 non-judicial punishment instead.Lisa Respers
Aberdeen soldier won't face court-martial in sex scandal
''Baltimore Sun'' (February 20, 1997). Chestnut was ultimately permitted to resign in lieu of facing court-martial. *Sergeant 1st Class Ronald Moffett "was charged with indecent assault, indecent language, adultery, cruelty and maltreatment, and violating an order prohibiting social relationships with trainees" in a case involving four female soldiers. Moffett agreed to be discharged in lieu of court-martial. *Sergeant Tony Cross, a

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

veteran who had been in the Army for fourteen years,Carl Rochelle
Sergeant accused in Aberdeen sex scandal speaks out
CNN (June 13, 1997). was charged with "adultery, sodomy, wrongfully socializing with trainees and failing to report prohibited relationships" in a case involving four female trainees. Cross maintained his innocence and agreed to be discharged in lieu of court-martial. * Major General John E. Longhouser, the commanding general of Aberdeen Proving Ground, was allowed to take early retirement in 1997 after it was revealed that he had "an adulterous affair with a civilian woman while separated from his wife."Philip Shenon

''New York Times'' (June 3, 1997). The events occurred more than five years before Longhouser's retirement, and before his arrival at Aberdeen. According to the ''New York Times'', Pentagon officials stated that Longhouser "appeared to be retiring partly out of disgust that his entire career would be judged on the basis of what he and others would regard as a minor dalliance."

Fort Leonard Wood scandal

A separate and unrelated scandal took place in 1996 at

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a United States Army, U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri The Ozarks, Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of the city of St. Robert, Missouri, St. Robert. The post was created in De ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

; charges in that case were announced five days before the Aberdeen scandal became public, and the two cases were reported by the media in tandem.Art Pine
Sergeant at 2nd Army Base Admits to Sex With Recruits
''Los Angeles Times'' (November 13, 1996).
Reuters (December 17, 1996). According to Army officials, 22 female soldiers "were involved in incidents" in which three men—Staff Sgt. Loren B. Taylor, Staff Sgt. Anthony S. Fore, and Sgt. George W. Blackley Jr.—were charged. Taylor pleaded guilty to failing to obey a general regulation "by having consensual sex with three female recruits and trying to have sex with another" and admitted to "improper contact with a fifth woman recruit." Taylor was "discharged, demoted and sentenced to confinement."Prison Term For Army Sergeant in Sex Case
''Philadelphia Inquirer'' wire services (December 13, 1996). Fore pleaded guilty to failing to obey a general regulation, indecent assault, and assault and battery, and a military judge, after hearing testimony, convicting Fore "of two additional counts of failing to obey a general regulation and indecent assault." The Army dropped several other charges. Fore was sentenced to eighteen months in prison and was dishonorably discharged. Blackley was acquitted on charges of failing to obey a general regulation, indecent assault, maltreatment and showing disrespect to a fellow non-commissioned officer.

Aftermath

Since the charges were filed, the U.S. Army set up a

hotline A hotline is a Point-to-point (telecommunications), point-to-point information transfer, communications Data link, link in which a telephone call, call is automatically directed to the preselected destination without any additional action by t ...

to take reports of sexual harassment in the military. It has also made available many resources for soldiers who feel they have been harassed or assaulted.Calls still pouring in on Army harassment hot line
Supervisors were also barred from having romantic relationships with the soldiers they trained. The Army cited the fact that they cannot be sure if all relationships are consensual due to the nature of a supervisor's power over their trainees.
/ref>

References

External links