Youth Radio - Topic: Don't Ask Don't Tell

Chief Accused of Hazing Forced From Navy, Keeps Rank

cfoster — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:51:48 -0600

An assistant secretary of the Navy upheld the forced retirement of a senior chief accused of hazing junior sailors in a canine unit based in Bahrain.

The decision comes four years after a Navy investigation in which sailors claimed Michael Toussaint, a chief petty officer at the time, had acted as ringleader for a culture of abuse within the kennel between 2005 and 2006. Last February, Toussaint denied much of his alleged misconduct before a retirement review board that was convened months after he was censured by the Secretary of the Navy.

UPDATE: Joseph Rocha, a sailor who testified during the Navy's investigation of hazing in a Bahrain-based canine unit, writes for The Huffington Post about the news that his former chief Michael Toussaint has been forced to retire with full pay.

"Ultimately, MACS Toussaint's conduct as the Leading Chief Petty Officer assigned to the Military Working Dog Division, Naval Security Forces, Bahrain, did not meet the standards expected of senior enlisted leadership in our Navy," said Juan Garcia, assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs.

Garcia followed the paygrade recommendation of the retirement board, which said Toussaint should receive an honorable discharge and a pension at his current rank. The board members cited insufficient evidence uncovered in the Navy's hazing investigation and a 2009 tour of duty in Afghanistan during which he saved the life of a marine.

"[W]hen looking at his career in its entirety," said Garcia, "I have determined that his conduct did not rise to a level sufficient to warrant retirement in a paygrade less than E-8."

Military law experts had anticipated that Garcia would approve the review board's recommendation since the results of such hearings are rarely overturned. Still, others had hoped for a harsher punishment, as Youth Radio reported in August:

But advocates for the sailors who were abused under Toussaint's leadership said Navy officials had led them to expect a harsher judgement from the board hearing, which according to Navy guidelines determines the highest rank at which a sailor or officer has served honorably.

"I was surprised," said Aaron Tax, legal director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, "because we thought that the Navy believed this was someone who engaged in outrageous behavior." Tax said despite the board's recommendation, the Navy should lower Toussaint's pension to that of a first class petty officer, the rank he held before becoming chief of the Bahrain unit.

More background on the case from Youth Radio's prior reporting:

Last September [2009], Youth Radio uncovered a 2007 Navy investigation into claims of the unit's culture of abuse and connected it to two subsequent investigations into the suicide of a sailor implicated in the hazing scandal. While names in the copies of the Navy report were redacted, Youth Radio interviewed six sailors from the unit, all of whom named Toussaint as the ringleader of the abuse.

During the February hearing, Toussaint denied the most serious accusations against him -- that he ordered sailors to simulate sex acts during training exercises, that he threw parties with hired prostitutes, and that he condoned the humiliation of a gay sailor who was hog-tied to a chair and left in a dog kennel.

Toussant's lawyers claimed that four sailors who testified against him at the hearing were exaggerating the extent of the hazing. They accused one sailor, Joseph Christopher Rocha, of lying about Toussaint in the media to increase his own public profile as an advocate for the repeal of the U.S. Military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Rocha was discharged from the Navy under the policy after returning from Bahrain.

Youth Radio has obtained statements from each of the retirement board members -- an enlisted sailor and two Navy officers -- explaining why they sided with Toussaint.

"Senior Chief Toussaint has served honorably and was made the 'scape goat' in this case, for the benefit of one disgruntled sailor," wrote one of the board members, Lt. Cmdr. Angel Bellido.

Another board member wrote that he took into consideration the testimony of a Navy SEAL who said Toussaint saved his life last summer when he was shot during a combat mission in Afghanistan.

Toussaint included these statements in a March letter to Juan Garcia, the assistant secretary of the Navy who oversees personnel and will make the final decision on the retirement pay. "The board's unanimous decision... is a clear repudiation of the allegations," Toussaint wrote in the letter, which Youth Radio obtained through his lawyer.

Military law experts familiar with Toussaint's case said he may be the first enlisted sailor to go before a retirement grade determination board, a proceeding that exists outside the military justice system.

