Youth Radio - Topic: hazy

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)

Navy Sailors Say They Were Hazed, Abused

noah — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:43:14 -0500

The following is a transcript. To listen, use the audio player in this post. For access to all documents, posts, and images associated with this story see our Sailors' Abuse Investigation Hub.

Joseph Christopher Rocha enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th  birthday, in 2004. He remembers being excited about his first overseas  assignment: to serve in Bahrain. He became a dog handler with one of  the Navy’s biggest kennels. But Rocha says once he got there, he  entered a culture of hazing and abuse at the hands of his fellow  service members that made him feel like the animal.  

ROCHA: I was hog-tied to a chair, rolled around the base, left in a  dog kennel that had feces spread in it.  

Rocha says six weeks into his deployment, when he made it clear he  wasn’t interested in the unit’s parties with prostitutes, the Chief,  Master-at-Arms Michael Toussaint, and others on the base, made him a  target.  

ROCHA: I was in a very small high testosterone-driven unit of men…I  think that's what began the questioning-you know-‘Why don't you want  to have sex with her? Are you a faggot?’  

Read the rest of the story after the jump...

He says the hazing escalated across the unit. Incidents ranged from spraying  down uniformed personnel with hoses, to directing sailors to simulate  sex acts on videotape. Petty Officer Shaun Hogan, who was stationed in  Bahrain with Rocha, remembers a so-called “training video” sailors  were ordered to produce.  

HOGAN: Petty Officer Rocha and another junior sailor…They were  instructed to go into a classroom by Chief Michael Toussaint, who  orchestrated the entire training. And Chief Toussaint asked them to  simulate homosexual sex on a couch.  

Hogan played a handler barging onto the scene with his dog. Rocha says  the Chief coached him on how to act in the video.  

ROCHA: …telling me I needed to be more believable, act more queer,  have a higher pitched voice, and make the sounds and gestures more  realistic...  

The hazing got worse, but Rocha was afraid reporting it could lead to  an investigation into whether or not he was gay.

Youth Radio has interviewed six sailors from the canine unit. They all tell similar stories of abuse.

One sailor who would only talk on tape if we changed her voice, remembers seeing a different sexually charged video. In it a female sailor was ordered to role-play as the lover of another female in the unit, who was handcuffed to a bed, and appeared naked under the sheets.

ANON: My thought was what are these people thinking? How is this going to be valid training for her to play—and I’m going to quote here a bitchy Lt, it was very disgraceful.

All six sailors we spoke with were afraid to report the abuse. They say that Toussaint threatened to revoke their dog  certification if they complained. And some feared  worse. They remembered his warning, “God help anyone who airs our  dirty laundry.”  

ANON: It’s supposed to be this tight knit unit, we’re  supposed to be a family. And when you get into it, the enemy’s not  outside the line, your enemy’s within…Your enemy is your chain of command.  

Finally, in 2006, one sailor broke through the silence, and reported an assault. The Navy  commissioned an independent investigation that uncovered the hazing and other abuses.  The investigation’s findings—obtained through the Freedom of  Information Act—and corroborated by Youth Radio’s interviews show the abuse was  widespread in the unit, and in some cases sanctioned and instigated by  its leadership.  

The investigation found evidence to support accusations of physical  assault on sailors and in two instances, prostitutes on base. The documents also show systemic hazing through humiliation  and unnecessary labor. 

The conclusions and recommendations of the investigation are redacted  in the copy of the report we obtained. To fill in the blanks, we called the Navy’s regional spokesperson, Lt.  Commander Wendy Snyder. She said she couldn’t give details of specific disciplinary actions. And that because the investigation took place more than two years ago, the records are no longer available.  

WENDY SNYDER: Whether they're shredded or destroyed, I don't know…As  far as I know, the investigation was completed, and the outcomes I  don't know of those individuals involved. 

Since then, a Navy officer familiar with the case has told NPR the  report recommended courts martial for both Chief Toussaint and another  non-commissioned officer from the unit.  The recommendation for courts martial was never followed. Instead, the case was closed, and Toussaint received a “non-punitive letter of caution”—the  military’s equivalent of a slap on the wrist.  

What’s more, Toussaint has been promoted… to Senior Chief.  We asked Yale Law Professor Eugene Fidell, who is President of the  National Institute of Military Justice, to review the investigation’s  Findings of Fact and give his opinion on the Navy’s follow up.  

