Navy to Oust Chief Involved in Bahrain Hazing Scandal - Update

Today's Virginian Pilot has an updated and more detailed story on the Navy's long overdue decision to oust Senior Chief Michael Toussaint (pictured at left) for his reign of sadism while in charge of a canine unit in Bahrain in 2006-2007. Unfortunately, the story does not identify the more senior officer who gave Toussaint when this matter was first investigated. That officer, as well as Toussaint, needs to be ousted from the Navy. Under DADT, honorable LGBT service members are routinely forced from the military yet bastards like Toussaint all too frequently face no consequences and even get promoted. This speaks volumes about the sick mindset among many of the top military brass. One can only hope that Toussaint will ultimately be court martialed and spend some time in prison. Kudos to those who would not let the story die and to Youth Radio which first broke the story on its website. Here are some additional highlights:

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The announcement Wednesday came in response to news reports about an investigation into abusive behavior in the military working dog unit in Bahrain in 2005 and 2006. Sailors told an investigator of being force-fed dog treats, hog-tied to chairs, instructed to act like dogs, and ordered to simulate homosexual oral sex in training videos. Toussaint has returned to the United States from deployment and is on leave, according to a spokesman for the Navy's special warfare command. Toussaint does not wish to comment, the spokesman said.

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Petty Officer 1st Class Shaun Hogan submitted detailed notes about Toussaint's abuse during more than two years under his command. Hogan told the Navy lawyer who originally handled the case that Toussaint routinely made inappropriate comments about and inquiries into sailors' sex lives, and threatened to revoke sailors' dog-handling credentials if they crossed him. Hogan also described Toussaint's directing the filming of training videos that required some sailors to act out lesbian love scenes, others to simulate gay male sex and one to have rubber balls thrown at his crotch, all in a guise of running the dogs - trained to sniff out explosives - through various "real life" scenarios.

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An unnamed commanding officer decided to handle the matter through nonjudicial punishment, and issued Toussaint a nonpunitive letter of reprimand. The other sailor implicated in the inquiry - Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, who took over for Toussaint - killed herself in Bahrain shortly after learning she would be implicated in the hazing. There, the story seemed to end.
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Two things kept it alive. Hogan returned to New England, entered the Naval Reserve and couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in Bahrain. He requested a copy of the investigation through the Freedom of Information Act and came to believe that he should have done more to stop the abuse as it was happening. Separately, Rocha was on track to become an officer. He finished officer candidate school and enrolled in a Navy prep school to prepare him to enter the Naval Academy. But the abuse he suffered in Bahrain resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder, and Rocha, who is gay, realized that he wasn't ready to be commissioned in a Navy that wouldn't allow him to openly serve. He acknowledged being gay, left the Navy, and enrolled at the University of San Diego. At a gay rights march this year, Rocha told a journalist with Youth Radio, a non-profit journalism organization in California, about what he had endured in Bahrain. He told the student journalists to call Hogan, who had the documents to back up the story.

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A few weeks later, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a retired two-star admiral from Pennsylvania, got wind of the case and asked the Navy to investigate. On Wednesday, Sestak said he's glad Roughead has also asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to look into the "command climate" in Bahrain at the time. It's possible those findings could implicate higher-ranking sailors. Sestak, a Democrat, said the Navy's new actions against Toussaint were appropriate but that he still wants to know why the chief petty officer was not prosecuted. "There was criminal behavior that occurred," Sestak said. "Hitting sailors, dragging them through feces, locking them up in kennels, breaking regulations and asking if they were gay. It's outrageous."

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Because of the censure, Toussaint's record will be evaluated by an administrative board that recommends a retirement pay grade for sailors leaving the service under questionable conditions. He could argue to the board that he deserves to retire as a senior chief, Smith said, or waive his right to challenge the board's recommendation. In any case, she said, the Navy will expedite his retirement.

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Gays discharged under DADT lose their retirement. Why is this bastard going to be allowed to retire and draw retirement? The situation is seriously f*cked up.