The Navy's top officials decided in October not to court-martial Toussaint and instead canceled his final years of service and sent him a letter of censure from the Secretary of the Navy, the harshest administrative reprimand that can be taken against a sailor. Navy secretary Ray Mabus said the decision to forgo a court martial was based on several factors, "including the time elapsed since the hazing incidents, the fact that Senior Chief Toussaint's involvement previously was reviewed by an authorized commander, and Senior Chief Toussaint's proximity to retirement eligibility."

Toussaint became eligible for retirement pay in January, when he completed 20 years of serving in the Navy. According to the Office of the Secretary of Defense website, his pension would amount to $2,100 a month if he retired at his current rank. If Garcia reduced Toussaint to a first class petty officer, he would receive $1,667 -- about $5,000 less a year.

Navy officials said that before his final release from the Navy, Toussaint will be transferred to the Fleet Reserve, a standard procedure for retiring personnel that lasts about a month.

Also from Youth Radio-Youth Media International:

Navy Forces Out Chief For Bahrain Hazing

Youth Radio Report Sparks Top Military Review

Navy Finds Commanders Mishandled Hazing

Service Members Support The Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell

rgee — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:46:37 -0600

The Pentagon recently released a study showing new support for getting rid of the policy, "Don't Ask Don't Tell," that currently requires gay and lesbian military service members to keep quiet about their sexuality. The study interviewed 115,000 service members.

The Pentagon summed up their findings in the answers to three questions:

- When asked whether knowing that a fellow unit member was gay or lesbian would affect their unit's ability to get their job done, 70 percent of service members said that it would have no effect or a positive effect.

- When asked if during their career, they had ever worked with someone they believed to be homosexual, 69 percent of service members said yes.

- While serving in a unit with someone they believed to be homosexual, 92 percent of service members said their ability to work together was "very good," "good," or had no positive or negative effect.

The Pentagon also stated that most of the concern about "open" service is driven by misperceptions and stereotypes about what it would mean if gay and lesbian service members were allowed to be open. In addition, they spoke to many gay service members who said they are not trying to push a social agenda or get special treatment, but would like to stop serving in silence.

Youth Radio has been following this issue for over a year. In August 2009, Youth Radio profiled Joseph Rocha, a member of the military who survived extreme harassment from his peers and superiors because of his sexuality. Watch his video below, and visit Youth Radio's hub page for its investigative series Sailors' Abuse Kept Silent in Navy Canine Unit that has won some of journalism's top honors, including an Edward R. Murrow Award.

New Support For Repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell

rgee — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:18:55 -0600

The Pentagon recently released a study showing new support for the repeal of the policy, "Don't Ask Don't Tell," that currently requires gay and lesbian service members to keep quiet about their sexuality. The Pentagon summed up their significant findings in the answers to three questions: - When asked whether knowig that an immediate unit member was gay or lesbian would affect their unit's ability to get the job done, 70 percent said that it would have a positive or no effect. - When asked if during their career, they had ever worked with someone they believed to be homosexual, 69 percent said yes. - While serving in a unit with someone they believed to be homosexual, 92 percent of service members said their ability to work together was "very good," "good," or had no positive or negative effect. The Pentagon also stated that most of the concern about "open" service is driven by misperceptions and stereotypes about what it would mean if gay and lesbian service members were allowed to be open. In addition, they spoke to many gay service members who said they are not trying to push a social agenda, or get special treatment, but would like to stop serving in silence. Youth Radio has been following this issue for over a year. In August 2009, Youth Radio profiled Joseph Rocha, a member of the military who survived extreme harassment from his peers and superiors because of his sexuality. Watch his video below, and visit Youth Radio's hub for Navy abuse for more stories.

Navy Chief Accused of Hazing Likely to Retire at Full Pay

cfoster — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:16:21 -0500

A senior chief who was censured by the Secretary of the Navy for hazing sailors under his command may retire with a full pension, Navy officials say.

Since it was announced last October, the terms of Michael Toussaint’s retirement have come under scrutiny that is unprecedented for an enlisted sailor. The senior chief petty officer, who from 2005 to 2006 led a Bahrain-based canine unit that was plagued by widespread documented abuse, denied much of his alleged misconduct in February during a retirement board hearing, a proceeding normally reserved for commissioned officers.

