Gene C. McKinney | |
---|---|
Born | Monticello, Florida, United States | November 3, 1950
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1968–1998 |
Rank | Master Sergeant |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Awards | Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal (2) Meritorious Service Medal (4) |
Gene C. McKinney (born November 3, 1950) is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the 10th Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA), serving from July 1995 to October 1997. [1] He was the first African American to reach that rank in the United States Army. [2] In 1998, he was court-martialed on a variety of charges including sexual harassment and obstruction of justice. He was convicted of the obstruction of justice charge and demoted to the rank of master sergeant. [3] [4] [5]
McKinney was born in Monticello, Florida, on November 3, 1950. He is one of six siblings, all of whom served in the United States Army. One served as an officer; one retired as a Master Sergeant; another served in the Vietnam War; and an identical twin, James C. McKinney, was a Command Sergeant Major. [6] [7]
McKinney enlisted in the United States Army in August 1968, and completed Basic Training as a Cavalryman at Fort Knox, Kentucky. [6] [8] From 1969 to 1970, he saw combat in the Vietnam War with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. In more than 28 years, he served in all noncommissioned officer leadership positions. He was command sergeant major of the United States Army Europe; 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Bad Kreuznach, Germany; 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany; 612th Quartermaster Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; 1st Battalion, 58th Mechanized Infantry, 197th Infantry Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia; 3rd Squadron, 12th Cavalry Regiment in Büdingen, Germany; 3rd and 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas; and 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Bamberg, Germany. He is a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Class 31.
In the fall of 1996, allegations of sexual misconduct by training cadre at Aberdeen Proving Ground and several other United States Army postings surfaced, and the Army instituted a substantial investigation with a toll-free telephone hotline that received nearly 60,000 calls within a matter of weeks. The task force established by Secretary of the Army, Togo D. West, Jr., to advise him about the situation included McKinney as the spokesman of the Army enlisted soldiers. [6] [9] In February 1997, McKinney was himself accused by a female former subordinate of improper advances. [10] The Army suspended him from his duties that month while the charges were investigated; in May–October of that year, two Command Sergeants Major, one being McKinney's twin brother, James C. McKinney; the other Jerry T. Alley—took over his duties in rotation. [11] While McKinney was suspended from his duties as Sergeant Major of the Army, five more female soldiers accused him of similar improprieties. [12] In November 1997, the Article 32 investigating panel (U.S. military counterpart to a grand jury) completed its investigation and recommended charges for a court-martial. McKinney was thereupon permanently reassigned out of his billet and laterally redesignated to the rank of Command Sergeant Major; his successor, Robert E. Hall, was promptly installed.
McKinney was acquitted of all sexual harassment charges, but was convicted of obstruction of justice and received a reduction in grade to Master Sergeant and a reprimand. [13] Though he retired as a Master Sergeant, his retirement pay was calculated using the pay rate he earned during his tenure as Sergeant Major of the Army, in accordance with 10 USC § 1406(i)(1). That law was subsequently amended by 10 USC § 1406(i)(2)(A) to prevent a recurrence. [14]
On October 25, 2010, McKinney allegedly hit a man with his car on purpose, and was charged with felony malicious wounding. [4] [15] [16] [17] This occurred following an incident in which McKinney drove erratically after picking up two slug passengers in Occoquan, Virginia. [15] [16] [17] [18] When the passengers exited the car, one of them attempted to take a photograph of McKinney's license plate, and claimed that McKinney drove his car into him. [15] [17] [18] [19] [20]
Based on the preliminary hearing in April 2011, a judge ruled that the evidence in the case was sufficient to proceed to trial. [4] [21] McKinney was indicted for malicious wounding (a felony) and reckless driving (a misdemeanor). [4] [16]
McKinney submitted an Alford plea, which the court accepted. [4] [16] As a part of his plea agreement the felony charge was reduced to disorderly conduct. He was also sentenced to twelve months of incarceration, of which the judge suspended all but 10 days. McKinney was given credit for time served and only had to serve an additional two days. [22]
Combat Infantryman Badge |
Basic Parachutist Badge |
Expert Marksmanship Badge |
3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia |
Legion of Merit | |
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster | |
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters | |
Army Commendation Medal | |
Army Achievement Medal | |
Presidential Unit Citation | |
Meritorious Unit Commendation | |
Good Conduct Medal (9 awards) | |
National Defense Service Medal with one service star | |
Vietnam Service Medal with one service star | |
NCO Professional Education Ribbon with award numeral 4 | |
Army Service Ribbon | |
Overseas Service Ribbon with award numeral 5 | |
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation | |
Vietnam Campaign Medal |
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a gay American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. He was taken by rescuers to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days later from severe head injuries received during the attack.
Charles A. Graner Jr. is an American former soldier who was court-martialed for prisoner abuse after the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. Along with other soldiers of his Army Reserve unit, the 372nd Military Police Company, Graner was accused of allowing and inflicting sexual, physical, and psychological abuse on Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison, a notorious prison in Baghdad during the United States' occupation of Iraq.
