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| Command Master Chief Under Scrutiny |
| 2010-07-14 |
| Her boisterous personality makes people notice Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Evelyn Banks anywhere she goes, but after she arrived at the Naval Academy in 2007, people began paying attention to something else. According to multiple sources, Banks was living in one of the largest houses on the Yard, normally reserved for an O-6. She traveled the world, flying across the U.S. and even to Africa, in an “academy ambassador” role her predecessors never had. She threw lavish parties and gave extravagant gifts. Before long, someone in Annapolis complained to the Naval Inspector General. Banks, who became the command master chief of Naval Sea Systems Command on June 21, could not be reached for comment for this story; a spokeswoman said Banks was traveling. Most names are redacted in the copy of the IG report released to Navy Times under the Freedom of Information Act, but two sources with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that many parts of it described Banks and helped link the relevant sections to her. The document also refers to “the CMC”; “the command master chief”; and an academy leader who had established “a strong working relationship” with academy superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler when they both served at Navy Recruiting Command, which was Banks’ assignment before the academy. The IG did not conclude that Banks’ lifestyle was illegal, but investigators questioned the rate at which she spent money in her first year on the job — $32,000 for catered events at her quarters; $3,088 for dinners in restaurants; and $62,680 on “gifts and mementos.” Overall, between August 2007 and December 2008, Banks spent almost $113,000 just on keepsakes and entertaining. Record-keeping for all of her spending was poor, the IG found, and, although not against the law, investigators said Banks’ activities pushed the limits of what was appropriate for the school’s senior enlisted leader. One example was a dinner party for Banks’ “women’s outreach program” that cost $1,811, or about $259 per person. “It is unlikely that the [Naval Academy] could reasonably justify the use of over $1,800 of unrestricted gift funds to serve dinner to seven people, particularly with the service of alcoholic beverages, as being necessary to carry out any official function,” investigators wrote. Conclusion: “We find that gift funds were misspent on this unnecessary and expensive entertainment of employees and their spouses.” Likewise with a Labor Day “women’s retreat” for senior enlisted women and officers that cost $1,613, including $289 for drinks. “There is no evidence of any relationship between the mission of [the Naval Academy] and the hosting of a retreat for a few select senior female service members to discuss issues impacting women in the Navy,” the report said. The report does not include an interview with Banks, but investigators did ask Fowler about her spending. He defended it. Not only was it his prerogative to authorize members of his command to use money however he saw fit, Banks — the academy’s first black female master chief — had a larger mission to help the Navy appeal to blacks and women. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #15 Yep, she banged somebody. Happens all the time. And a rug gets thrown over it. She'll lose rank, I reckon, some far off day. |
| Posted by: Cloud Banks 2010-07-14 23:52 |
| #14 I've known one Command Master Chief, three Command Chief Master Sergeants, and the Commandant of Cadets at the Air Force Academy. The only one spending that kind of money on "social events" was the Commandant of Cadets, and even he didn't spend that much normally. None of the senior NCOs I knew lived in officer's quarters, although most had the best of the best enlisted quarters - it went with the job. I think someone's taking advantage of their position to do things that the rest of the Navy would find extremely inappropriate. BTW, there are currently 53 foreign students at the Air Force Academy. The Commandant of Cadets entertains their families and diplomats from their homeland. The Academy Chief Master Sergeant assists him, but the OFFICER does the leading. I'm sure the same goes for the Naval Academy most of the time. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2010-07-14 23:47 |
| #13 I am a simple guy, but if an E-9 walks into my hooch, he/she/it gets a stand up and an "Hi, Sergent Major. How can I help you." from me and my peeps. Otherwise my peeps are fired. |
| Posted by: rammer 2010-07-14 23:47 |
| #12 Up Yours! Here's a little musical rightousness... Copy & Paste to your Browser:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXKQlCQKtIg |
| Posted by: Asymmetrical Triangulation 2010-07-14 23:24 |
| #11 Besoeker, you bet that a lot of swag. I have never been the CMC of the Naval Academy and can't guess on what is too much. I will add that I don't think even a CMC gets to go anywhere or do anything they want without approval from above. They need signed orders to get tickets and travel pay. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2010-07-14 18:08 |
| #10 Could be Cyber Sarge, but $113,000. is a shit*load of ......"SWAG" and throwdowns for office visits, in/around travel, parties, and trips to "African countries." Oh by the way, how many African countries even have a navy? I simply have to wonder if the good Inspector General was provided receipts and an itemized breakdown. My guess is he didn't and the entire matter came to light behind the scenes when a wiley old GG-13 budget analyst blew a whistle! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-07-14 16:33 |