The case will soon go to the desk of an assistant secretary of the Navy, who faces a choice: to approve the unanimous recommendation of the three board members who said Toussaint deserves to retire with a senior chief's pension; or to take a harder line and reduce him to a lower pay grade, as government lawyers had sought to do during the hearing.

Deciding against the retirement board's recommendation would be rare.

"I've never yet seen one (a board recommendation) that was overturned by a higher authority," said Eugene Fidell, a professor at Yale University and President of the National Institute of Military Justice.

But advocates for the sailors who were abused under Toussaint’s leadership said Navy officials had led them to expect a harsher judgement from the board hearing, which according to Navy guidelines determines the highest rank at which a sailor or officer has served honorably.

"I was surprised," said Aaron Tax, legal director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, “because we thought that the Navy believed this was someone who engaged in outrageous behavior." Tax said despite the board's recommendation, the Navy should lower Toussaint's pension to that of a first class petty officer, the rank he held before becoming chief of the Bahrain unit.

Last September, Youth Radio uncovered a 2007 Navy investigation into claims of the unit’s culture of abuse and connected it to two subsequent investigations into the suicide of a sailor implicated in the hazing scandal. While names in the copies of the Navy report were redacted, Youth Radio interviewed six sailors from the unit, all of whom named Toussaint as the ringleader of the abuse.

During the February hearing, Toussaint denied the most serious accusations against him -- that he ordered sailors to simulate sex acts during training exercises, that he threw parties with hired prostitutes, and that he condoned the humiliation of a gay soldier who was hog-tied to a chair and left in a dog kennel.

Toussant's lawyers claimed that four sailors who testified against him at the hearing were exaggerating the extent of the hazing. They accused one sailor, Joseph Christopher Rocha, of lying about Toussaint in the media to increase his own public profile as an advocate for the repeal of the U.S. Military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Rocha was discharged from the Navy under the policy after returning from Bahrain.

Youth Radio has obtained statements from each of the retirement board members -- an enlisted sailor and two Navy officers -- explaining why they sided with Toussaint.

"Senior Chief Toussaint has served honorably and was made the 'scape goat' in this case, for the benefit of one disgruntled sailor," wrote one of the board members, Lt. Cmdr. Angel Bellido.

Another board member wrote that he took into consideration the testimony of a Navy SEAL who said Toussaint saved his life last summer when he was shot during a combat mission in Afghanistan.

Toussaint included these statements in a March letter to Juan Garcia, the assistant secretary of the Navy who oversees personnel and will make the final decision on the retirement pay.

"The board's unanimous decision… is a clear repudiation of the allegations," Toussaint wrote in the letter, which Youth Radio obtained through his lawyer.

Military law experts familiar with Toussaint's case said he may be the first enlisted sailor to go before a retirement grade determination board, a proceeding that exists outside the military justice system.

The Navy's top officials decided in October not to court-martial Toussaint and instead canceled his final years of service and sent him a letter of censure from the Secretary of the Navy, the harshest administrative reprimand that can be taken against a sailor. Navy secretary Ray Mabus said the decision to forgo a court martial was based on several factors, "including the time elapsed since the hazing incidents, the fact that Senior Chief Toussaint's involvement previously was reviewed by an authorized commander, and Senior Chief Toussaint's proximity to retirement eligibility."

Toussaint became eligible for retirement pay in January, when he completed 20 years of serving in the Navy. According to the Office of the Secretary of Defense website, his pension would amount to $2,100 a month if he retired at his current rank. If Garcia reduced Toussaint to a first class petty officer, he would receive $1,667 -- about $5,000 less a year.

The board hearing has also in effect delayed Toussaint’s separation from the Navy beyond the time frame the Navy laid out last year. Instead of retiring in January, the original departure date given by naval officials, Toussaint has continued to work a desk job in Dam Neck, Va. and to receive a Navy paycheck.

“We call it a stash job,” his lawyer, Cmdr. Aaron Rugh, said of the current low-priority assignment. “He’s in limbo.”

A Navy spokesman said that the results of the retirement hearing are now under review by the Navy's personnel bureau and that assistant secretary Garcia would make his decision "within the next several months."

Eugene Fidell said that Garcia, a former Congressman, provides civilian oversight to retirement boards, which use military laws and culture to make their determinations.

