European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 02, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday july 2, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 9mps link dismissals to politics bad Kreuz Nach officials called vindictive a a by Ron Mckinney staff writer bad Kreuz Nach Germany a five military policemen have been relieved of duty at bad Kreuz Nach for a administrative malfeasance Quot including making sexual and racial remarks and jokes. But the men say their dismissals were punishment for their refusal to a play politics when issuing citations. Four soldiers a sgt. 1st class David George and staff sets. David Gruber William Pruner and Thomas Chamberlain a were relieved of duty May 8. Capt. Rick Holman the Community Provost. Marshal lost his Job May 22. Each of the 53rd area support group soldiers except Pruner had a letter of reprimand placed in his official military personnel file. The four Are appealing to the army suitability evaluation Board in Washington to protest the placement of tto str letters in their files. Those actions Are a career killers a Holman said. A if we had done a something wrong we would have 1 gotten a court martial or an article 15. This is letter was placed in his local file George said. Holman and the policemen said the investigation that led to their dismissals was in retaliation for a March 12 incident in which it. Col. Esrnest Dixon the Provost marshal of the 8th inf div prevented a patrolman from confiscating expired License plates on his private Auto. Col. Lucious Delk commander or the 18th my brigade conducted the investigation of the patrolmen. Dixon received an unspecified a administrative action a said a spokesman for the division which has its Headquarters in bad Kreuz Nach. A i think it the investigation that led to their dismissals is definite reprisal from the Dixon incident a George said. None of the dismissed soldiers was involved in the Dixon Case but George said it represents the patrolmen a approach to Law enforcement. George citing examples of their approach said Community police brought charges against a division chaplain for refusing to report an Accident and a division commanders teen age son was charged on two occasions once for misconduct and once for failing to maintain control of his car in a one vehicle acc Dent. A is it obvious that we did no to play politics a Chamberlain said. A Day after the March 12 incident the five policemen claim Dixon asked the division Provost marshals sergeant major to compile a list of incidents involving the Community police Force. The list is addressed to the 18th my brigade commander and the patrolmen. It includes such things As showing disrespect toward a commanders wife and tailing the chief of staff outside the assigned patrol area. There were a total of nine incidents on the list identified As a issues pertaining to the bad Kreuz Nach military police George and the other patrolmen said some of the incidents on the list Are months old. A Why Wasny to something done sooner if they considered it a problem a George asked. �?o1 honestly believe col. Dixon made All those allegations to take the heat off of a Dixon has declined an interview about the soldiers allegations. The Provost marshals sergeant major Edward Keuten said he had no comment when asked whether he Drew up the list at Dixon a direction. Chamberlain 25, was reprimanded and ultimately dismissed from his Job for a disgraceful conduct in creating and spreading juniors that Chamberlain had engaged in adulterous relationships with coworkers a according to the letter of reprimand dated april 19 and signed by col. D. Rand Weils jr., the bad Kreuz Nach Deputy Community commander. Wells declined to be interviewed. Although Wells stated in the Tetter that a at least one of the two women complained a the Community a equal Opportunity non commissioned officer said in a sworn statement april 1 that he was unaware of any sexual harassment incidents at the Provost marshals office. The other woman mentioned in the rumours said in a sworn statement March 20 that she was not aware of any remarks until earlier that Day after the investigation had co worker raised the Issue of racial improprieties against the police station last july saying it failed to properly act on notes containing a i i am Good friends with the woman in question. My relationship with the woman in question Nas never exceeded the proper Bounds of Friendship a staff sgt. David Gruber racial slurs he had received statements show. He said he also found a Black , Joe doll hanged on a noose in his office. However the Community casual Opportunity no said in a statement that the Soldier tailed to follow up on an invitation to file an official complaint. In their letters of reprimand Holman and George were alleged to have committed sexual and racial improprieties for not having taken a aggressive action to Stop the jokes and innuendoes. George argued that he counselled the staff about the situation and warned that such acts would not be tolerated. A sworn statement from the Community equal Opportunity no said his informal investigation found the situation under control. In Wells letter of reprimand to George the charges Are a that he instructed the military police to Stop investigating an off duty Accident in which Gruber backed into another car until Pruner could be at the station to a protect staff sgt. Grubert a the Accident caused minor damage. A