Navy to Oust Chief Petty Officer Involved in Bahrain Hazing Scandal

While there seriously needs to be an investigation into why Senior Chief Michael Toussaint was ever promoted as opposed to being discharged long before now, at least the media and blog coverage of this outrageous case has forced the Navy's hand to take this initial step. Not that it will bring back Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia or undo the anti-gay hazing endured by Joseph Rocha (pictured at left) who was forced from the military. Meanwhile, somebody needs to explain (1) why more senior officers allowed this disaster to go on for an extended period and (2) why more senior officers are not being held accountable. I would also note that it is outrageous is that gays discharged from the military lose their retirement, yet it sounds like Toussaint will not receive equally harsh treatment. Also, did he receive a re-enlistment bonus? If so, that should be returned. Here are highlights from the preliminary story in today's Virginian Pilot (more details may be available tomorrow):

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The senior chief petty officer at the center of a scandal over sexually provocative hazing and abuse of junior sailors in Bahrain will be forced to retire in January, a Navy official said today. Senior Chief Michael Toussaint, a dog handler assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group 2 in Virginia Beach, has also received a letter of censure from the Secretary of the Navy.

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Smith said Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations, canceled Toussaint’s enlistment extension, which will force him to leave active duty and retire in January. He won’t necessarily be able to retire as a senior chief: Navy officials ordered that he be subject to “retirement pay grade determination,” in which the secretary of the Navy will decide at what pay grade he may retire.

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A command investigation completed in January 2007 substantiated more than 90 instances of abuse, including sailors being forcing to simulate homosexual oral sex in training videos, being force-fed dog treats and being locked in a kennel. Toussaint, who sailors said ordered many of the actions, had already transferred to another job and subsequently was promoted. The woman who took his place, Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, took her own life in Bahrain after she was notified that she had been implicated in the investigation.

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Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Rocha, one of the sailors subjected to the abuse, later left the Navy after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder related to the hazing. Rocha said he was often singled out for being gay after refusing to hire prostitutes. He eventually acknowledged being gay and left the Navy. He is now using his story to advocate for the repeal of the so-called Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

Wrongdoer in Bahrain Hazing Case Yet to be Disciplined

The Virginian Pilot has a story today on the ongoing saga of the Navy's mishandling of the hazing and abuse that occurred in a dog-handling unit in Bahrain which led to a suicide and the dismissal of a gay sailor traumatized by the experience. Such bungling and/or cover up is frankly not a surprise for those of us living close to the military. Making the entire matter worse is that the ring leader of the abuse has been promoted and has so far escaped any consequences for his grotesque conduct. Instead, a subordinate, Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia (pictured at left), was initially set up to take the fall and she finally committed suicide. It's ironic that the Navy brass has time to initiate witch hunts for gays service members but no time to investigate and discharge the real bad apples who do far more to destroy unit morale and cohesiveness. In my opinion, Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint, who served as head of the unit, should have been court martialed and sent to prison rather than promoted. Here are some story highlights:

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As the Navy takes a fresh look at allegations of widespread hazing in a dog-handling unit in Bahrain, evidence is emerging that some lower-ranking sailors felt scapegoated for abusive behavior that allegedly was masterminded by the man in charge of the unit. One of those sailors, Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, committed suicide shortly after an initial investigation of the abuses was completed in 2007. She had been the unit's second in command.

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Another member of the unit, Petty Officer 3rd Class Jake Wilburn, was ultimately booted out of the Navy with a dishonorable discharge after a fellow sailor, Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Rocha, complained of systematic harassment. Rocha later left the Navy and gave up an appointment to the Naval Academy after telling a commanding officer in 2007 that he was gay and suffering from post-traumatic stress brought on by the abuse.

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A Navy investigation eventually turned up more than 90 instances of abuse in the unit, including sailors being force-fed dog treats, locked into a kennel and ordered to simulate oral sex. . . . . Wilburn, Rocha and another sailor, Petty Officer 1st Class Shaun Hogan, all say the ringleader of the abuse was Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint, who served as head of the unit. Toussaint has since been promoted to senior chief and is now assigned to Oceana Naval Air Station's Dam Neck annex. Navy spokesmen said he is deployed and unavailable for interviews.

