Two Cadets Face Court Martial for Sexual Assaults

okay, let's say I'm hypothetically a Coast Guard Cadet and I'm caught smoking dope in Chase Hall. Am I going to be court martialed for possessing drugs? Probably not, The USCGA would probably just disenroll me with a general discharge.

This is beginning to sound like a lot of the "squad bay lawyer" discussions I used to hear as I walked around as Officer of the Day.

There is a well-established and vetted process for investigation, charging, prosecution and trial proceedings in the military. Everyone is held to the UCMJ. There is no reason to question or challenge the decisions of the CG, the CGA, or the military lawyers. Don't look for a conspiracy - trust those who have been sworn to uphold the system. You also shouldn't equate the UCMJ with the civilian laws and process. As CaptMJ notes in post #16, there are several articles that allow the military to focus on "conduct" that you would never see in the civilian courts.
 
As a parent of a HS Senior applying this year, this news is disappointing.

If guilty of the charges....

What happened to the Honor, Integrity, Devotion to Duty?
 
As a parent of a HS Senior applying this year, this news is disappointing.

If guilty of the charges....

What happened to the Honor, Integrity, Devotion to Duty?

There are countless threads on this site involving all the academies about good kids making really bad decisions and they almost always involve one of two things, alcohol and/or drugs. Same as in the civilian world.
 
As a parent of a HS Senior applying this year, this news is disappointing.

If guilty of the charges....

What happened to the Honor, Integrity, Devotion to Duty?

It's "Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty" and if even a fraction of what's alleged is true, it's extremely disappointing.
 
It's "Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty" and if even a fraction of what's alleged is true, it's extremely disappointing.

Thank you for the correction. I had integrity on my mind because that was the value we discussed last week.
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There are countless threads on this site involving all the academies about good kids making really bad decisions and they almost always involve one of two things, alcohol and/or drugs. Same as in the civilian world.

Yes, I understand. It happens everywhere.

I've had so many conversations these past few months with my kids concerning all the negative things in the news. This was just very disappointing to have to tell my son when he got home from school about these incidents. I need to look at it as yet another opportunity for an open discussion. If nothing else it gives us the chance of discussing the 'what if' scenarios.

I hope the (alleged) victims receive the help and support they need....especially those within the academy.
 
While one expects more from a kid attending a service academy (and rightfully so) they are still just college kids and subject to some of the same social pressures as any kid at any college.

Cadets and Mids can easily find themselves facing disenrollment for things that wouldn't get a second glance at a "regular" university.

A felony investigation such as sexual assault should always be handled criminally as opposed to administratively and as such would be investigated by the CGIS.

I suspect that with all of the press lately involving college rape cases that if there is a conviction that it will be dealt with far more severely than a civilian court.
 
...and they almost always involve one of two things, alcohol and/or drugs. Same as in the civilian world.

I cannot think of a single sexual assault case at any academy that did not involved alcohol. Not one.

And yet people still attacked me for suggesting a total ban on alcohol use by anyone attending a military academy.
 
I cannot think of a single sexual assault case at any academy that did not involved alcohol. Not one.

And yet people still attacked me for suggesting a total ban on alcohol use by anyone attending a military academy.

I can think of one and I have no doubt that there are more out there that do not involve drugs or alcohol. How do I know? You'll have to PM me if you want the answer to that.

Yes, a total ban on alcohol would be terribly effective as history shows us that Prohibition was highly successful. Similar to the abstinence is the only method movement, if we just ban it all together and say don't drink, we'll never have an issue, assaults will never occur and teens will never get pregnant. How can you teach young adults to treat alcohol with respect if you choose to deny them the opportunity to experiment once legal? At 18, cadets and midshipman are adults and should be addressed as such on all topics. That also means accepting the very real adult consequences for when they choose to make the wrong decision. A ban would be nearly impossible to enforce. When they're 21, federal law says that they possess the requisite judgment to drink. Attending a service academy does not change federal law.