that he routinely allowed maps to confiscate Drivers licenses from people apprehended for driving under the influence of alcohol. A that he frequently pulled double duty As the military police duty officer while working As Security at the no club. In his rebuttal letter George said he was told by the desk sergeant that the investigating maps were pressing several charges against Gruber although they did no to have a statement or a witness. A i think that the patrols handled the Case very poorly a the desk sergeant said in a sworn statement. As for confiscating licenses George said it was policy to escort the individual to the police station and give the suspects License to the person to whom the suspect is released. George admitted that he had provided Security at the club on some nights that he was the military police duty officer but there was no requirement to be physically present at the police station and it did not interfere with his duty. In his official response George cited army regulation 600-50, chapter 2, that says soldiers a will not engage in outside employment that interferes or is not compatible with the performance of their government Quot there is no evidence that 1 failed to Complete my Mission As the duty officer George said. George claimed that the judicial process was mishandled by the Community. He cited two examples a the five were replaced by other soldiers april 19, before they were officially relieved or their appeals could be heard. A Wells told George that he could not Appeal to the Community commander Brig. Gen. John p. A a Otjen because he did not belong to Otjens command the 8th inf div and said he had to make his Appeal to welts. A the total Lack of due process is so blatant As to be a mockery of the Justice system which 1, As a military policeman have been sworn to uphold Quot George scrote in a request for redress to Wells submitted june 7. In the request George asked that he be reinstated As a military policeman that no report be made regarding his dismissal. And that his letter of reprimand be eliminated. Holman Gruber and Chamberlain have requested the same. In a letter to Gruber signed april 24 by Wells the charges included a that he failed to report his Accident to the military police did not remain at the Accident scene until released and failed to abstain from consuming alcohol. Within six hours of an Accident. A worked As Security at the no club while also on duty As the military police duty officer. A blatantly engaged in a questionable relationship with a married woman whose husband was deployed to saudi Arabia. Gruber said that he was relieved May 8, the Day before he turned in his official rebuttal to the letter of reprimand on which the Relief of duty was based. In defense Gruber referred to . Army in Europe regulation 600-1, which states that alcohol May be consumed within those six hours when a the Accident is minor no serious damage to persons or property and everyone involved in the Accident agrees to leave the scene and not wait for an Gruber said he had contacted the other cards owner and they had exchanged the necessary information and agreed not to wait for the investigation. Gruber also said that the sexual misconduct allegation was based on rumours. A i am Good friends with the woman in question a Gruber said in his rebuttal. A my relationship with the woman in question has never exceeded the proper Bounds of who declined to be interviewed was reprimanded and relieved for his involvement in Grubert a traffic Accident. Holman who was Given a Blanket reprimand covering each of the allegations of his subordinates said that Normal procedures were followed in the investigation of Grubert a Accident. A to investigate any other Way just because the person is a military policeman would be creating a double Standard due to rank and position Quot Holman said in his rebuttal. He also said that once he Learned of the double duty he forbade his staff from doing it. Holman said that he justified taking the Drivers licenses on guidance Given at a Provost marshal seminar in Heidelberg in March 1990. Of the allegations and dismissals Holman said that if anything the policemen needed merely counselling rather than punishment. A i know in be got to keep fighting if i want any career a Chamberlain said. A it just ainu to reservists decide to stay on Active duty los Angeles up dozens of Navy Reserve medical personnel who were called up for operation desert storm have chosen to remain in uniform. The los Angeles times reported monday that 147 of the 10,000 Reserve doctors nurses and other medical personnel activated during the persian Gulf crisis volunteered to remain on Active duly rather than go Back to their sometimes lucrative civilian practices. There had been 589 requests to stay in uniform. But budget constraints limited the number that could be accepted. A it was the teamwork and the Camara Derie a said it. Cmdr. Edward Calix who will stay in the Navy rather than return to his Job As a psychologist with the san Diego county mental health department. The times said the phenomenon is also evident in other branches of the service including the army which will keep 125 of the 600 enlisted reservists who applied to remain on Active duty. Although a Navy doctor makes about $110,000 a year for Many physicians it will mean a Radical reduction from what they made in civilian practice. But the working conditions appealed to the physicians. _