Without that final evaluation, he said, "it's the military judging itself, it's the military judging its own."

Previously:

Congress Closer to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal

cfoster — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:02:28 -0500

The U.S. Congress took two steps yesterday toward ending the military’s policy of discharging gay and lesbian servicemembers.

The House of Representatives approved an amendment that would repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, as soon as military leaders receive a Pentagon report on how such a repeal would be implemented and the President signs off on the plan. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed a similar amendment, which will be added to the defense authorization bill.

The full repeal likely will not occur before the end of the year, since the Pentagon’s implementation report is due in December. Yet activists who have fought to end “don’t ask, don’t tell” are, in general, celebrating yesterday’s votes as momentous and hard-fought victories. One activist, Navy veteran Joseph Christopher Rocha, wrote to us after the House vote expressing his mixed emotions:

Many of us are still struggling to make sense of the pain and suffering inflected (sic) on us by this policy. It is hard to believe that the policy that ruined so many lives will suddenly be: no more. Indeed there is no way to forgive the abuses facilitated and allowed toward our servicemembers under the amendment passed by Congress in 1993 that will forever be known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Instead, we must take comfort in that it will never happen again legally once implemented by the President and Department of Defense.

Rocha’s firsthand experience with anti-gay abuse while serving in Bahrain was the basis of a Youth Radio investigation into his Navy unit.

The abuse investigation received the 2010 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for international radio reporting, given this week at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell NOW

wilmer — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:11:44 -0500

By: Joseph Christopher Rocha

This week I joined hundreds of gay and lesbians veterans (even one active duty gay vet currently stationed in Iraq), flooded the halls of U.S. Capitol as part of Veterans Lobby Day on Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT). But our stories of valor and patriotism were not all received by willing and interested ears.

Three years ago Don't Ask Don't Tell silenced me from reporting repeated abuse by fellow soldiers and my unit chief, all because they suspected I was gay. But when I told my story to Congressman Dan Lungren's (R-CA) Legislative Director Kevin Holsclaw, he dismissively replied, "The Representative does not support social experiments in our armed services." One floored comrade recounted how the most pressing inquiry on Representative Dana Rohrabacher's (R-CA) mind regarding DADT, was whether or not she had ever "engaged in homosexual acts" during her career.

by the audacity of representatives and their staffers to look veterans in our eyes and tell us they couldn't care less about our mental health, job security and human dignity, I hurried off Capitol Hill, hoping my one o'clock might be more fruitful.

I dialed the 202 number as I exited the cab and hurried into a coffee shop across from the White House. Inside I scanned the crowd. What does a Deputy Director to the President even look like?

"Hi, this is Brian," I heard the gentleman say both through my receiver and about a foot in front of me.

Brian Bond is the White House Deputy Director of Public Engagement. He has become the de facto target for criticism from the LGBT community over the administration's perceived inaction on Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT).

As I sat down, I couldn't help noticing that every other customer in the café was dressed in military uniform. It seemed like a cruel joke as I prepared to argue for the repeal of DADT, a law that was ultimately used to end my military career.

"Before we get started", he said, "I wanted to see if you wouldn't mind signing your letter so I can try my best to get this to the actual President." The initiative and care, from an administration accused of not taking Don't Ask Don't Tell seriously enough, took me by surprise.

Since Bond already knew my story, I explained why it's imperative that a repeal bill passes Congress before the August recess, well ahead of midterm elections when we have no sure way of knowing who will remain in Congress.

I shared with him how, just days earlier, I had built up the courage to finally visit my former peers at the U.S. Naval Academy, an institution I dreamed of graduation from, but because of DADT, now never will.

In Annapolis, gay and straight midshipmen told me how the culture of lies and deceit, forced on our military by DADT, was straining them and their buddies overseas. I told Bond that further delay in repeal efforts will sadly result in continued abuse, suicides, and discharges.

I caught the posture of Deputy Director Bond relax at this point. "I was sort of expecting you to just want to yell at me," he said.

Instead I explained that I understood that without President Obama, Secretary Gates would not have insisted that the Pentagon working group on DADT take a "how, not if" approach. And without White House leadership, it's equally unlikely that Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would have come out so emphatically against DADT.

During a February 2nd hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mullen said "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."

