The Tailhook Scandals

hook damaged the morale and prestige Taps .for the Navy? of the Navy. But the worst damage was inflicted not by a few drunken and misbehaving junior officers, but by high-level officials whose judgment was impaired by sexual politics. Patricia Schroeder, a powerful mem THE TAILHOOK ber of the House Armed Services Com mittee is a mistress of sexual politics. She ~shed to define Tailhook as a SCANDALS "watershed event"-a revelation of the Navy's sexual harassment so shocking Tailhook '91 really was a scandal-but nothing that it could be remedied only by lift ing the prohibition against women in compared to the investigation that followed it. combat. It was a stunning non-sequi tur-military women must be exposed to thugs behind enemy lines in order ELAINE DONNELLY to protect them from drunken com- ~~----- -l'ftde& at home but-eowed Navy offi cials felt compelled to embrace it as N OCTOBER 15, 1993, Rear directing combat operations during their own. Admiral Riley Mixson, Chief Desert Storm. "I can assure you," The brass allowed themselves to be of the Navy's Air Warfare Di Mixson wrote, "my thoughts in the 0 bullied into a capitulation to feminists VISlOn, received a letter of censure Red Sea were not on Tailhook '91." on procedural and policy issues, at the from new Secretary of the Navy John In fact, Mixson hadn't attended expense of legal safeguards and sound Dalton. Dalton hit Mixson for being Tailhook in 13 years, and was shocked military policy. The farce carne to a responsible for the arrangements of to see how gross its nightlife had be humiliating end on February 8 of this the 1991 Tailhook convention, the mil come. In an immediate report to his year, when Captain William T. Vest, a itary's worst sex scandal in history. superiors, Mixson warned that the ac Navy judge, blasted Defense Depart The rebuke was fired like a showy tivities he observed must never be al ment officials for bungled, amateurish missile attack, staged for the benefit of lowed to happen again. witness interview reports that could CNN. But Mixson defended himself Two years later, none of this would not stand up in court, and threw out with a letter that convincingly refuted prevent the highly decorated admiral the last of three pending courts mar Dalton's charges. He wrote that dur from being censured for arrangements tial. In the end, after all the uproar, ing most of the time plans were being he didn't make, and for the actions of not a single court-martial produced a made for the infamous convention in · men not under his command. He conviction. Las Vegas, he was half a world away missed out on a third star and the chance to become Commander, Naval Mrs. Donnelly is president of the Center for Air Forces Pacific Fleet, and is now re What Really Happened? tired from service. His case was far Military Readiness and a former member of HE MYTH of Tailhook has by from unique. the Presidential Commission on the Assign now wreaked enormous darn ment of Women in the Armed Forces. The sensational accounts of Tail- T age on the Navy; but what had been the reality of Tailhook? Named for the device that halts air craft when they land on aircraft carri ers, the Tailhook Association is an in dependent group of active-duty and former Navy aviators. For more than 25 years, the Navy has provided trans portation and high-ranking speakers for its annual conventions, where pro fessional symposiums are held by day, hospitality suites by night. In Las Vegas in September 1991, many naval aviators were returning from life-or-death missions in Desert Storm. That-and the usual free-flow ing alcohol-gave the nightlife its spe cial kick. Hundreds of single women were drawn to the three-day event some for the second or third consecu tive year-and freely participated in wild party activities, ranging from CNf.R -+ MARCH 7, 1994 /NATIONAL REVIEW 59 sexual suggestiveness to gross inde would be rejected.) And to toughen the Duvall M. Williams for not having cency. investigation, Miss Pope demanded broadened the first investigation to But in a few cases, non-consensual unconventional investigative proce encompass "cultural" problems, and touching and grabbing degenerated dures that would have involved fleet he criticized Admiral Gordon for not into serious sexual assault. On Satur commanders and a civilian presiden having abandoned his neutral role for day night around 11:30 P.M. Navy tial appointee in the interrogation of that of prosecutor. Lieutenant Paula Coughlin, a helicop senior officers and others in their At a hastily called news conference, ter pilot, wandered into the "gauntlet," command. Acting Navy Secretary Sean O'Keefe, a mob of drunken airmen arrayed Officials in Defense Secretary Dick playing to