Request for Congressional Involvment
This is a letter sent to Darlene Hooley, a Congressional Representative from Oregon, from one of the soldier's at Menwith Hiil, dated in early 2002.
As young NCO’s in the US Army, we define ourselves by seven ethical standards, known as Army values, which dictate our lives. We would find it,then, to be readily apparent that our senior leadership at all levels hold themselves accountable to those same standards, and enforces those standards equivocally across the command climate. It is only when our senior leadership violates these values, that a junior soldier must seek redress, be it through higher command leadership, Inspector General Requests, or Judge Advocate General Investigations.
A soldier who initiates the above actions expects certain reasonable discretions be taken when handling them, to include confidentiality and avoidance of any possible redress in response to such matters. Prudence suggests that with smaller, local commands, assistance would be readily be available through discussion with the next higher commander to expedite the complaint process. When this fails, soldiers have the option of disclosing command inquiries with Inspector General Requests, or Judge Advocate General Investigations. When a prolonged period of abusive command authority exists, however, at multiple levels in the command structure, and when soldiers have suffered extreme redress for utilizing the above military structures, it becomes necessary to seek further assistance through congressional means. Such has been the case of myself and fellow servicemen at Menwith Hill Station. The leadership under our Battalion Commander LTC Pastore, our company commander CPT Riley, our first sergeant, 1SG Riley, and several of their senior level subordinates, has contained such documented and repeated abuses of power and authority, that they must be addressed at the highest levels. To support this, I request that the following information be submitted for unbiased scrutiny to my congressional representative, and his staff.
ISG Riley has fabricated racial allegations against a junior SSG, SSG Turner, without credence. His basis for this was a police report, which contained no such allegations against SSG Turner. The police officer testified that no such racial incidents had occurred and any such allegations were completely fabricated on the 1SG’s behalf.
1SG Riley has called SSG Turner at operations on a night shift, while under the influence of alcohol. He slurred angrily at the soldier, claiming to be on his way to counsel him at 0300. He never arrived.
ISG Riley has repeatedly punished a junior soldier, PVT Dove, with UMCJ action, without attempting to resolve or identify the situation in which PVT Dove finds himself.
1SG Riley recommended a junior SGT, SGT Andrews, for UCMJ punishment for a minor incident; despite the fact this soldier was a stellar leader who never before had an instance of misconduct, and in direct opposition to her platoon sergeant’s recommendation.
1SG Riley ordered the platoon sergeant to counsel SGT Andrews that she would be receive UCMJ punishment, despite the fact that the UCMJ action never actually occurred.
1SG Riley contacted SGT Andrews on a night shift, while under the influence of alcohol. He slurred angrily at the soldier that he would be on his way to counsel her, but never arrived.
1SG Riley forced me to change a subordinate’s evaluation report as she was separating from the military, to include pending action he intended to take against her for missing work to take care of a sick child. SGT Taylor ETS’ed without receiving UCMJ punishment, even though it was still included in her final evaluation report at 1SG Riley’s insistence.
1SG Riley has been witness by many soldiers stumbling around on base while under the influence of alcohol, muttering and initiating drunken conversations.
1SG Riley and CPT Riley have both held company level training meetings in the base club bar with other SFC’s, while consuming alcohol.
1SG Riley has several times offered assistance to me and other soldiers personally, only to change his position entirely when finding the situation may negatively affect him.
1SG Riley has routinely fraternized with junior soldiers at dance clubs outside the base, in the local community ofHarrogate , while under the influence of alcohol.
1SG Riley has allowed soldiers that are drinking buddies like SFC McClain and SSG Campanario, to routinely miss work, skip PT and training, and be held completely unaccountable for their actions by being placed in leadership positions.
Junior soldiers cite this as their number one concern that demonstrates the 1SG’s lack of ethics.
1SG Riley permitted marital indiscretions to take place between a junior soldier, SPC Dove, and SSG Campanario.
CPT Riley, the 404th MI Commander, has frequently been seen by myself and other soldiers flirting with his company orderly room clerk, SGT Catino.
CPT Riley has been seen kissing SGT Catino by civilians, soldiers, and members of other services outside of military duties, and has been overheard discussing his wife’s anger over the matter.
CPT Riley and LTC Pastore both permitted officers to bring kegs of beer to the Army organizational day; the entire command climate at Menwith Hill is overrun with alcoholism, and this incident has repeatedly been mentioned by junior soldiers as an example.
LTC Pastore and CPT Riley denied SPC Muhammad’s request for religious headgear despite previous army precedence for such an item. Another soldier, SSG Gregg Johnson was permitted to wear his headgear by a previous Menwith Hill command and still continues to do so.
