Commandant suspended

A senior officer borrowing money from a much junior SUBORDINATE has actually been used as an example in Frat training that I went through so I think that other folks that actually make policy might disagree with your assertion.

Remember, the APPEARANCE of impropriety can be just as corrosive to Good Order and Discipline as actual impropriety.
Now that the totality of the circumstances have been posted above, I wish I had not posted and would not have done so had I understood the alleged circumstances.

But, that said I would suggest that you not take an example presented at a course you attended and not temper all future application of that example to all cases.

To wit:
a) Junior and senior of different gender want to ride the Washington Metro Train over to the Pentagon from their work location. As they are buying their fare ards, the senior finds he has lost his wallet. Junior pays their collective fares, and the next day the Senior reimburses him for the $1.80 fare.

Were that have been referred to me at NJP and there were no other considerations - e.g a daily occurrence, etc - I would have made no finding of a dishonest act nor fraternization.

b) Maybe a real life example. We were in another port when I was a Junior Officer on a Submarine. One of my men got it to difficulties with the local police and had to appear before a Judge the next AM... and we were scheduled to get underway later that day.

The Boat XO sent me to attend the court hearing. Surprisingly, the Judge Settled the case and set a fine amount. Sailor did not have enough cash... I paid the fine. There was no doubt that this was a loan - I never intended to gift him the money. And he clearly understood that fact.

We we got back, XO said, "Good going, Salti." (Probably he called me by my real name which varied form "Mudd") to "George" and he never suggested fraternization!

PS The XO paid me back from our "Recreation/Slush" Fund and subsequently my sailor reimbursed the fund. Now the Slush Fund was clearly illegal, but every boat on the river had one for things like making interest free loans to folks that had to get home for deaths and other family emergencies - as well as paying back LTJG SaltiDawg for loans to enlisted men... It also paid for some pretty good beer ball games. It was partially funded by adding a penny a pack tax on Sea Store Cigarettes which raised their price from 9 to 10 cents a pack.
 
I can think of recent examples of Generals/Admirals doing much worse....and then be allowed to quietly retire.
 
Is your son the "recruit" she helped while on vacation? if so, do you think that colors your view of her actions?
She received notification the card would be replaced weeks before the trip, didn't do anything about it until 2 days before the trip, blamed her staff, and then charged it to a cadet's card instead of her own, because she was already under investigation by the IG's office for the other allegations at the time this happened.

Read previous comment - this wasn't a sudden, unexpected failure of a credit card. It was due to her own inattention and failure to plan. She knew it was cancelled when she left. Even her spouse was uncomfortable with the charges going on a cadet's card.

The cadet had to chase her down to be repaid. As a parent of a cadet, this is disgusting.



So true - and so inappropriate. Who is going to say no to a general - which is why it is so inappropriate. Not to mention in contravention of rules.

It is important to note that this incident occurred WHILE SHE WAS ALREADY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE IG'S OFFICE FOR THE OTHER CHARGES!

There is a LOT more to it than just charges on the cadet's card. Here's the summary of their findings on this issue, but again, there is more - read the all report for all the details.
"The preponderance of evidence supports the conclusion Brig Gen Goodwin wrongfully
accepted a gift, a loan in the amount of $831.85, for 28 days, from an Academy cadet to
cover Brig Gen Goodwin's lodging expense while they were on TOY in Hollywood, CA.
Brig Gen Goodwin's GTC was inactivated due to a Pll breach and she traveled without a
valid OTC. Brig Gen Goodwin claimed she was advised to use someone else's GTC to
pay for her travel expenses, but her testimony was inconsistent with the facts. Three
witnesses she claimed were involved in a "front office" meeting to "plan" how to cover
her travel expenses, plus two other subject matter experts in the wing, all testified
Brig Gen Goodwin did not ask for any advice. Further, they all consistently stated they
would have advised Brig Gen Goodwin to use her personal credit card if they were asked.
While checking in at the hotel, Brig Gen Goodwin asked for one of the cadets to cover
her lodging expenses - one cadet volunteered. However, it wasn't until the cadet's
inquiry nearly four weeks after the TDY that Brig Gen Goodwin contacted the cadet to
repay the debt. Brig Gen Goodwin said she waited until she was reimbursed for her hotel
expenses before paying the cadet, rather than repaying the cadet immediately on return
from TOY."
Korab wrote "The cadet had to chase her down to be repaid. As a parent of a cadet, this is disgusting."

I would have just sent an email requesting repayment, with any applicable accrued interest. Simple enough.
"Chasing one down" seems a little old fashioned, and does not create much of a paper trail. Trying to make
the thread useful for existing and future cadets if placed in an "uncomfortable" situation.
 
Mis-Handling expense reports is one of the fastest ways to lose your job no matter what industry you work in and executives at all levels seem to stretch the rules and forget how to do the right thing. Most companies have a policy that the highest ranking individual pay the cost of any group activity so the approval is seen by someone who was not present. "Hey LT, why don't you pick up this $1,000 bar tab so I can approve it through the system."
 
