Rep. Elijah Cummings: Hearing Number Two on Coast Guard Civil Rights

Today’s hearing leaves everyone asking the same question that has been asked for months, why hasn’t Adm. Thad Allen taken any serious steps to correct serious Civil Rights issue at Coast Guard.  One is left with but one answer, it’s not a priority for him or his service.

Congressman Elijah Cummings, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard opened his second hearing on Allen’s failed Civil Rights Office and its programs by stating the obvious:

• The Booz Allen Hamilton report was simply scathing.
• After subsequent examination that virtually none of these findings was new. Almost all of these criticisms had been identified – sometimes repeatedly – in previous third-party assessments of the Coast Guard civil rights program and in the Coast Guard’s own self-assessments.
• It is frankly past time for the Coast Guard to move to define comprehensive, service-wide diversity objectives and to require each member and unit of the service – including the Academy – to contribute to the achievement of these objectives.

Congressman James Oberstar, Chairman of the full committee on Transportation had this to say today:

• I am profoundly disappointed with the lack of diversity of the incoming Academy class. With all the oversight this Subcommittee has committed to diversification of the student body at the Coast Guard academy, I am shocked that you only have five African Americans entering the class of 2013 and that you only offered two African American students appointments that were coming directly from high school that did not need additional preparation from a preparatory school.

Up next, we digest the hearing for our readers.

Comments From CGBlog On Coast Guards Bad Signal on Cocaine Use by Officers

At CGBlog Ryan Erickson published a very tame post on the conviction of Captain Michael Sullivan for wrongful use of Cocaine and Conduct Unbecoming an Officer.  Sullivan was fined 5K and given a career ending letter of reprimand.  What Sullivan wasn’t given was a ride to the Brig, or an other than honorable discharge like every other Coastie convicted of a drug charge in recent history. Erickson goes on to remind his readers of the possible ramifications for his speaking out on the topic in the Blog:

However in doing research it’s unclear of any further action by the Coast Guard… again, I’m not here to make opinionated statements on this story for obvious reasons;

The following comments are from the CGBlog post on Sullivan:

Marty Yesterday 01:10 PM

One set of rules for Officers, one set of rules for enlisted. If this would have been anyone else, they would have been bounced from the service.

I’m guessing he used the “my girlfriend was using it for sex” excuse.

Lawler Yesterday 01:35 PM

To be caught using illegal narcotics, and being a member of the USCG, should be immediate grounds for dishonorable discharge…plain and simple. There are plenty of people willing to come into the USCG, why keep the ones that can’t obey one of the big military No-No-s? One of the Coast Guards primary missions is of course, Counter -Narcotics. We STOP drugs, we confiscate drugs, we preach a “drugs are bad” message. How hypocritical is it that if one of our own, especially a high ranking officer, are using these drugs and they get a written reprimand and a small fine. $5000 fine for a Capt??????? Isn’t that less than one paycheck? This sets a standard that drug use within the service is wrong, but not enough to get you in trouble. It is clear that there are 2 sets of standards in the service for punishment. The E-7 and above punishment and the E-6 and below crucifixion. This can be validated by looking over the Friday funnies. Recently two members were punished with drug charges. 1 of them, a CWO, received a $300 dollar fine and a reprimand. An E-6 received 20 days confinement, $1193 fine, and reduced to E3. What are the standards here? I’ve lived both sides of it. I’ve seen a 0-1 with a DUI be promoted to JG a year later, and I’ve seen a E-6 with a DUI get masted, docked, and reduced.

JWillis Yesterday 01:35 PM

I am amazed that the Military Justice System would NOT consider the use of cocaine as “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman”. It appears to me that the standards of conduct in the Coast Guard have been lowered quite a bit from my days.

CGSpinner Yesterday 03:18 PM

You’re really going to pull the, “We don’t know enough to blacklist this gentleman” card. Interesting approach to this news story, Erickson. Perhaps, JacksonThomas can voice the opinions for you.

Melissa Yesterday 11:32 PM

I just wanna put my two cents in and say that I think the fact that Capt. Sullivan was fined 5g’s and received a letter of reprimand is total bullshit!! If that was me or one of my friends we would have been fined, sent to the brig, been demoted and then kicked out with a dishonorable. How in the world can these people find him not guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman?? So basically they are saying do drugs, its so becoming for CG officers… And, what message is this really sending to the junior enlisted people too??.. Hey.. join the Coast Guard, do some coke, and it’ll be OK? please.. this is ridiculous. And as someone who works on Coast Guard Island, I have to say that I could never trust the judgement of Capt. Sullivan and if I ever had to work under him, there’s no way I could take him seriously..

More Reaction to Coast Guards Senior Officer Cocaine Convicition

Captain Sullivan is supposed to be doing this.

Submitted on 2009/06/18 at 10:35pm

I am wondering if there was anything behind PACAREA trotting out the enlisted public affairs officer to make the official statement regarding the conviction and subsequent slap on the hand? To me, this is something that should have been handled by an O-6 or above.

On the other hand, when this type of thing happens to an enlisted, they are usually escorted to the front gate by the OOD and given a copy of their DD-214 in exchange for their uniforms, ID card and parking sticker.

Submitted on 2009/06/18 at 8:27pm

Keep in mind: This is step 1 of about a 6-part process that determines this case’s final disposition. The court martial wouldn’t specify an administrative separation (they only do that for bad conduct discharges, which require a conviction, and which aren’t admin separations). Next, a drug incident has to be declared to have happened (it will), and from there the matter is processed for discharge along with a recommendation concerning the characterization of discharge. The standard for all drug discharges is general. And from there, it goes to an Admin Separation Board for a hearing and processing, and then it

goes to CGHQ for final approval.

So everyone’s up in arms about this Captain not being discharged…this case isn’t at that point yet. Calm down and let the process proceed.

Not This

Submitted on 2009/06/18 at 6:19pm

I am sorry to see that a senior officer was held to a lower standard of conduct than that of a junior enlisted (again). I wonder if the Commandant and MCPOCG will pick this one up on their blogs or just let it fade away without commenting.

I guess that the bar has now been set, $5000.00 to buy yourself out of a drug test. Lets see how many junior enlisted are afforded the same opportunity.

Summer Child Safety Program and Certificate

From the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

During the summer months children tend to be outdoors more, home alone more, and supervised less. Because we know children are at risk in the summer months, NCMEC has created a Summer Safety Program to address these potential risks.

Participate online in the Summer Safety Program and receive a certificate of participation from NCMEC.

It’s easy. View the presentation, then follow the link at the end and take a quick survey. After completion of the survey, NCMEC will send you a certificate for your participation.

• View the Presentation

• View the Presentation in HTML