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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Guard Member Demoted for Mud Wrestling |
| 2005-02-06 |
| A female member of a National Guard military police unit was demoted for indecent exposure after a mud-wrestling party at the Army-run Camp Bucca detention center in Iraq (news - web sites), a military spokesman said Sunday. The party occurred Oct. 30, as the 160th Military Police Battalion, an Army Reserve Unit from Tallahassee, Fla., prepared to turn over its duties to the Asheville-based 105th Military Police Battalion, said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, spokesman for detainee operations at Camp Bucca. In the course of the transfer of duties, "some individuals in their exuberance decided to put together a mud-wrestling thing," Johnson said Sunday by telephone. "There were females involved, and some members of the 105th also became involved, one female soldier in particular." Following an inquiry, that soldier was demoted and placed on restriction for participating in the event, specifically for indecent exposure, he said. Four or five other members of the 105th who were spectators received counseling, Johnson said. Johnson did not release the name of the demoted soldier. However, she was identified by the Daily News as Deanna Allen, 19, and the New York newspaper's identification was confirmed by her mother, Ladyna Waldrop of Black Mountain. Allen was demoted from specialist to private first class. She is still a guard at the camp, the newspaper said. The Daily News said it was given 30 of the party photos, and it printed several in Sunday's editions. Waldrop said her daughter is devastated by the events. "It was just a thing where she was coerced by a bunch of people, and with all the excitement, she lost her sanity for a moment and that's all it took," she said. "It seems like they're just singling her out," Waldrop said. "She's the one getting all the publicity and punishment, and that's not right." The 105th took over Camp Bucca on Nov. 1, and photos of the party were found after the 160th had left Iraq, Johnson said, adding that he understood a soldier had turned over the photos to commanders. Results of the inquiry were sent to the commander of the 160th, he said. "It appears from the commander's inquiry that this was primarily put on by troops of the 160th, who are no longer under our command," Johnson said. It wasn't immediately clear Sunday if any members of the 160th had been disciplined. The party was isolated, Johnson said. "Detainees were nowhere in the vicinity," he said. "They had no possible way of seeing what occurred." A scandal involving the separate Abu Ghraib prison erupted last spring when photographs were made public showing soldiers taunting naked Iraqi prisoners. Waldrop said she communicates with her daughter almost every day via Internet instant messaging, and they also see each other by means of a Web camera. "She's very tearful, very upset," Waldrop said. Waldrop said she was proud of her daughter for joining the National Guard. "But I hate that this happened, and so does she," she said. The party "just got way out of hand, and before you know it, pictures were taken, and she didn't have time to react. "My mom and I have both had talks with her that she's supposed to be an example for her country." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #3 I sincerely hope that they go after those who were coercive to the young lady. Yet she must still be responsible for the choice she made to participate. Such behaviours are prejudicial to good discipline and to morale in the long run. Short term, the guys feel it is fun to have the girls play along in their fantasy. But it leads along into more fantasy and more attempts to get the girls to play along . . . until the girl says no, whereupon the guy has to make a choice. But we should never let it get here. Never forget where the last compliant MP female got us . . . and herself (preggers, with some doubt as to daddy, I should think). Having good policy in place and enforced makes the force stronger. Making stupid policy decisions (removing condoms in Korea) is stupid. |
| Posted by: Jame Retief 2005-02-06 9:31:49 PM |
| #2 Oh, it's typical. Back in the good ol' it used to be called the "God's Army" syndrome. Even Mac tried to outlaw condoms in Korea, figuring that they would result in immorality. The very next month, when the theater VD stats came through, the theater medical officer is alleged to have actually pounded on Mac's desk while screaming at him. Mac reversed the policy. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-02-06 9:07:53 PM |
| #1 *sigh* Since when have we demanded a monastic warrior class? The only real question here is whether anyone was forced to take part. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-02-06 8:24:06 PM |