FIDELL: It did seem to me (from the materials that were made  available) that some criminal punishment under the UCMJ was called  for, it looked to me like rampant misconduct of a kind that was  utterly incompatible with military service on behalf of our country.  

Professor Fidell served as a Judge Advocate and has made a career of  reviewing military justice cases.  

FIDELL: I would expect anybody in pay grade Petty Officer and above to  be held accountable. These people have responsibilities, they are  supposed to be leaders, we depend on them, and if they’re either  engaging in this kind of misconduct or tolerating it, they need to be  taught a lesson.

Meanwhile, unit members we’ve interviewed are still struggling with  the aftermath of their experiences in Bahrain.  Shaun Hogan—the sailor who played the dog handler in the simulated sex  video—is now in the Naval reserves. He says he’s haunted by personal  guilt.  

HOGAN: I was duty-bound to protect those under my command; Petty  Officer Rocha [and] several others. I have a lot of regret for not  having spoken up at the time and intervening...  

As for Joseph Christopher Rocha, the Veterans Administration diagnosed  him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When he heard there would not  be a court martial, he took it hard.  

ROCHA: It took a lot of courage to testify against Toussaint… And then … to be told that there was no need and there would be  no trial…    

Rocha says he was devastated. He still can’t quite describe the feeling.    

ROCHA: That kind of loss of gravity, of saying, what just happened?  That stuck with me…    

Shortly after hearing that news, Rocha made the hardest decision of  his life. He ended his military career—out of fear that he’d face more  abuse at a future deployment, and because he’d come out as gay.    Rocha’s official statement read:  

ROCHA (reading): I am homosexual. I am proud of my service and had  hoped that I'd be able to serve the navy and country for my entire  career. However…I must be honest with myself, courageous in my beliefs  and committed to my course of action.  

(On the basis of that statement) Rocha was officially discharged by the  U.S. Navy.

Toussaint’s second in command while he was in Bahrain was Petty  Officer Jennifer Valdivia. Shortly after being told she’d be removed from her position in the kennel because of the hazing investigation, she took her own life.  

As for Toussaint, Youth Radio tried repeatedly to reach him by phone, through e-mail and via social networking sites. His  command confirms they forwarded our questions to him. We wanted to know his side of the story. He has not responded.  Michael Toussaint is now Senior Chief with what’s regarded as the most  prestigious dog unit in the Navy, the Naval Special Warfare  Development Group, based in Dam Neck, Virginia.  

But this may not be the end of the story.

Since Youth Radio began reporting the story, Rear Admiral David Mercer has ordered a review of the outcomes of the investigation at the Bahrain Kennel. He’s in charge of naval installations in Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia.

A Navy spokesman issued this statement:

“The incidents that occurred within the Military Working Dog Division at Naval Support Activity Bahrain do not reflect who we are as a navy. They are considered an anomaly based on sailors who were inproperly led.”

And yesterday, we learned yet another higher level review of the investigation has been ordered, this time by the Chief of Naval Operations, the Navy’s highest ranking officer and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The deadline for that report is October sixth.

This story aired on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

Youth Radio Investigation Sparks Top Military Review

noah — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:05:30 -0500

UPDATE: The following story is a continuation of our feature, "Investigation: Sailors' Abuse Kept Silent in Navy Canine Unit." For those of you who are only beginning to follow the story, here's a full audio version, with transcript.

For access to all documents, posts, and images associated with this story see our Sailors' Abuse Investigation Hub.

After Youth Radio exposed a culture of hazing, including psychological and physical abuse, at a U.S. Navy canine unit in Bahrain, the nation’s top Naval officer has ordered a review of how the abuses were handled. The Chief of Naval Operations who ordered the review is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and principal Naval advisor to the President. Deadline for that review is October 6th.

Incidents of wrongdoing in the unit ranged from spraying down uniformed personnel with hoses to directing sailors to simulate sex acts on videotape. Youth Radio’s interviews reveal that the abuse was sanctioned and in some cases instigated by the unit's leadership.

Despite 93 incidents of abuse and misconduct uncovered in a 2007 Navy investigation, to date the Navy has not provided a full public accounting of disciplinary action taken against those responsible for the abuse. We do know the unit's Chief at the time, Michael Toussaint, received only a "non-punitive letter of caution". That's the military's equivalent of a slap on the wrist.

