PI Newswire

A former sector commander in Alaska is facing a general court-martial for charges of adultery, fraternization and other sexual improprieties.

Capt. Herbert “Mark” Hamilton III has been charged with 30 counts, including: failing to follow orders; lying to investigators; committing adultery with enlisted personnel; sending and receiving “sexual and amorous text messages” using a government cell phone; photographing sexual acts; downloading and storing sexually explicit material on his government-issued laptop; and making an official phone call “while engaged in sexual activity,” according to charging documents.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Christopher Colvin, 17th District commander, has referred the matter to a court-martial July 21, according to Lt. Cmdr. Greg Versaw, a staff attorney for the 17th District. A motions hearing will be held April 5.

No one else has been charged, but the investigation is ongoing, said Lt. Eric Eggen, a spokesman for the 17th Coast Guard District.

Neither Hamilton nor his defense attorney Navy Lt. Cmdr. Eric McDonald returned calls for comment.

Read more…

A new order from the general in charge of U.S. troops in northern Iraq makes getting pregnant or impregnating a fellow soldier an offense punishable by court-martial.

The directive, part of a larger order restricting the behavior of the 22,000 soldiers under Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo’s command, is meant to prevent losing soldiers at a time when troop strength is stretched thin, Cucolo explained in a statement sent to the troops under his command and provided to CNN.

“I need every soldier I’ve got, especially since we are facing a drawdown of forces during our mission,” Cucolo wrote. “Anyone who leaves this fight earlier than the expected 12-month deployment creates a burden on their teammates. Anyone who leaves this fight early because they made a personal choice that changed their medical status — or contributes to doing that to another — is not in keeping with a key element of our ethos.”

The rule, enacted November 4, was first reported by Stars and Stripes, a military-focused publication. It prohibits “becoming nondeployable for reasons within the control of the soldier,” which include “becoming pregnant, or impregnating a soldier … resulting in the redeployment of the pregnant soldier.”

Pregnancy that arises from sexual assault would not be punished, Cucolo said.

The directive applies to all military and civilians serving under Cucolo in northern Iraq, an area that includes Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra, according to the Web site of Multi-National Force Iraq.

Of the 22,000 people under Cucolo’s command, 1,682 are women.

Cucolo will decide what cases will be pursued.

Read more & watch video…