The Aberdeen Scandal was a military sexual assault scandal in 1996 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, a United States Army base in Maryland.
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Air Force.
The Mahmudiyah rape and killings were a series of war crimes committed by five U.S. Army soldiers during the U.S. occupation of Iraq, involving the gang-rape and murder of 14-year-old Iraqi girl Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and the murder of her family on March 12, 2006. It occurred in the family's house to the southwest of Yusufiyah, a village to the west of the town of Al-Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Other members of al-Janabi's family murdered by American soldiers included her 34-year-old mother Fakhriyah Taha Muhasen, 45-year-old father Qassim Hamza Raheem, and 6-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza al-Janabi. The two remaining survivors of the family, 9-year-old brother Ahmed and 11-year-old brother Mohammed, were at school during the massacre and orphaned by the event.
During the American Civil War, North Carolina joined the Confederacy with some reluctance, mainly due to the presence of Unionist sentiment within the state. A popular vote in February, 1861 on the issue of secession was won by the unionists but not by a wide margin. This slight lean in favor of staying in the Union would shift towards the Confederacy in response to Abraham Lincoln's April 15 proclamation that requested 75,000 troops from all Union states, leading to North Carolina's secession. Similar to Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia, North Carolina wished to remain uninvolved in the likely war but felt forced to pick a side by the proclamation. Throughout the war, North Carolina widely remained a divided state. The population within the Appalachian Mountains in the western part of the state contained large pockets of Unionism. Even so, North Carolina would help contribute a significant amount of troops to the Confederacy, and channel many vital supplies through the major port of Wilmington, in defiance of the Union blockade.
Michael (Stewart) Waddington is an American criminal defense lawyer specializing in court-martial cases, war crimes, and other serious felonies. He defended Sgt. Alan Driver, accused of abusing detainees, and Specialist Hunsaker in the Operation Iron Triangle Case.
Johnny Sutton is an American attorney who served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas from 2001 until 2009, and chaired the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. Sutton is known for the prosecution of United States Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. He is currently a partner with the law firm Ashcroft Sutton Reyes, LLC in Austin, Texas.
John Randolph McKinney was a United States soldier who received the Medal of Honor in World War II during the campaign to recapture the Philippines from Japanese forces in 1945. Although greatly outnumbered by about 100 Japanese soldiers, McKinney was single-handedly able to secure a crucial battlefield area before reinforcements arrived. He was presented the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony by President Harry S. Truman on January 23, 1946.
Joseph Dee Morrissey is an American Democratic politician, businessman, and former lawyer who won election to both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly from districts including Richmond or surrounding Henrico County, Virginia. He represented Virginia's 16th Senate district from 2020 to 2024, having been elected during the 2019 election. He represented much of southern Richmond, as well as all of the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell and portions of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George counties. He lost the 2023 Democratic primary for his district.
The 2008 presidential campaign of Cynthia McKinney, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 11th district (1993–97) and 4th district, began on December 16, 2007, as a candidate for the Green Party presidential nomination via YouTube. She and her running mate Rosa Clemente accepted the Green Party's presidential nomination July 12, 2008 at the 2008 Green National Convention. Her campaign focused on issues such as racial profiling, September 11, 2001 attacks, and the Green Party's 10 key values. She also supported statehood for the District of Columbia, slavery reparations, electoral reforms including instant runoff voting, and calls for abolishing the death penalty and the War on Drugs.
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego is a United States federal administrative detention facility in California which holds male and female prisoners of all security levels. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.
The Maywand District murders were the thrill killings of at least three Afghan civilians perpetrated by a group of U.S. Army soldiers from January to May 2010, during the War in Afghanistan. The soldiers, who referred to themselves as the "Kill Team", were members of the 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, and 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. They were based at FOB Ramrod in Maiwand, in Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.
The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office is a law enforcement agency that serves Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and is the largest sheriff's office in the state. The ACSO serves as a local arm of the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System in a number of roles, including: court security, writ services, sales, prisoner transportation, issuing of firearm licenses and execution of warrants. A primary responsibility of the office is fugitive apprehension. The Sheriff's Office also assists local law enforcement agencies with emergency and incident response on an as-needed basis, most notably through the use of trained police canines.
Danny Chen was an American U.S. Army soldier who served during the War in Afghanistan. His suicide resulted in a military investigation and charges against eight US soldiers, ultimately with four being court martialed.
General Jonathan Holbert Vance is a retired Canadian Forces officer who served as a general in the Canadian Army. Vance was the chief of the Defence Staff from 2015 to 2021.
The murder of Vanessa Guillén, a 20-year-old United States Army soldier, took place inside an armory at Fort Hood, Texas, on April 22, 2020, when she was bludgeoned to death by another soldier, Aaron David Robinson. Guillén had been missing for over two months when some of her dismembered remains were found buried along the Leon River on June 30. Upon hearing about the discovery, Robinson fled Fort Hood and fatally shot himself when law enforcement attempted to apprehend him in nearby Killeen, Texas.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}
: |website=
ignored (help)