Troop welfare is one of the core components of military leadership, and it is a discernible truth that not every officer holds troop welfare in high regard. So, when we saw an Army 1st Lieutenant receiving adverse administrative action for upholding his commitment to troop welfare, we knew we had to help. He was originally facing a career-altering General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand (GOMOR), and we put together the rebuttal of a lifetime.
The officer was serving as the Executive Officer of a Technical Information Support Company within the 5th Special Forces Group, 4th Battalion. It was during this time that he developed a professional relationship with a highly respected Master Sergeant in the Army Special Forces community. The MSG was going through a difficult divorce and custody battle that had the special forces operator up against a wall. The officer merely stepped in to help a colleague but drew the ire of the command in the process, which brought about allegations of fraternization.
The 1st Lieutenant provided guidance and support to the struggling MSG and even offered financial assistance and temporary housing. He also wrote a memorandum for the record on U.S. Army letterhead in support of the MSG regaining the right to unsupervised visitation with his children. It was the sum of these events that the command believed had crossed the professional boundary between officer and enlisted.
We saw it as a dedicated officer taking troop welfare seriously and helping keep a highly respected special operations veteran in the fight for this nation. Not to mention, it was an honor to fight a fraternization charge where someone wasn’t having sex with someone else, and the team here at Bilecki didn’t have to review one single naked photo as evidence. That’s always a good day on the job.
We highlighted that there was no ongoing financial or business relationship between the two parties and no quid pro quo, which meant that the arrangement did not violate the letter or spirit of AR 600-20, 4-14(c)(1). Not to mention that the 1st Lieutenant was himself highly regarded and spoke multiple languages fluently, which made him an asset to the Army. Command just went too far with the GOMOR, and after our carefully crafted rebuttal, they saw it our way.
Command agreed to rescind the GOMOR, which meant that this officer could carry on demonstrating top notch leadership. Not to mention, the MSG was able to get through his rough patch, and now we have two excellent leaders still in the special operations community where we need them most.
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