Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Yet another General bites the dust

WASHINGTON — The Army has sacked a two-star general who sent flirty messages to the wife of an enlisted soldier at his post in Italy, including one in which he referred to the woman as a "HOTTIE."

Maj. Gen. Joseph Harrington until last month had commanded U.S. Army Africa from his post in Europe. USA TODAY first reported about the Facebook messages, triggering an inspector general's investigation, Harrington's suspension and now his firing.

Harrington's dismissal was "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command," Army Col. Patrick Seiber, a spokesman, said in a statement. "The Army has been investigating allegations related to Maj. Gen. Harrington's communications with the spouse of an enlisted soldier; however, since the review of the investigation is still ongoing, we can provide no further comment at this time."

Harrington's removal is likely a career-killer for an officer whose future had seemed bright. He had been a top aide to the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey.

Like several generals before him who have been snared in sex scandals, Harrington will probably be reassigned until the investigation is complete and then a board of officers will determine the rank in which he last served satisfactorily. That will determine his rank in retirement.

The Army has seen several senior officers felled by scandal in recent years. They include Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis, the former top adviser to then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter, whose lavish tabs at strip bars on an official trip killed his career. He was stripped of a star, as was Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby, whose relationship with a subordinate woman drew scrutiny. The Air Force and Navy have seen the careers of senior officer end in disgrace.
A series of incidents

Most recently, the most senior ranks of the Navy have come under scrutiny after it was revealed that the spokesman for the Chief of Naval operations had been allowed to stay on the job after being accused of sexual misconduct while dressed as Santa Claus at an office Christmas party.

That story triggered a call by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and a member of the Armed Services Committee, for an inspector general's investigation to determine if Navy Adm. John Richardson showed favoritism to his aide, Cdr. Chris Servello.

Harrington and the woman, decades his junior, exchanged dozens of messages, many of them personal and referring to her appearance. He called her a "HOTTIE" in one, and others in which he acknowledged her husband, a sergeant, would not be happy with the relationship.

Harrington also asked her to delete the messages. She didn't, and many of them were shared with USA TODAY.

Until he was suspended, Harrington had the authority to order cases to go to court martial, including those involving sexual assault and harassment, as well as any involving the woman's husband.

i think they call that CUBO

History repeats itself . . .

2 Samuel 11

11 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.

8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.

9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?

11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.

13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.

17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;

19 And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,

20 And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.

24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

?

Set up like bowling pin it sounds like. Wonder how much USA today paid for info "given to them". Oh well thats what you get when ya let your pecker do your thinking for ya.

Conduct Unbecoming an Officer. UCMJ Article 133

least thats what they called it in the AF

2 Samuel 12

1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:

3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:

6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.

If he is dumb enough to do something like this he's not smart enough to be leading troops.

1 of the guys who I went to Infantry Officer Basic with rose to Major General. He told me that when he was promoted to O-7 the Army held a seminar for all of the new Brigadier Generals and at some point told them to look around the room, 'cause 1/2 of the people in the room would abuse their authority or do something stupid which would result in their careers being terminated.

"The Warden" proclaims - "The wrong head was doing the thinking - what would happen in battle?"
She's right, I believe.

Oh, come on OO, dont you know thats just a fairy tale dreamed up by a bunch of sheepherders what drank too much?

Yep... And undoubtedly has, multiple times, over the millennia...

Only enough blood pressure for one operation at a time.... the curse of men.

Well, there's a big part of the problem............."Leading" from the rear...........on another continent.

If the US Army has to be in a schithole like Africa, its commanding general should be too.

Any "set up" was by the general in sending emails to the wife of an enlisted man. All this is totally on him.

Always [bleep]-Up never Down. Organizational Savvy 101.

Dumbass doesn’t deserve to lead at that level.

The text messages with a younger, married woman that threaten to send an Army general’s career off the rails





Stars and Stripes
By NANCY MONTGOMERY
Published: September 15, 2017

VICENZA, Italy — He texted her from Malawi, Ethiopia, Morocco and home. He called her a hottie, told her she was clever and said her smile brightened everyone’s day. He also said she was dangerous, with a crazy, naughty streak, and that he’d enjoy being in a tent with her.

For three months, Maj. Gen. Joseph Harrington, commander of U.S. Army Africa, exchanged flattering, playful and flirtatious messages with the much younger Italian wife of an enlisted man.

The woman shared her messages with Harrington that she kept on her phone, during a recent interview with Stars and Stripes.

She felt betrayed and angry when Harrington abruptly ended their friendship, she said, and had been convinced by her furious husband and by others that Harrington’s texts had crossed the line and should be exposed.

Harrington repeatedly sought promises from her to keep their correspondence a secret.

“You are a good man and you don’t have to worry with me,” she replied to one such entreaty, according to a screen shot. “I am Iron Lady.”