the feminist gallery, made along the third-floor hallway who Cheney's office capitulated to Miss scapegoats of Williams and Gordon. pounded on the walls and pawed at Pope's threat, but Navy Judge Advo He announced both were retiring as a women as they walked by. cate General John Gordon, who was matter of "conscience," when in fact he According to Lieutenant Coughlin's responsible for the integrity of legal knew that wasn't true. Williams and oft-repeated account, a Marine Corps procedures and the protection of con Gordon had strongly objected to the captain grabbed her from behind, al stitutional rights, objected. Admiral criticisms of them in Vander Schaafs most lifting her off the ground by her Gordon argued that it would have in report, and Gordon's retirement date posterior. She spun around to confront jected both politics and unfair "com had been set months before. (Four him, but another man grabbed her mand interference" into what was sup weeks later, O'Keefe issued a memo from behind and the first man then posed to be an impartial investigation. randum absolving Davis, Williams, forced his hands down her tube-top. He also predicted that the interference and Gordon of any wrongdoing, but by The story broke in October when a let of high officials in judicial affairs then the media weren't interested.) ter from the head of the Tailhook As would create a problem "so severe that sociation berating officers for activities we will not see one successful court Sinking Careers "far over the line of responsible behav martial come out of this process." Two ior" was leaked to the San Diego years later, Judge Vest was to prove HAT DID the new, strong Union-Tribune. A few months later, him right. arm investigation achieve? Lieutenant Coughlin emerged as its At the time, Navy Secretary H. W Up to the end of 1993, 120 star-the Navy's own Anita Hill. Lawrence Garrett III overruled Gor Navy and 20 Marine cases were con don. But he was soon to be devoured sidered for possible disciplinary ac Rush to Judgment by the revolution he had appeased. tions, and approximately half were When on June 24 and 25 the lead dropped for lack of evidence. Even Y APRIL 28, 1992, the Navy story on ABC's World News Tonight when the charges did stand up, most Investigative Service had with Peter Jennings featured Lieuten of the men "went to the mast"-an in B amassed a 2,000 page report ant Coughlin, pressure mounted to ternal, non-judicial disciplinary proce from 2,200 interviews. But this volu make someone walk the plank. Within dure that meted out fines and severe minous study found only 44 instances days Garrett was forced to resign. In career penalties. But almost all of in which there was clear evidence to the meantime he had handed the in these cases involved unseemly behav justify disciplinary procedures. That vestigation to Derek J. Vander Schaaf, ior rather than sexual assault. was not enough for feminists like Pat Deputy Department of Defense Inspec In cases that went to courts martial, Schroeder, who berated the Joint tor General, and a PC rampage began where stricter judicial procedures Chiefs for "not getting it." Hoping to that left dozens of careers in tatters. apply, the Navy's prosecutorial meth appease them, Navy Undersecretary Throughout the summer of 1992 ods have been harshly criticized. In Dan Howard leaked -an incomple~ there were persistent reports of que!; particular, the practice of granting version of the NIS report; but this tionable interview techniques (investi immunity to a number of junior offi added fuel to the flames. When it gators would try to bluff airmen by cers-Barbara Pope's idea-allowed emerged that the number of prosecu falsely telling them they had been im some guilty junior officers to escape tions was likely to fall below the exag plicated by comrades), careless and prosecution. In one case, several jun gerated expectations aroused by early sometimes dishonest interview re ior officers were given immunity to reports, the feminists--echoed by the ports, and intrusive polygraph ques testify against the Commander of the media-alleged "whitewash." tions about sexual histories and prac Navy's elite Blue Angel demonstration Until then, Assistant Secretary for tices. The investigation did "so much team, who was allegedly present in Manpower and Reserve Affairs Bar to destroy the morale, the cohesion, one Tailhook suite while a couple en bara S. Pope, herself a feminist, had the effectiveness of the units, it makes gaged in a public sex act. The Gulf appeared, during 19 briefings updat my blood boil," one Marine colonel told War hero had been removed from his ing its progress, to be satisfied with the Washington Times.

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