Posted on 03/05/2005 11:52:52 AM PST by chudogg
Cugno Retires Amid Federal Investigation
State National Guard Head Is Charged With Improper Relationship
Published on 3/5/2005
Hartford— Maj. Gen. William A. Cugno, the head of the Connecticut National Guard, submitted his retirement Friday after the U.S. Department of Defense informed Gov. M. Jodi Rell it had substantiated allegations of an improper relationship between Cugno and a subordinate.
Rell's office said no details were provided. She said the DOD confirmed three allegations against Cugno — that he improperly gave preferential treatment to a female subordinate, that he improperly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and that he used government resources for personal use.
Cugno, 56, has served as commander of the Connecticut National Guard since his appointment by then-Gov. John G. Rowland in 1999. He will retire May 1.
Cugno submitted to Rell a one-sentence letter on Friday informing her of his intent to retire.
In addition, Brig. Gen. Ireneusz J. Zembrzuski, Cugno's top deputy, will retire Oct. 3, Rell said. Federal investigators said an allegation against Zembrzuski –– that he failed to take appropriate action –– was substantiated, she said.
Cugno has not commented on the investigation or his retirement.
In a statement, Rell said she will immediately begin a search for a new adjutant general, the formal title held by Cugno.
The Hartford Courant, which reported Cugno's resignation on its Web site Friday afternoon, reported last month that Cugno was being investigated by the DOD's inspector general. The probe focused on one or more e-mails with sexual content sent to Cugno last March by Master Sgt. Kristine Shaw.
Shaw had denied any relationship with Cugno and said she was the subject of jealousy and gossip. But she acknowledged sending at least one e-mail with suggestive language to Cugno last March, The Courant reported. She said she did it to try to “smoke out” someone she believed was monitoring her personal e-mail.
Shaw, 38, works in the headquarters unit of the Air National Guard as its personnel administrator. She acknowledged that she does jobs for Cugno beyond her duties, including traveling with him.
Cugno has transformed the Guard in Connecticut, overseeing a reorganization away from the types of units that were important in the Cold War and orienting the forces toward 21st-century warfare.
In Operation Bold Move, which he initiated in 2002, he said he wanted to configure the 5,000 members of the Connecticut Air and Army National Guard to better serve the state. That led him to eliminate a 400-person artillery battalion. He said there was no place in the state for it to train and that there was little need for artillery in homeland security or emergency management. He replaced the battalion with units specializing in chemical warfare and military police units.
Cugno also has been adept at winning funding for projects, such as a $2.5 million firehouse at Stones Ranch in East Lyme, and millions more for ongoing construction at Camp Rell in East Lyme, which has become a conference center for Guard units throughout the Northeast.
Cugno has been outspoken about the Pentagon shortchanging members of the Guard and Reserve in favor of active-duty forces even though Guard and Reserve elements have made up as much as half of the U.S. force in Iraq.
Last December, Cugno said his aviators still operate mostly Vietnam-era Huey helicopters instead of the modern Black Hawk, and one of his heavy equipment units has dump trucks so old they would qualify for “antique” registration plates if they were registered in Connecticut.
In addition, the Guard gets hand-me-down equipment even for basic needs, he said. While active-duty Army soldiers carry the modern M-4 rifle, the Connecticut Guard trains on the older M-16.
Cugno also has been at the forefront of overcoming recruiting shortfalls in the Guard, introducing plans last month for a cable television show and a magazine aimed at young people. He said he would double the size of his 32-person recruiting force and set up three district offices instead of running all recruiting from Guard headquarters in Hartford.
ping
It sounds like this man was very good at his job. Is he married? Why didn't he make the relationship kosher? There are some crucial details missing here. What's to become of Ms. Shaw, she sounds a bit loopy as represented here.
Gotta watch those privates, they are always up to something. What???? They are generals???? Must be some mistake.
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