My biggest pet peeve is when people directly link alcohol as the causative factor of sexual assault. The problem is not the alcohol or the drugs, but the person, man or woman, who chooses to take advantage of another person and touch them without their consent in any manner. Alcohol and drugs limit our cognitive ability to reason but the majority of the population do not partake in these substances and then go on to assault others. Instead of blaming the substances, why don't we as a society condemn the individual for their behavior and make them shoulder the responsibility for their actions? The Brock Turner case is a direct example of what happens when the justice system decides to make alcohol the defendant rather then the individual who removed a girl's clothing by a dumpster and proceeded to inflict mental, emotional and physical torture on her, stopping only when two men from another country came to her aid.

These two men made poor decisions and they will face the consequences of their actions. This does not mean USCGA or any other service academy should be seen in a bad light. Cadets are pulled from the general population of the United States without a required interview or evaluation aside from what they choose to put down on paper. It's what the four year process is for, to train prospective officers/leaders and to remove those who are deemed incapable of serving.
 
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Probably important to remember the Mission of the Coast Guard Academy is to "GRADUATE young men and women with sound bodies, stout hearts and alert minds."

The mission is not to accept them.

Not everyone who attends a service academy is worthy of graduating.
 
How can you teach young adults to treat alcohol with respect if you choose to deny them the opportunity to experiment once legal?

Are cadets allowed to used marijuana when in Seattle? Are you allowed to ride a motorcycle as a cadet? Can you own a car as a 4/c? Can you be married with children as a 1/c?

No? So you understand the academies CAN and DO enforce a ban on many behaviors that are perfectly legal depending on location or age.

Why would you think a prohibition on alcohol by cadets is any different? It's not that hard to do, just make it a condition of appointment and a part of the cadet regulations, with any infraction a Class 1 offense subject to immediate disenrollment.

The sexual assaults would be reduced by 90%.
 
Are cadets allowed to used marijuana when in Seattle? Are you allowed to ride a motorcycle as a cadet? Can you own a car as a 4/c? Can you be married with children as a 1/c?

No? So you understand the academies CAN and DO enforce a ban on many behaviors that are perfectly legal depending on location or age.

Why would you think a prohibition on alcohol by cadets is any different? It's not that hard to do, just make it a condition of appointment and a part of the cadet regulations, with any infraction a Class 1 offense subject to immediate disenrollment.

The sexual assaults would be reduced by 90%.

Marijuana use is still against federal law.
 
okay, let's say I'm hypothetically a Coast Guard Cadet and I'm caught smoking dope in Chase Hall. Am I going to be court martialed for possessing drugs? Probably not, The USCGA would probably just disenroll me with a general discharge.
I'm curious and I'm not being "snarky" or anything like that...do you know this to be the case? Is there a precedent here at USCGA? I ask because in the USAF, at the academy, and out in the field, if what you described happened, you would almost certainly face a court martial.

To know precisely how it would be handled at USAFA, I'd have to ask the JAG however...there have been GCM's in the past for drug offenses at USAFA.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
And yet people still attacked me for suggesting a total ban on alcohol use by anyone attending a military academy.

This would never work, period. Let's ban felons from owning firearms. Let's make heroin more illegal, etc. As a previous poster mentioned, prohibition was a wonderful success.
 
If someone was caught smoking pot at the Academy or in the fleet red handed I would venture to say they would face a Court Martial. I never had this situation happen exactly. In the fleet we had a young Marine who was caught with it in his car coming through the gate (a half smoked joint in his ash tray) and he was taken to court martial and admin sep'd. General Court Martial would be overkill, but they would get hit with punishment along with admin sep. We sent folks to Summary and Special Court Martials for much less. A lot of folks think a General Court Martial is the only one that exists. There are two other options that are often used and result in punishment and admin sep, you just don't hear about them in the media.

Taking alcohol away is not the answer in my opinion. If there is a Mid or Cadet that can't make a solid decision at a SA, even while intoxicated, I want them identified and gone. They don't deserve to be there. I can remember 4 sexual assault cases at USNA when I was there. 2 of 4 involved alcohol. I equate this to those who say if we removed women from the military it would end sexual assault when in fact over half of all military sexual assault reports are from males. Don't make rules for the less than 1% who can't follow rules or use decent judgment.
 
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