Meet the Howards: the new commander of the 375th Air Mobility Wing and his wife, a retired colonel
Posted on 10/02/2018 12:25:31 AM PDT by robowombat
Ousted Scott AFB colonel takes plea deal in sexual assault case; will be disciplined
— A former Scott Air Force Base commander took a plea deal following an investigation into sexual misconduct accusations against him, base officials confirmed Monday.
Col. John Howard agreed to accept discipline without a military trial in a process known as “non-judicial punishment proceedings.”
It was not immediately clear what punishment Howard would receive, though discipline under Article 15 can include reprimand, reduction in rank or reduction in pay, among other measures.
Howard accepted the pretrial agreement on July 2 and an appeals process ended Sept. 10, according to Capt. Ryan DeCamp, a spokesman for the 18th Air Force. Howard had been set to go to trial earlier this summer.
The victim did not wish to testify in court-martial proceedings, according to Capt. Lauren Kerby, a Special Victims Counsel judge advocate. Counsel advocates are specially trained to provide legal representation to sexual assault victims.
“After much consideration, my client has decided not to testify in the subject court-martial proceeding,” Kerby said in a prepared statement. “For my client, an expeditious resolution honoring her desire not to participate in a court-martial while still holding Colonel Howard accountable for his actions is justice.”
Howard will be disciplined for conduct unbecoming an officer and fraternization with a junior enlisted Airman.
Howard was charged in June with two counts of cruelty and maltreatment, two counts of sexual assault, one count of conduct unbecoming an officer, and one count of fraternization in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The first charge stems from a 2016 incident at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom and a second in 2017 at or near Bangor, Maine, where there is an Air National Guard Base. Howard was accused of making sexually explicit comments and rubbing his groin against an airman’s torso.
Howard was commander of the 375th Air Mobility Wing until December, when the commander of the 18th Air Force replaced him, saying he lost confidence in Howard’s ability to lead the wing. Col. Leslie Maher was named the new commander of 375th Air Mobility Wing in March.
Lt. Gen. Giovanni Tuck was commander of the 18th Air Force when he decided to oust Howard. Tuck has since taken a post as director for logistics in Arlington, Va.
Howard took command of the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base in July 2017.
Geez I thought this was his mother, REALLY it is his wife!!!!
Curious reporting. An officer cannot be reduced in rank by action of NJP. And this is Stars and Stripes?
Just because it’s Stars and Stripes doesn’t mean you’ll get accurate reporting.
Modern Media culture is ever present in the military too, just like everywhere else.
A poorly written article.
Two counts of “sexual assault” equals an Article 15? I wonder what you’ve gotta do to get into *real* trouble!
So did I.
Is his ‘wife’ about 20 years older than him?
I noticed that too. Plus, if his permanent rank is Colonel even a Courts-Martial cannot reduce his rank. Only if he has a temporary promotion to Colonel can his rank be reduced.
Look at the size of this guy’s head! Seriously, it looks like the two of them were photoshopped into the picture at different scales.
Stars and Stripes was pretty bad in the mid-70’s. I remember a front page article. A college professor from an obscure college in Pennsylvania suggested changing the national bird to the chickadee! No kidding. Boredom in Asia made me wait every day for the paper and this is what I got. Daniel Moynahan was at the UN telling the world to go to hell. Everyday.
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