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Welcome to the Navy way: good ole boy sadists get promoted and honorable gay and lesbian sailors get discharged. It is a truly f*cked up system that needs to change NOW.

Navy To Revisit Inquiry into Hazing in Canine Unit

We heard recently about the outrageous abuse and hazing that occurred at a canine unit in Bahrain and the fact that - in all too typical Navy fashion - the man alleged to have orchestrated the abuse on sexual perversion received a raise while one of the victims, Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Rocha (pictured at left), broke down, confessed to being gay, and lost a commission to the U. S. Naval Academy (no doubt to the immense pleasure of wingnut, Elaine Donnelly). I for one was afraid that the mess would be swept under the rug by the Navy, but now such appears to not be the case. The Virginian Pilot reports that the investigation will be reopened and one can only hope that the individual(s) behind the deplorable conduct are disciplined, or better yet discharged from the military. Here are some highlights:

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Top Navy officials are re-examining an inquiry into hazing in a dog handling unit in Bahrain in which an investigator verified more than 90 instances of abuse, including sailors being force-fed dog treats, locked into a kennel and ordered to simulate oral sex. Despite those findings more than two years ago, Navy officials have not been able to say whether anyone was held accountable in the case, which came to light earlier this month.

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All the official attention was triggered by reports earlier this month that Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint, who headed the kennel at the time of the alleged abuses, has since been promoted to senior chief. Toussaint is now assigned to Oceana Naval Air Station's Dam Neck annex. A spokesman for Naval Special Warfare told The Associated Press that Toussaint is deployed and unavailable to comment.

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The documented hazing and abuse, much of it directed at Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Rocha, eventually drove Rocha out of the Navy. Rocha said he became the target after he refused the services of a prostitute, causing some sailors at the kennel to question his sexuality. Rocha, now 23, gave up an appointment to the Naval Academy after telling a commanding officer in 2007 that he was gay and suffering from post-traumatic stress brought on by the abuse.

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U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania, a retired three-star admiral, sent Navy Secretary Ray Mabus a letter on Sept. 11 asking about Rocha's treatment and Toussaint's promotion. Although the case doesn't involve any of his constituents, Sestak said he felt compelled to act after reading descriptions of hazing and apparent abuses in the kennel, which included having men and women simulate oral sex as part of dog-training exercises. He fully expected to find that someone had been held accountable, but the investigator's recommendations for action were redacted by the Navy. "There didn't seem to be any accountability in what occurred," said Sestak, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He said he hopes the case is an aberration that somehow got lost in the chain of command.

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In particular, Rocha said, he hopes the renewed inquiry will provide some answers for the family of Jennifer Valdivia, Toussaint's second in command and a mentor to Rocha. In another videotaped "training scenario" in which Toussaint was implicated, Valdivia was handcuffed to a bed wearing only a bedsheet and told to simulate lesbian sex with another woman. Valdivia committed suicide Jan. 16, 2007, . . . "As a 26-year-old female, she could never have stopped Toussaint," he said. "He bullied her. He would humiliate her in front of us.

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Gays are alleged to be bad for unit morale - well what the hell did this crap do for morale? Just more of the "boys will be boys" mindset of the senior Navy command? People need to be thrown out of the military for this conduct. The question is, will anything happen.

Navy Investigation Finds Hazing and Harassment - Gay Victim Expelled Under DADT While Abuser Promoted.

A number of LGBT blogs and web sites had picked up this story about yet another case of psychologically sick and twisted heterosexual members of the military engaging in sexually charged hazing and harassment. Worse yet, Michael Toussaint, the Chief over the unit during the period that the abuse occurred, has been promoted to Senior Chief and is now stationed with the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group at the Dam Neck Naval Base in nearby Virginia Beach, Virginia. Meanwhile, one of the victims, Joseph Christopher Rocha, had his career ended under DADT. Among some of the perverse conduct overseen by Toussaint included the following:

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All say the tone was set by Chief Toussaint. Some sailors participated in the culture of hazing as victims, others as perpetrators, or in some cases both. They say the hazing continued because of a series of threats that were also integral to the culture of the unit, which not only tolerated abuse, but also invited it. To prevent them from speaking out, sailors Youth Radio interviewed say Toussaint would threaten to revoke their handlers’ licenses--taking away their dogs and their specialty in the Navy.