Youth Radio has interviewed six sailors from the canine unit who all tell similar stories of abuse, all of whom say Toussaint threatened to revoke their dog certification if they told anyone about the abuse. And some feared worse.

One sailor who served in the unit agreed to speak only if we didn't use her name. "It's supposed to be this tight-knit unit," she said. "We’re supposed to be a family. And when you get into it, the enemy's not outside the line, your enemy’s within…Your enemy is your chain of command."

Youth Radio has learned from a source inside the Navy that Chief Michael Toussaint and another non-commissioned officer were recommended for courts-martial. Instead, the case was closed. Subsequently Chief Toussaint was promoted to the role of Senior Chief with the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group, based in Dam Neck, Virginia, regarded as the most prestigious dog unit in the Navy.

Our investigation began with the story of Joseph Christopher Rocha, a young gay sailor who feared the consequences of coming forward at the time of his abuse. Rocha stayed silent, but when another soldier made assault charges, the Navy’s commanding officer in Bahrain launched an investigation into allegations of widespread hazing in the unit. Rocha went on record against the unit’s leadership.

“It took a lot of courage to testify against Toussaint,” says Rocha. He says he was devastated when he got a call from the prosecutor assigned to the case informing him they didn’t need his testimony. “That kind of loss of gravity, of saying, what just happened? That stuck with me.”

In addition to the abuses Rocha reported, the Navy’s investigation found evidence to support accusations of physical assault on sailors and, in two instances, prostitutes on base--one was attacked by a dog. At one point, a female sailor was ordered to participate in a videotaped training with another female sailor, who was handcuffed to a bed, and appeared naked under the sheets. They were directed to role-play as lovers.

[See a video of Joseph Christopher Rocha describing the abuse he endured.]

Youth Radio asked Yale Law Professor Eugene Fidell, President of the National Institute of Military Justice, to review the incidents listed in the investigation’s findings of fact.

"It did seem to me (from the materials that were made available) that some criminal punishment under the UCMJ (Universal Code of Military Justice) was called for," says Fidell. "It looked to me like rampant misconduct of a kind that was utterly incompatible with military service on behalf of our country."

Professor Fidell served as a Judge Advocate and has made a career of reviewing military justice cases.

"I would expect everyone in pay grade petty officer and above to be held accountable," says Fidell. "These people have responsibilities, they are supposed to be leaders. We depend on them, and if they’re either engaging in this kind of conduct or tolerating it, they need to be taught a lesson."

On January 3, 2008, Vice Admiral Robert Conway, Commander of Navy installations worldwide (CNIC), issued an email (right), with the subject line, "HAZING." He tells the commanders under his authority they have "an obligation to create and maintain an environment free of hazing." Conway calls the practice "contrary to our Core values of Honor Courage and Commitment" and says that hazing "degrades and diminishes the ability of victims to function within their unit."

The impetus for this email? The investigation into the Bahrain Military Working Dogs Division. The very unit Chief Michael Toussaint led before being promoted.

Youth Radio has tried repeatedly to reach Toussaint for comment through phone calls, email, and social networking sites. Naval Special Warfare spokesperson Sonny Leggett told Youth Radio Toussaint was unavailable for comment because he is in “austere locations.” Toussaint's command confirms they forwarded our questions to him.

We’ve been told the review of the Navy investigation will go to the top command in Washington, DC, but there are no plans at this time to actually reopen the case.

Days before the Navy released its report on hazing in the unit, Toussaint’s second in command while he was in Bahrain -- Petty Officer Jennifer Valdivia -- learned she would be disciplined. She was told she would lose her position in the Military Working Dogs kennel. On January 16, 2007, Valdivia's dead body was found in her Bahrain apartment.

Her suicide, and the circumstances leading up to it, will be the subject of our next report.

To comment on this story, please visit our Facebook Page.

For more information and resources about abuse in the military check out the following sources:

Stars and Stripes: Independent U.S. military news

National Institute of Military Justice

Federation Of American Scientists: Copy of 2005 Navy Hazing Policy [PDF]

Office of the Navy Inspector General- Definition Of Hazing

Don't Ask Don't Tell resources:

Palm Center

Servicemembers United

Knights Out

A version of this story aired on NPR's All Things Considered.