AF Vice Commander Relieved Over Emails to Woman

[Steve Wilkins]

The vice commander of the Air Force's 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph has been relieved after investigators learned he exchanged emails with the wife of a subordinate officer.

The messages were sent in 2007 while Col. James Gifford Jr. served at Vance AFB in Oklahoma, where he was director of operations with the 8th Flying Training Squadron. A major at the time, he rose to lieutenant colonel in October of that year and was the squadron's commander from 2009 to 2010.

"The internal investigation found no evidence of a sexual relationship between the two people involved...however, the correspondence sent between them was determined to be unprofessional."

http://www.military.com/daily-news/...-commander-relieved-over-emails-to-woman.html

Ok, I gotta call bullshit on this. He was relieved due to "loss of confidence in his ability to lead." Really? The incident, if you want to call it that, occurred 7 years prior. I'm not condoning what he did, but it was 7 freaking years ago. WTF?

 

[xj220]

Yikes, I'm supposed to be out there in a month with those guys.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

If my boss naughty e mailed my wife, I would want him relieved, regardless of the time frame. Either that, or a face to face would do...

Concur, but supposedly, that wasn't the substance of the emails.

 

[PhrogLoop]

I was an instructor in the 8th FTS from 2003-2006, I left before this guy showed up as the DO (XO). It is a really small town and even smaller community of aviators. Something like this, even if it was just emails, would be fairly detrimental to good order and discipline. Not sure how much it correlates to his current ability to lead 7 years later in a different command, but his judgment is fair game to question.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Something like this, even if it was just emails, would be fairly detrimental to good order and discipline.

If it is truly detrimental to good order and discipline, then I would expect to have seen the effect of that back when the behavior was taking place. The fact that this was 7 years ago is a big deal in my opinion. As military careers go, that's a pretty long time to have passed before being punished. If the emails were sexual in nature or even suggestive of an inappropriate relationship, then I think there might be some teeth in this. But short of that, this is bullshit.

 

[BigBadBoJenkins]

Shit, I hope no one reads my facebook messages from 2006

 

[ltedge46]

Shit, I hope no one reads my facebook messages from 2006

Good learning point for everyone, especially the young folks who grew up posting everything about thier lives on mybook and facespace. There is no statute of limitations on stupid things you put online and assume everything you type, post, link, upload etc can be seen by anyone at anytime in the future, including "anonymous" comments on news sites, blogs and forums like this.

 

[robav8r]

"mybook and facespace."

Nice !!!