But I was also sure to tell Deputy Director Bond that recent mixed signals have undermined support for the president. He knew exactly what I was getting at.

"Secretary Gate's letter to Chairman Skelton caught us entirely by surprise. I still don't really know what to make of it," he said.

He explained how careful analysis of the text convinces him it was drafted "rather hastily." As the White House's point man on DADT, Bond assured me the president is working aggressively to achieve the most cohesive congressional, executive, and DOD solution to permanent repeal.

"The President is committed to getting this done," he said, "and done right."

"Please do not interpret silence from the White House as inaction on repeal or a reflection of its commitment." According to Bond, any perceived lack of transparency is due to sensitive collaborations between the different bodies of government that have been ongoing from day one, and will result in repeal "this year."

Members of the LGBT community find ourselves wrestling with our hearts, which want repeal yesterday, and our minds, which understand the complexities of passing a bill through Congress - the only permanent solution to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.

The meeting left me feeling relieved. For the first time I am entirely convinced that this administration is behind us. What is left is for us, together, to take this fight, in earnest, to both houses of Congress.

Over the course of Veterans Lobby Day, it became clear to me that legislators opposed to the repeal of DADT will not be swayed by the mountain of statistics and legal arguments stacked against DADT. At this point they can only truly be influenced by the men and women who have served under this deeply flawed policy.

As the fight to repeal DADT advances towards the House and Senate floors in the coming weeks, there's only one convincing argument left that holds any power to change our legislators' minds. They need to hear brave testimonies from the over a million living gay and lesbian veterans stretching all the way back to WWII.

The time is now, for legislators to choose what side of history they wish to be written into. Undoubtedly some members of Congress will remain in opposition to repeal, but in a country that relentlessly supports its troops, they should expect electoral retribution for anything short of full support of the dignified treatment of each and every service member.

Together with our allies in Congress and the White House, this summer we face the decisive battle that will determine the fate of repeal. I, like many vets at Veterans Lobby Day, hope that by this time next year, I am back in uniform serving my country.

Protecting the Military's Gays From Vindictive Outings

cfoster — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:23:50 -0500

By: Joseph Christopher Rocha

Those, like me, who are following the Pentagon's plans to end the ban on gays in the military, expect big changes soon. Based on a just-completed 45-day review of "don't ask, don't tell," the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has received recommendations to apply the policy in "a manner that is more appropriate and fair." And while a full repeal of the policy likely remains months away, even the simplest change - raising the bar for the kind of evidence required to launch an investigation - could have a profound impact on the lives of gays and lesbians serving in the military. I know, because if that change had been made three years ago when I was enlisted, I would be a sophomore at the United States Naval Academy today.

After a childhood of abuse at the hands of a meth-addicted mother, I had only one dream, and only one ambition: to graduate from the Naval Academy and to dedicate my entire life to serving my country. I enlisted on my 18th birthday and, after serving for nearly four years and receiving three congressional nominations for the Naval Academy, I was accepted to the academy's preparatory school.

But to get to that moment, I had followed the rules of "don't ask, don't tell" to the point of endangering my own life. While I kept my sexuality to myself during my tour in the Persian Gulf as an explosive detection handler, my unit chief targeted me for unusually cruel and extensively documented hazing, in part because of rumors that I might be gay. I never reported the abuse to my commanding officers, since I feared that my chief or his buddies could retaliate by outing me. After all, launching a "don't ask, don't tell" investigation requires merely "credible information" from "reliable sources" - opening is known as a third-party outing.

So there I was at the doorsteps of this prestigious academy, evaluating what an officer career under DADT had to offer me and all I had already lost. I knew I deserved better. From a moral standpoint, I knew "don't ask, don't tell" violated every aspect of the Navy's core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. And from the standpoint of self-preservation, I knew any snitch with a grudge could end my career.

I decided I'd rather be discharged as a veteran who served honorably in the Middle East, rather than risk a future discharge as an officer embroiled in an outing scandal or shamed by malice. So I made a statement to my commanding officer, telling him I was gay, and I was discharged.

The policy of third-party outings has effectively made thousands of the military's gay personnel into fugitives. While serving, no matter how closely we've follow DADT, we have lived every second with the fear that anyone, for any reason, and with little proof, has the ability to ruin our careers.