But last month some of the thousand or so messages she said were exchanged over three months became news after the friendship ended. The woman and her husband went public with the screen shots after approaching an advocacy group for advice.

The Army Inspector General, also provided with the messages, began an investigation. Although the IG does not initiate criminal cases, a negative finding could force Harrington’s retirement and spell the end of his 30-year career.

Harrington is currently suspended from command.

The woman requested anonymity to protect herself and her husband, who joined the interview near its conclusion after returning from work.

Harrington declined to comment after being made aware of this story, saying through a spokesman that he was unable to do so during the investigation. He has not denied that he sent the messages.

The woman said that she and Harrington became friends on Facebook after becoming acquainted in February at the base gym. She hoped that he might help her with some community projects she had in mind, she said.

“Then after a little bit he start teasing me,” she said. “He was (giving) charming compliments. He was smart. He was not a pig. He cared about what I say.”

Before long, she said the two were sharing private stories.

“I tell a lot of very confidential stuff about my past, even a sad, very personal story,” she said. “I trust him as a friend.”

She told Harrington that her marriage was strained and that she felt lonely.

“I am sorry ...,” Harrington responded, according to a screen shot of the message. “I wish you two the very best. However, I don’t think your husband would be happy if he knew you chatted with another man.”

Harrington asked the woman repeatedly in his messages where her husband was.

It was nice, she said, late at night when she was up alone — her husband asleep or playing video games in the next room — to get a message from Harrington. Having the attention of the attractive, most powerful U.S. military man in northern Italy was heady, she said — even if he repeatedly brushed aside her requests to meet in public for a coffee, saying he couldn’t because he was always accompanied by Carabinieri, Italy’s military police force.

“As a woman, I feel a sense of power,” the woman said.

Harrington didn’t discuss his marriage, she said. But he enjoyed her compliments that he was “super cool” and “adorable,” and was for a time persistent in messaging her. Asked why she thought he was interested in her, she said, “I’m funny. I make men laugh and I have no filter.”

When he contacted her once from Marrakesh, Morocco, she jokingly asked why he was in Morocco so much. Did he have a secret wife there?

He replied, also joking, that maybe she could be his Moroccan-Italian wife.

Some texts were whimsical. “I would love some ice cream,” the woman announced in one late-night session.

“Served on a platter,” Harrington replied.

“Yes chocolate vanilla and caramel,” she wrote.

“At your service,” Harrington wrote.

“What service? U bring me ice cream?”

“Of course!” Harrington replied.

“It was a game between two,” the woman said. “It was fun.”

But sometime in the spring, Harrington’s messages stopped.

When she asked him what had happened, he replied briskly that he’d been busy. “Super cold. Super short. A completely different man,” the woman said.

When she messaged him to ask him to have lunch, complete with headshots of two encouraging cats, he replied: “You are kind. Perhaps one day our schedules will support a get-together. Hope you are well.”

When she persisted in asking what had happened, he told her that their texting relationship had been “episodic” and that he didn’t understand why she was demanding that he communicate with her.

The woman said she was certain that Harrington quit texting her because his wife had caught him. Harrington denied it.

“As for my wife, I wasn’t keeping our dialogue from her. It simply never came up,” he wrote.

Then he told her that he’d shown his wife their messages.

That did it. “I felt betrayed. I felt used,” the woman said.

“If he told me we should talk about our friendship, we should end it because it’s wrong,” that would have been one thing, the woman said. “But the way he did it. He slammed the door in my face. He wrote me like a jerk. Like I’m a child.

“So I did like him (and) I tell my husband,” she said. “And he wants to go punch him in the face.”

Harrington’s earlier assertion was correct: the woman’s husband did not like that she’d been chatting with another man, particularly him.

“I was pretty mad,” the husband said. “For somebody at that rank and with that experience — they know better. They probably have more SHARP classes than all of us combined,” he said, referring to mandatory annual training about sexual assault and harassment.

Her husband was angry at her as well. To prove she was sorry and to make amends, he told her she should tell the authorities. The couple got in touch with Protect Our Defenders, the advocacy group for military victims of sexual assault and harassment. The group advised that going to the media, rather than solely informing the Army, would force the service to take the matter seriously.

The husband said he has no regrets. “We’re just trying to expose (Harrington) because he’s not right, he’s wrong,” he said.

The woman said she has mixed feelings and that she feels bad for Harrington’s family, but that he bears responsibility for what happened.

“I am not innocent completely. Maybe I am wrong to reply,” she said. “But I am not a general.”

In one of several texts in which Harrington sought assurances that she’d tell no one about their relationship, he said she had “a little playful devil inside.”

“Devil is inside all of us since the day Eve mess up with that apple,” the woman replied.

“Actually, it was Adam’s mess up!” Harrington wrote.

Then he asked, “How often does your devil vixen come out?”

I agree.

kwg

Mistress rule #1:

Don’t piss off the mistress!!!

He could not find a woman in Italy? Deserves what he got.