Fraternization

HE CONSIDERED HER PARTICULARLY OUTSTANDING. AT BATTALION SOCIAL EVENTS

HE ALWAYS SINGLED HER OUT FOR DISCUSSIONS TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHER

OFFICERS.

HE FREQUENTLY INVITED HER TO ATTEND STAFF MEETINGS AT THE

BRIGADE AND DIVISION WITH HIM, ALTHOUGH HE DID THAT FOR NO OTHER

LIEUTENANT.

JUNIOR MALE AND FEMALE OFFICERS WITHIN THE BATTALION

CONSIDERED 2LT Y WAS "GETTING OVER" ON THE SYSTEM, AND HINTED AT A

SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP (ALTHOUGH THAT WAS, IN FACT, NOT TRUE). IN GENERAL,

JUNIOR OFFICER MORALE WAS LOW BECAUSE OF THE PERCEIVED UNEQUAL

TREATMENT. IS THIS RELATIONSHIP IMPROPER?

ANSWER:

YES.

THIS RELATIONSHIP CLEARLY CAUSED A PERCEPTION OF

PARTIALITY OR

UNFAIRNESS, RESULTING IN AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON MORALE.

QUESTION:

1LT X, A SINGLE FEMALE, MET SPC BLANKLY, A SINGLE MALE, AT A SOCIAL

EVENT FOR SINGLES AT THEIR LOCAL CHURCH AND THEY STARTED DATING.

THE SECOND DATE, THEY FOUND OUT THAT EACH WAS IN THE MILITARY AND

STATIONED AT FORT B.

1LT X WAS IN DIVISION HEADQUARTERS WHILE SP4

BLANKLY WAS IN CORPS HEADQUARTERS.

THEY CONTINUED TO DATE, OFF POST

AND IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES, TELLING NO ONE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

THE

COMPANY COMMANDERS ONLY LEARNED OF THE RELATIONSHIP WHEN BOTH REQUESTED

LEAVE TO GET MARRIED. IS THE RELATIONSHIP IMPROPER?

ANSWER:

THERE IS NOTHING INHERENTLY WRONG WITH THIS RELATIONSHIP.

THERE WAS NO

ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED PARTIALITY OR UNFAIRNESS, NO IMPROPER USE OF RANK OR

POSITION, AND NO UNDERMINING OF DISCIPLINE, AUTHORITY, OR MORALE.

QUESTION:

COL X, A SINGLE, INSTALLATION HEADQUARTERS STAFF OFFICER, HAS BEEN A

WIDOWER FOR THREE YEARS. AT A HAIL AND FAREWELL HE MET CPT Y, A SINGLE

FEMALE OFFICER IN THE HEADQUARTERS.

SHE DOES NOT WORK UNDER HIS

SUPERVISION.

THEY HAVE BEEN DATING FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS.

LAST

WEEKEND WAS TO BE A SPECIAL ONE FOR THEM, THE FIRST FREE WEEKEND THAT

COL X HAD SINCE THEY MET.

THEY HAD RENTED SEPARATE COTTAGES AT THE

BEACH AND WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO A WEEKEND OF RELAXATION AND SERIOUS

DISCUSSION ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.

UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO A LAST MINUTE

SICKNESS, CPT Y FOUND THAT SHE WAS THE WEEKEND DUTY OFFICER.

COL X

CALLED HIS FRIEND, THE SGS, AND PREVAILED UPON HIM TO FIND ANOTHER

OFFICER TO REPLACE CPT Y. IS THIS RELATIONSHIP IMPROPER?

ANSWER:

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT RISING FROM THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN COL X AND CPT Y.

WHILE THERE WAS NOTHING INHERENTLY WRONG WITH

THEIR DATING, COL X AND CPT Y SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE THAT THEIR

RELATIONSHIP WOULD CLEARLY BE SCRUTINIZED BY THEIR SUBORDINATES AND PEERS.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIS POSITION TO RELEASE CPT Y FROM DUTY IS WHAT THE

ARMY'S POLICY IS AIMED AT PREVENTING.

QUESTION:

CPT X, A SINGLE FEMALE COMPANY COMMANDER, BECAME ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED

WITH SGT Y, A SINGLE ENLISTED MAN IN HER COMPANY.

SEVERAL SOLDIERS

COMPLAINED TO THE FIRST SERGEANT THAT SGT Y WAS GETTING PREFERENTIAL

TREATMENT. WHEN COUNSELED BY HER BATTALION COMMANDER

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