| #9 A couple things peeons. First and foremost RHIP and that goes in any service. Command Senior Enlisted slots are the SENIOR ranking enlisted person and are afforded privileges and yes perks that go with their duties. Most of that job is politicking and smoozing with military, civilian, and foreign dignitaries. From the outside I can see a great deal of publicity from an African-American Master Chief traveling to countries in Africa. Attending retreats, conferences, and trading swag with others is also in the duty description. I donÂ’t see any of these events, dinners, drinks, or gifts as outside the normal duties of Command Master Chief Banks. Sorry guys/gals I see nothing out of line here. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2010-07-14 16:04 |
| #8 Bio and picture. http://www.navsea.navy.mil/Leadership/CMDCM-Banks.aspx |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2010-07-14 12:49 |
| #7 The US Army is not immune... Why, now that you mention it. That little affair was the kicker that resulted in an independent Criminal Investigation Command in the Army, to remove it from prior local and theater command influence. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-07-14 08:45 |
| #6 ION STRATEGYPAGE > THE US NAVY + INTERNAL ROT. versus * FREEREPUBLIC > [US] NAVY BALANCES WANTS + NEEDS, as per declining Budgets. * VARIOUS > FIDEL CASTRO ACCUSES US OF FOMENTING WAR AGZ NORTH KOREA + IRAN | CASTRO WARNS [any]US WAR AGZ NORTH KOREA + IRAN MAY GO NUCLEAR. * WMF > IFF THERE IS WAR BETWEEN THE US + IRAN, CHINA [+ Russia, SCO-CSTO] WILL NOT ESCAPE BECOMING MILITARY INVOLVED. * TOPIX > [General Luo Yuan]PLA GENERAL: US DRILL A THREAT [US-ROK NAVEX in Yellow Sea]. US desires to block or isolate mainland China from reaching or expanding beyond the "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN" + deny China proper deep/far Merchant,Naval maritime access into the far reaches of the Pacific as is China's right. * TOPIX > SOUTH KOREA DEPLOYS KILLER ROBOTS ALONG ITS DMZ; + [KCNA] AINDF DENOUNCES US MOVES FOR ANOTHER KOREAN WAR. * TOPIX > NORH KOREA SEES RIMPAC 2010 EXERCISE [14-Nation NAV,MILEX] AS A US PLOT FOR WAR [agz DPRK + Whole of ASIA]. * WMF > US AIRCRAFT CARRIERS OPERATING IN THE YELLOW SEA WITHIN 500-KMS FROM CHINA'S COASTLINES CAN BE EASILY ATTACKED BY WAVES OF CHEAP PLA "GUARDIAN II" HEAVY TACTICAL ROCKETS IN MASSED SATURATION STRIKE/BARRAGE. * WMF > IFF US NUCLEAR AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ENTER THE YELLOW SEA, "TROUBLE" WILL HIT/FACE CHINA ON THREE STRATEGIC FRONTS [EAST CHINA SEAS includ Yellow Sea, TAIWAN, + DAOYUS = DAOYUTAI ISLANDS agz JAPAN]. CHINA'S CAPITAL OF BEIJING, MAJOR COASTAL PORTS + INDUSTRIAL ZONES WITHIN COMBAT STRIKE RADIUS OF US CARRIERS, CRUISE MISSLE SUBMARINES IN THE YELLOW SEA. * WMF > NO WONDER CHINA + PLA MAKING MOVES AGZ US-JAPAN IN THE YELLOW SEA. PLA MILITARY WARNINGS AGZ US-JAPAN OER THE EAST CHINA SEAS. JAPAN AWARE OF THE DANGERS. RELEASE OF US-JAPAN TREATY DOCUMENTS FROM 1960 SHOW THAT THEN JAPANESE PM KISHI REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE US DEFINITION OF "FAR EAST" JAPANESE JURISDICTION AS INCLUDING TAIWAN, KOREAS + YELLOW SEA. STATEMENT BY PM KISHI THAT JAPAN CANNOT BE DIPLOMATICALLY OR MILITARILY INVOLVED AGZ CHINA OVER TAIWAN + YELLOW SEA REGIONS/ISSUES, ACCEPTANCE BY PM KISHI OF "FAR EAST" FOR JAPAN AS MEANING THOSE AREAS + SEAS NORTH OF TAIWAN,KOREAS, + YELLOW SEA, + THOSE NORTHERN AREAS NOT ALSO CLAIMED BY CHINA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-07-14 02:15 |
| #5 Thanks for asking CB. Click here. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-07-14 01:39 |
| #4 Well, do you have to actually BE in the Navy to request an investigation with IG? I am willing to bet there are backwater channels to call for Article 32 ...after all it is TAXPAYER MONEY funding this heffers lavish lifestyle. I believe there might be anonymous tip lines. |
| Posted by: Cloud Banks 2010-07-14 01:35 |
| #3 The US Army is not immune from this affirmative action debauchery. Staff cars, reserved parking places, and private offices have been the standard for E-9's for years. God help the field grade officer who crosses one of these beasts. They oftentimes serve as adhoc union stewards and wield as much power as a general officer. This should have remained an IG investigation for no longer than about 15 minutes, then an Article-32 investigation should have been initiated. The expenditure of those kinds of government funds is clearly Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at the highest levels. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-07-14 01:31 |
| #2 God forbid you like Elisabeth Haselbeck on the View and not Whoopi. God forbid you don't like Obama. God forbid you're proud to earn what you have. God forbid you don't like Michele Obama. God forbid you don't put black women on a pedestal. God forbid if you don't believe in Affimative Action. If you don't you're a 'racist.' /snark off |
| Posted by: Cloud Banks 2010-07-14 01:17 |
| #1 Is the Navy not appealing to Blacks and Women without free booze, gifts and 'momentos'? Anyone I ever knew kissed about a mile of ass to get into the Academy. That's after keeping a 4.0 throughout high school, doing all sorts of volunteer work and being lucky enough to have parents that have access to a State Representative to secure a nomination. Now they think they have to woo 'Blacks and Women' to get them to consider the Academy? What the F*CK happened while I was working the last 15 years!!!! I guess I wasn't paying attention, but the whole country has gone stark raving mad! |
| Posted by: bigjim-CA 2010-07-14 01:13 |