The 404th Ml Company has failed to train its soldiers on simple Army tasks such as risk assessment and counseling. They have distracted IC inspections into such matters by presenting a few soldiers who train themselves, instead of giving a general representation of their overall training environment. A random sampling of 404th Senior NCO’s will demonstrate this lack of command Army knowledge.
LTC Pastore excludes SFC and above from professional interaction with subordinates by placing them in day support staff, where they are rarely seen for mentorship or guidance.
LTC Pastore has repeatedly claimed to investigate such incidents, but rarely finds any evidence in support of allegations made against both the Commander and 1SG of 4O4th MI Company.
1SG Riley has repeatedly ignored requests to resolve issues centered around soldier work positions, resulting in every single NCO working on a certain high priority system to receive negative evaluation reports, flags, bars, and denial of end of tour awards.
1SG Riley has caused severe professional redress to any individual who has attempted to inquire into the matter of why these soldiers are having trouble with this position; he has consistently refused to acknowledge documented problems with the day office. He instead blames junior soldiers with no support.
The 404th Ml Company has had two soldiers attempt to commit suicide under their command. Both instances were soldiers who have had excruciating negative actions taken against them by 1SG Riley and CPT Riley. With proper counseling and facilitation of their needs, the situation would have been avoided.
1SG Riley has repeatedly counseled a single NCO on situations that the soldier has filed IG complaints against about his back office supervisory staff. He does not understand the army ethic, and indicates that he feels that the soldier should ‘Ignore” evidence that completely substantiates a prolonged bias against fellow operators on the NCO’s position.
1SG Riley has ordered the same NCO to not talk with any junior enlisted soldiers and to not hold any leadership position; he gives orders specifically so he can later add them to counseling statements and convey inaccurate portrayals of individuals, stating, “I had to order the soldier not to talk to anyone”.
1SG Riley and SFC Dochterman have both caused severe distress since this soldier’s initial IG complaints were filed against them. SFC Dochterman has told different operators on shift, that if the soldier does anything that bothers them in any way, they are immediately to report it to him so that he may write it up and turn it in as proof.
CPT Riley is currently attempting retribution against this NCO’s complaints by initiating a commander’s inquiry into the soldier’s conduct as an NCO. As informed by 1SG, during this inquiry the soldier is to be flagged from all favorable actions, and must be sent to a mental health facility to have a professional evaluation on his mental stability.
At every opportunity during the above actions I and other soldiers have attempted all possible means of redress available. Our repeated requests for assistance have only been met by deference to the junior commands, which have made no honest effort to inquire into the above matters.
Instead, soldiers continue to find themselves the victim of 1SG Riley’s legal manipulation, which he uses to distort the truth. I have been reassured time and again that there would be no redress from such complaints. As it appears now, like the other NCO’s in my situation before me, I am on the verge of having my once stellar career destroyed. I can accept that penalty if it resolves the problems I have divulged above. As a great senior NCO, who does live up the army values, has taught me, “The Army can take everything from you. They can take your money, your rank. They can take your family, send you off to some godforsaken desert, and even take your life. But there’s two things they can’t take--your integrity and your pride. Your integrity; you know if it’s there or not and you keep it that way. Your pride is your own, well you’re the only that can take that away.” The process 1SG Riley has in place at Menwith Hill is so streamlined, that by the time this reaches your desk, undoubtedly my rank will have already been taken. My integrity and pride will still remain, as will the respect of my junior subordinates; what will suffer is their trust in military command and discipline.
I therefore, respectfully and humbly request that these matters be attended to, scrutinized, and resolved at the soonest possible date of convenience. There are issues of extreme urgency that need to be resolved at high levels in the army command at Menwith Hill station. Soldiers have already attempted to take their own lives. That alone should be an indicator of the type of dangerous environment that exists on site. Having resolved all other manners of solution, it is my sincere request that LTC Pastore, CPT Riley, and 1SG Riley all receive reprimand for their conduct in the course of my IG request and their own previous alcohol related incidents, and possibly relief of their duties. Although this is an extreme request, it is necessary recourse provided the above allegations, and the only way to assuage the legal wrangling and character assassination 1SG Riley uses to bully soldiers honesty and courage. I personally am requesting to be completely disassociated with this command as it has negatively affected both my career and chances for promotion. This inquiry has been made at several levels of command, but fallen on deaf ears. It is my humble and sincere hope that my congressional representative and his staff take a personal look into the charges I have levied, in order to facilitate a higher standard for the good nature and conduct of those in senior leadership at Menwith Hill Station.