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Another incident cited in the investigation found that two female service members were ordered to simulate sex with each other on video. According to the Findings of Fact, the women were handcuffed to a bed and appeared to be naked under a sheet.

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Again, that this type of nastiness and abuse of power is allowed to go on makes a mockery out of the feeble excuse for DADT being needed to protect unit moral and cohesiveness. Its supporters can dress up DADT however they want, but in the final analysis its only justification is the legalization of religious based anti-gay discrimination and homophobia. Instead of receiving a promotion, Toussaint should have been expelled from the Navy. Some of the Navy investigation report that confirmed the abuse can be found here. Even the Virginian Pilot is now reporting on the abuse and misconduct that occurred. Here are some highlights:

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An internal Navy investigation of a dog-handling unit in Bahrain found repeated episodes of hazing and sexual harassment in 2005, as well as allegations that prostitutes were routinely brought into government quarters for parties. The non commissioned officer who allegedly allowed and encouraged the abuse to flourish was promoted and is now assigned to an elite special warfare unit at Dam Neck Annex to Oceana Naval Air Station.

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"These actions don't reflect who we are as a Navy," said Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon.

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Most of the documents' pages have some information redacted, and entire sections - including the investigator's opinion and recommendations - were removed before the document was released. It is unclear whether anyone was punished for the alleged abuses.
But three things are clear:
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- Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint remains in the Navy and has been promoted since serving as head of the military working-dog division in Bahrain.
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- Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, a dog handler, was found dead in her living quarters on the Bahrain base. Her death was reportedly a suicide.

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- Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Rocha - called "an exceptionally outstanding young sailor" in a performance evaluation and recommended by the secretary of the Navy for an appointment to the Naval Academy - is out of the military [under DADT] and in treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder that resulted from two years of alleged abuse.

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Central to the unfolding story is Petty Officer 1st Class Shaun Hogan, a dog handler who was assigned to Bahrain with Toussaint, Valdivia and Rocha. . . . Hogan said in an interview Friday that he witnessed many of the alleged abuses, including a videotaped "training scenario" in which Rocha was directed to simulate homosexual sex.

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Hogan said he participated in that exercise as a dog handler. When he entered the room with his dog, he said, "I was expecting to find someone role-playing an intruder. I didn't expect to see somebody role-playing homosexual sex." Hogan said he saw a videotape of another "training scenario" involving a woman handcuffed to a bed. The woman in the bed, he said, was Valdivia, the unit's second-in-command.

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"There are a lot of people who were victimized," Hogan said. "I think the Navy is trying to cover this up." Particularly galling to him, Hogan said, is that Toussaint, whom he considers the ringleader of the alleged abuses, not only escaped punishment but received a career boost. "To the best of my knowledge, the charges were dropped," he said. "The guy got promoted, and now he's in charge of the most coveted canine position in the entire Navy - the canine special warfare unit. That's the Navy's way of punishing him?"

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Rocha left the Navy after acknowledging he was gay. He said the abuse began after he refused to have sex with a female prostitute in Bahrain - something he claimed was common among other masters-at-arms and dog handlers in the unit. Rocha is now attending classes at the University of San Diego. In an interview Friday, he said he continues to suffer PTSD symptoms, including nightmares, anxiety attacks and extreme depression.

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Rocha said he was assured by his commanding officer in Bahrain that Toussaint would be punished. In late 2007, he said, a Navy lawyer contacted him and asked if he would testify in a court-martial. Even though he was afraid of retribution from Toussaint, he said, he finally agreed. Weeks later, he said, the lawyer called back and said the case was being closed and his testimony would not be needed.

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As I read this case, the moral is that members of the military who are straight sexual perverts and sadists get promoted while exceptional gay service members are forced out. Something is very, very fucked up in this picture. No doubt, the sexually disturbed Elaine Donnelly thinks all of this is fine since the gay guy was thrown out of the military.