Korab wrote "The cadet had to chase her down to be repaid. As a parent of a cadet, this is disgusting."

I would have just sent an email requesting repayment, with any applicable accrued interest. Simple enough.
"Chasing one down" seems a little old fashioned, and does not create much of a paper trail. Trying to make
the thread useful for existing and future cadets if placed in an "uncomfortable" situation.
We arent talking about sending a venmo to your buddy after you ordered his chinese food last night..

It is so inappropriate that a FREAKING GENERAL would ask to charge their room to a CADET's credit card that its defies words and understanding. Failing to immediately reimburse the cadet is probably the least serious act associated with that incident. It should never have occurred at at all, under any circumstances.
 
We arent talking about sending a venmo to your buddy after you ordered his chinese food last night..

It is so inappropriate that a FREAKING GENERAL would ask to charge their room to a CADET's credit card that its defies words and understanding. Failing to immediately reimburse the cadet is probably the least serious act associated with that incident. It should never have occurred at at all, under any circumstances.
Absolutely 100% correct - no question about it, beyond inappropriate.

Definitely speaks to the obvious feelings of entitlement (and other not-so-appropriate adjectives) of this General Officer.
 
We arent talking about sending a venmo to your buddy after you ordered his chinese food last night..

It is so inappropriate that a FREAKING GENERAL would ask to charge their room to a CADET's credit card that its defies words and understanding. Failing to immediately reimburse the cadet is probably the least serious act associated with that incident. It should never have occurred at at all, under any circumstances.
I was thinking an official email using your official email address assigned by the institution, but if venmo is the program of choice these days, perhaps that would work. I like an official paper trail personally, but I get what your saying about it should not happen in the first place. I was just elaborating on how to resolve the transaction quickly and effectively. Paper trail kinda takes the worry process out of the equation for things, at least for me it does. I sense the overall disgust by many with the entire situation, so I will check out of this discussion before I stir the hornets nest too much and end up on a permanent ban from the forum. Peace and Happy Thanksgiving!
 
A Brigadier has a salary of around 12 thousand dollars a month, a Cadet, after deductions from base salary receives roughly 4.5 thousand dollars a year.

Inexcusable to tap a Cadet.
 
In my last job, I worked for a GO and he told his staff something that stuck with me.

He said ethical “dilemmas” aren’t really fuzzy 98% of the time.

In other words, about 98% of the time the person knew the right/ethical thing to do. He/she just chose not to do it it. Only 1-2% of the time the situation is a true “dilemma” and the right decision can go in more than one direction.

I didn’t get from the report that the USAFA CW SJA reviewed the TDYs for appropriateness. I know in my last job, the SJA always reviewed the CG’s travel to make sure there were no legal objections.
 
Good points by @GoCubbies

And - the prudent FOGO ensures that it’s standing policy for the SJA to review even the most minor things, as a back-up and to show due diligence. In my CO tours, I’d have the staff JAG review stuff like new office furniture, to ensure no fraud, waste or abuse issues.
 
If you're a male, you're a hard charger, if you're a female you're a... you know the rest.
Except there are crazy women bosses and using double standard as a defense seems pretty weak to me. Dont get me wrong there are also crazy men bosses and they too should go by by but no one defends them or condems them because they are males
 
So if the Brig Gen had paid the cadet next day, would the outcome be different?

1) No, the General induced a cadet to break the rules by charging another's expenses to the cadets government card. This is prohibited.
2) The General then lied to investigators about the issue.

Investigators say Goodwin lied when questioned after her firing, finding “multiple occasions when Brig. Gen. Goodwin’s testimony was either not accurate or consistent with the facts, not credible or not truthful and honest.”

If you can't trust an officer on simple matters of honor/intergrity; you can't trust them on larger issues.
 
@Humey I tried to walk back that post the next day but it seems that attempt wasn't completely successful. I agree with your post above.
 
NO WORK TUESDAYS?

But Goodwin’s Tuesdays triggered alarms for investigators.

Several members of Goodwin’s staff told investigators that she demanded Tuesdays off to spend with her family.

Goodwin admitted the Tuesday habit in her testimony saying she wanted the weekday free to “keep my marriage.”

It was more than Tuesdays. Investigators found that when Goodwin canceled scheduled trips for work, she would leave those out-of-office dates on her calendar.
 
This general officer's conduct is so far below the standard required for our Nation, I have no words.

Thankfully, our military is led effectively by the other 99 percent.
 
"
No this is second lieutenant 101 you don't ever put a subordinate in a position where you are asking them for a personal favor. I remember that being beaten in during precommissioning training. There is a great scene in Band of Brothers where an officer is gambling with his paratroopers and is reprimanded for just that.
"Don't ever put yourself in a position to take from these men."
-- Capt. Winters
 
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