There‘s two things that the army can never take from you. They can never take your integrity, and they can never take your pride.
As young NCO’s in the US Army, we define ourselves by seven ethical standards, known as Army values, which dictate our lives. We would find it,then, to be readily apparent that our senior leadership at all levels hold themselves accountable to those same standards, and enforces those standards equivocally across the command climate. It is only when our senior leadership violates these values, that a junior soldier must seek redress, be it through higher command leadership, Inspector General Requests, or Judge Advocate General Investigations.
A soldier who initiates the above actions expects certain reasonable discretions be taken when handling them, to include confidentiality and avoidance of any possible redress in response to such matters. Prudence suggests that with smaller, local commands, assistance would be readily be available through discussion with the next higher commander to expedite the complaint process. When this fails, soldiers have the option of disclosing command inquiries with Inspector General Requests, or Judge Advocate General Investigations. When a prolonged period of abusive command authority exists, however, at multiple levels in the command structure, and when soldiers have suffered extreme redress for utilizing the above military structures, it becomes necessary to seek further assistance through congressional means. Such has been the case of myself and fellow servicemen at Menwith Hill Station. The leadership under our Battalion Commander LTC Pastore, our company commander CPT Riley, our first sergeant, 1SG Riley, and several of their senior level subordinates, has contained such documented and repeated abuses of power and authority, that they must be addressed at the highest levels. To support this, I request that the following information be submitted for unbiased scrutiny to my congressional representative, and his staff.
ISG Riley has fabricated racial allegations against a junior SSG, SSG Turner, without credence. His basis for this was a police report, which contained no such allegations against SSG Turner. The police officer testified that no such racial incidents had occurred and any such allegations were completely fabricated on the 1SG’s behalf.
1SG Riley has called SSG Turner at operations on a night shift, while under the influence of alcohol. He slurred angrily at the soldier, claiming to be on his way to counsel him at 0300. He never arrived.
ISG Riley has repeatedly punished a junior soldier, PVT Dove, with UMCJ action, without attempting to resolve or identify the situation in which PVT Dove finds himself.
1SG Riley recommended a junior SGT, SGT Andrews, for UCMJ punishment for a minor incident; despite the fact this soldier was a stellar leader who never before had an instance of misconduct, and in direct opposition to her platoon sergeant’s recommendation.
1SG Riley ordered the platoon sergeant to counsel SGT Andrews that she would be receive UCMJ punishment, despite the fact that the UCMJ action never actually occurred.
1SG Riley contacted SGT Andrews on a night shift, while under the influence of alcohol. He slurred angrily at the soldier that he would be on his way to counsel her, but never arrived.
1SG Riley forced me to change a subordinate’s evaluation report as she was separating from the military, to include pending action he intended to take against her for missing work to take care of a sick child. SGT Taylor ETS’ed without receiving UCMJ punishment, even though it was still included in her final evaluation report at 1SG Riley’s insistence.
1SG Riley has been witness by many soldiers stumbling around on base while under the influence of alcohol, muttering and initiating drunken conversations.
1SG Riley and CPT Riley have both held company level training meetings in the base club bar with other SFC’s, while consuming alcohol.
1SG Riley has several times offered assistance to me and other soldiers personally, only to change his position entirely when finding the situation may negatively affect him.
1SG Riley has routinely fraternized with junior soldiers at dance clubs outside the base, in the local community of
1SG Riley has allowed soldiers that are drinking buddies like SFC McClain and SSG Campanario, to routinely miss work, skip PT and training, and be held completely unaccountable for their actions by being placed in leadership positions.
Junior soldiers cite this as their number one concern that demonstrates the 1SG’s lack of ethics.
1SG Riley permitted marital indiscretions to take place between a junior soldier, SPC Dove, and SSG Campanario.
CPT Riley, the 404th MI Commander, has frequently been seen by myself and other soldiers flirting with his company orderly room clerk, SGT Catino.
CPT Riley has been seen kissing SGT Catino by civilians, soldiers, and members of other services outside of military duties, and has been overheard discussing his wife’s anger over the matter.
CPT Riley and LTC Pastore both permitted officers to bring kegs of beer to the Army organizational day; the entire command climate at Menwith Hill is overrun with alcoholism, and this incident has repeatedly been mentioned by junior soldiers as an example.
LTC Pastore and CPT Riley denied SPC Muhammad’s request for religious headgear despite previous army precedence for such an item. Another soldier, SSG Gregg Johnson was permitted to wear his headgear by a previous Menwith Hill command and still continues to do so.