It is time now that our country values the sweat and blood of all troops and that we reward each of them with equal job security and human dignity.

Admiral Mike Mullen has the opportunity to reduce what can be considered "credible evidence" and effectively raise the standard of who qualifies as a "reliable source". And while far short of the necessary full repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," this stop-gap rule change will significantly lower the threat the policy poses to National Security by limiting the discharges of otherwise excellent personnel. I know from experience that it will ease the burden on the everyday lives of those serving under it, while the Department of Defense prepares for a full repeal of the military's ban against gays.

Frustrated and understandably angry by the prospect of the repeal taking another year, there are still those who demand an Executive Order, a temporary solution at the mercy of any Presidential Administration. However, we are not likely to see again the political capital invested today in the repeal effort by the White House, Department of Defense and Congress. We must support the only permanent solution: repeal by way of congressional law.

As for me, only in the case of such a repeal will I be allowed to serve once again and earn the commission I still dream of. And yet, knowing what Admiral Mullen's anticipated policy change will mean for the men and women serving today, I will celebrate them as the beginning of the end of institutionalized discrimination in our military.

Joseph Christopher Rocha, 23, is a junior in Political Science at the University of San Diego and was recently awarded the 2010 Harvey Milk Civil Rights Award for his extensive work in contributing to the effort to repeal "don't ask, don't tell."

Previously:

Navy Abuse Scandal on KCBS

noah — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:43:07 -0500

Youth Radio reporter Rachel Krantz speaks to KCBS about yesterday's stunning turn of events in the Bahrain Navy Hazing scandal.

You can find the interview on KCBS' Interviews and Analysis page.

Previously:

Navy Forces Out Chief for Bahrain Hazing

noah — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:13:12 -0500

By Rachel Krantz and the Youth Radio Investigative Unit
This story is part of Youth Radio's investigation: Sailors' Abuse Kept Silent In Navy Canine Unit.

After Youth Radio broke the story last month on widespread hazing in a Bahrain canine unit, the Chief of Naval Operations has completed reviewing how officials handled an investigation into the abuse. He found that the chief petty officer responsible for the abuse had not been adequately punished.

As a result of the top-level Navy review of misconduct in a canine unit in Bahrain, the Secretary of the Navy has censured the unit’s former chief petty officer, Michael Toussaint, forcing him to retire from the Navy.

Previously, an investigation into the hazing at the base in Bahrain between 2004 and 2006 revealed widespread abuse of sailors and other misconduct, including gambling and soliciting prostitutes. On September 22, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead ordered Navy Installations Command (CNIC) to review what actions were taken as a result of the hazing investigation.

"After reviewing the investigation and the CNIC report, Admiral Roughead found the incidents were not in keeping with Navy values and standards and violated Navy’s long standing prohibition against hazing," said Navy spokesperson Commander Elissa Smith.

Smith said the Secretary of the Navy's letter of censure will become part of Toussaint’s permanent military record. Toussaint, now a senior chief petty officer, will be reassigned to Naval Special Warfare Group 2, where he will perform administrative duties until his retirement in January.

Roughead has also ordered the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to interview commissioned officers who served in Bahrain at the time of the hazing. Previously, a navy spokesman said the investigation report had indicated that two commissioned officers might have had knowledge of the hazing events. The spokesman told Youth Radio neither officer was recommended for disciplinary action.

Joseph Christopher Rocha served in the unit and experienced some of the worst abuse at while under Toussaint’s leadership. The 23-year-old said many of his fellow sailors have mixed feelings about the results of Roughead's review.

"A lot of us are disappointed in that Toussaint won’t see his day at a military court martial," Rocha said. "But overall, I commend the CNO and the Secretary of the Navy for a wanting to look further into this, to see how widespread the corruption was."

Previously:

Sailor Abuse Investigation on KPFK

noah — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:10:41 -0500

Reporter Rachel Krantz spoke to KPFK Pacifica Radio today about her experience reporting Youth Radio's Sailor Abuse Investigation. She was interviewed by Barbara Osborn and Howard Blume for their weekly show about the media, Deadline LA.

Check below to listen to the interview and hear the inside scoop about how the Youth Radio investigation was brought to the public.

(download mp3)