Posted on 02/06/2005 6:45:18 AM PST by presidio9
In front of a cheering male audience, two young women wearing only bras and panties throw themselves into a mud-filled plastic kiddie pool and roll around in a wild wrestling match.
At one point a man in the audience raises a water bottle and douses the entwined pair.
At another, a "referee" moves in to break up the scantily clad grapplers.
A young blond lifts her T-shirt to expose her breasts. A brunette turns her back to the camera and exposes her thong undies.
These scenes, taken from 30 photos leaked to the Daily News, could have been snapped at an out-of-control frat party.
But this happened a world away from any American college.
The photos were taken in Camp Bucca, the military prison at Umm Qasr in the hot sands of southern Iraq near the Kuwaiti border.
The women are not coeds but military policewomen who had left their uniforms in a pile not far off.
The men are soldiers, too. Most of them wore T-shirts emblazoned with Army logos, but at least one was still wearing his uniform.
Some were sergeants, including the referee, and some allegedly were drunk.
The photos were taken last Oct. 30, in the same period when enemy detainees were being transferred to Camp Bucca from Abu Ghraib, the prison made notorious by photos of Americans torturing naked Iraqis.
The Camp Bucca pictures document no such abuses.
But they do show what experts called a disconcerting lapse in discipline at a time when Army brass was touting the camp as a model of reform.
"It was basically a goodbye party for those of us who were leaving and a welcome party for those coming in," the alleged referee, Sgt. Emil Ganim of the 160th Military Police Battalion, told The News. "It was a chance for people to blow off some steam before coming home after spending a year in a combat zone."
But one participant described less-benign behavior.
Two sergeants, she said, told her "they had been lending out their room for soldiers to have sex" - a serious infraction of military regulations.
One female soldier, a prison guard with the 160th Military Police Battalion, was photographed baring her breast and showing off her thong panties.
The picture apparently was taken in the room of one of those sergeants, an investigator reported.
The witness told investigators that two high-ranking noncommissioned officers, a first sergeant and a master sergeant, were present. She "noted that these NCOs had been drinking and were noticeably drunk," the report said.
Ganim said American civilians at the camp also participated in the party, and "if anybody had liquor, it was them."
Ganim has since returned to his civilian job as a deputy sheriff in Leon County, Fla.
"It appears that this event was allegedly coordinated by NCOs [sergeants] of the 160th," according to the initial investigation.
One of the soldiers told investigators the mud-wrestling match was underway when she arrived.
"She took off her uniform and joined the other female soldiers that were wrestling," the report says. But "once soldiers started asking for the females to expose themselves [she and two of the other wrestlers] put their uniforms back on and left the area."
But at least one woman was not deterred.
Deanna Allen, a 19-year-old prison guard with the 105th MP Battalion, smiled and lifted her T-shirt. Photos show a man standing close to her and leering at her breasts while another G.I. snaps pictures.
"From what I understand they dared her to do it," said Allen's grandmother, Luci Tomlin, in Black Mountain, N.C. "It was a loose moment. She is a strong-headed young lady. Sometimes she can be a little irrational."
Allen, who is still stationed in Iraq, did not respond to E-mailed questions from The News. She was demoted in rank to private first class.
"A sex party with alcohol that is prohibited would suggest a serious breakdown of military discipline," said Washington-based lawyer Eugene Fidell, a military-justice expert. "Just how it would be handled would be determined by the commander, who has very broad discretion in situations like this.
Fidell said punishments could range from "a good chewing out to loss of rank" for enlisted personnel and "a letter or career-killing transfer" for officers who allowed it to happen.
Maybe, maybe not. Either way the NCOs career would probably come to a stand-still. In the civilian world at most businesses, a claim like that when management admits being in any kind of sexual situation with the subordinate is going to almost always result in discharge and at least always result in a large demotion.
You mean the real problem is that the truth was told? You are nuts.
Sorry, but military prisons should not be run like college frat houses on hazing day.
It's bad enough the lib's trash our military, and this behavior only adds fuel to the fire!
Exactly. I learned that in the service (hey, I was once young and enlisted and painting rocks USMC Red & Gold in the A.M. for doing something stupid in the P.M.). THese thing happen time to time, and as long as nobody gets hurt, the punishment should be minor. Not a major scandle IMHO, but a lapse of discipline that requires a response to keep the next one from being worse, and the one after that even worse with somebody getting hurt that time.
Poor discipline is alot easer to get under control BEFORE it gets too far out of control.
Office hours, K.P., that sort of thing is warrented in this situation not nationally broadcast crucifiction.
Troops need to let off steam, but leaders need to let them know who the boss is.
Oh I understand that it could happen. In fact I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. That's why I said I would be ok with just a scolding of the NCOs. That said, I wouldn't think less of the NCOs superiors if they demoted them.
If they are getting shot at, that is all the more reason to protect them from the bad actors in their group who are more focused on getting laid than in doing their job.
No, it didn't....he made sure that things like this never happened...Mike wasn't out to make friends with his troops, their lives depended on him...he prefers the fear factor of a 1sg....I hate disagreeing with you Coop, but there are too many ramifications to this behavior.....btw...when in theater, you are never off duty.
THe bigger problem was the media scandle. The root problem was a lapse of judgement and doing the horizontal bop w members of your own unit.
I understand the horrible pressures these soldiers are under. I have a couple of friends over there and I am extremely proud of what our military is doing. I have three "adopted soldiers". However, I cannot condone their behavior, especially knowing how news travels so quickly all over the world now. I personally don't care what any other country thinks about the US. I think Islam is a murderous cult and I don't care a whit if they might be insulted by the behavior of our military. But, I still believe it is in our country's best interest that our military be a shining example to the world and take the high road. And probably the vast majority in the military would know better than to become involved in a situation that could get out of hand. I believe a big part of maturity is being able to make good choices. And if officers were involved, I believe it could lead to a breakdown in discipline which could prove deadly. And I think this type of behavior lends credence to so many sexual harassment claims in military schools and in the field.
"For all I know....this is all a staged event...Cooked up by the MSM to once more slam the military"
That sounds like something a DU'er would say....no offense intended.
It isn't my discomfort. This is not a matter of prudishness, it is about getting rid of people who can't control themselves. If you can't control yourself, you can't do your job in combat, you are a menace to the military.
Sounds more like a Ted Kennedy or Bill Clinton policy meting with their interns....
I dont give a chit how muslims view us.
The reality of our armed forces tends to sink in once the islamofacist is laying on the ground gasping for one more breath.
Let 'em think whatever they want.
Uh... When I was in the Navy, whenever I was off duty, I sought out this kind of recreation (and often found it). As long as these people weren't on duty, I have no problem with it.
The women have just as much right to act like fools as the men do.
It sure was fun.
I'm certain that will happen. But here's what that will mean: A loss of income, not just in the short term. The soldier will also lose his seniority and stature. Say he had 5 years as an E-5, and was just about to make E-6 . He'll be busted to E-4, it will be a minimum of three years till he is eligible to compete for E-5 again. His record will forever reflect the punishment and the reason for it. This will count against him as he competes for higher rank. He may also lose half of his paycheck for two months.
Granted, all this is better than jail time, but "busting" a sailor/soldier is no small thing. The concept shouldn't be thrown out cavalierly.
It has long been said that the military is a microcosm of the civilian world.
Uh?
A DU'er would think the MSM cooked up a story to make the military look bad? Somehow I doubt that.....LOL!!
Besides that...my comment was partially in jest.
FWIW-
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