The 404th Ml Company has failed to train its soldiers on simple Army tasks such as risk assessment and counseling. They have distracted IC inspections into such matters by presenting a few soldiers who train themselves, instead of giving a general representation of their overall training environment. A random sampling of 404th Senior NCO’s will demonstrate this lack of command Army knowledge.
LTC Pastore excludes SFC and above from professional interaction with subordinates by placing them in day support staff, where they are rarely seen for mentorship or guidance.
LTC Pastore has repeatedly claimed to investigate such incidents, but rarely finds any evidence in support of allegations made against both the Commander and 1SG of 4O4th MI Company.
1SG Riley has repeatedly ignored requests to resolve issues centered around soldier work positions, resulting in every single NCO working on a certain high priority system to receive negative evaluation reports, flags, bars, and denial of end of tour awards.
1SG Riley has caused severe professional redress to any individual who has attempted to inquire into the matter of why these soldiers are having trouble with this position; he has consistently refused to acknowledge documented problems with the day office. He instead blames junior soldiers with no support.
The 404th Ml Company has had two soldiers attempt to commit suicide under their command. Both instances were soldiers who have had excruciating negative actions taken against them by 1SG Riley and CPT Riley. With proper counseling and facilitation of their needs, the situation would have been avoided.
1SG Riley has repeatedly counseled a single NCO on situations that the soldier has filed IG complaints against about his back office supervisory staff. He does not understand the army ethic, and indicates that he feels that the soldier should ‘Ignore” evidence that completely substantiates a prolonged bias against fellow operators on the NCO’s position.
1SG Riley has ordered the same NCO to not talk with any junior enlisted soldiers and to not hold any leadership position; he gives orders specifically so he can later add them to counseling statements and convey inaccurate portrayals of individuals, stating, “I had to order the soldier not to talk to anyone”.
1SG Riley and SFC Dochterman have both caused severe distress since this soldier’s initial IG complaints were filed against them. SFC Dochterman has told different operators on shift, that if the soldier does anything that bothers them in any way, they are immediately to report it to him so that he may write it up and turn it in as proof.
CPT Riley is currently attempting retribution against this NCO’s complaints by initiating a commander’s inquiry into the soldier’s conduct as an NCO. As informed by 1SG, during this inquiry the soldier is to be flagged from all favorable actions, and must be sent to a mental health facility to have a professional evaluation on his mental stability.
At every opportunity during the above actions I and other soldiers have attempted all possible means of redress available. Our repeated requests for assistance have only been met by deference to the junior commands, which have made no honest effort to inquire into the above matters.
Instead, soldiers continue to find themselves the victim of 1SG Riley’s legal manipulation, which he uses to distort the truth. I have been reassured time and again that there would be no redress from such complaints. As it appears now, like the other NCO’s in my situation before me, I am on the verge of having my once stellar career destroyed. I can accept that penalty if it resolves the problems I have divulged above. As a great senior NCO, who does live up the army values, has taught me, “The Army can take everything from you. They can take your money, your rank. They can take your family, send you off to some godforsaken desert, and even take your life. But there’s two things they can’t take--your integrity and your pride. Your integrity; you know if it’s there or not and you keep it that way. Your pride is your own, well you’re the only that can take that away.” The process 1SG Riley has in place at Menwith Hill is so streamlined, that by the time this reaches your desk, undoubtedly my rank will have already been taken. My integrity and pride will still remain, as will the respect of my junior subordinates; what will suffer is their trust in military command and discipline.
I therefore, respectfully and humbly request that these matters be attended to, scrutinized, and resolved at the soonest possible date of convenience. There are issues of extreme urgency that need to be resolved at high levels in the army command at Menwith Hill station. Soldiers have already attempted to take their own lives. That alone should be an indicator of the type of dangerous environment that exists on site. Having resolved all other manners of solution, it is my sincere request that LTC Pastore, CPT Riley, and 1SG Riley all receive reprimand for their conduct in the course of my IG request and their own previous alcohol related incidents, and possibly relief of their duties. Although this is an extreme request, it is necessary recourse provided the above allegations, and the only way to assuage the legal wrangling and character assassination 1SG Riley uses to bully soldiers honesty and courage. I personally am requesting to be completely disassociated with this command as it has negatively affected both my career and chances for promotion. This inquiry has been made at several levels of command, but fallen on deaf ears. It is my humble and sincere hope that my congressional representative and his staff take a personal look into the charges I have levied, in order to facilitate a higher standard for the good nature and conduct of those in senior leadership at Menwith Hill Station.
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