Navy Probes New Tailhook Allegations

Aug. 25, 2000 -- As the Navy today began investigating charges that service members attending the naval aviators Tailhook convention last week made “inappropriate physical contact” with a civilian woman, members of the association expressed concern about its future.

A civilian husband and wife staying at the same hotel where the convention was held allege they were harassed. In a brief written statement, the Navy said the Inspector General’s office is looking into allegations the woman was inappropriately touched by naval officers in a crowded hallway.

The case recalls the infamous Tailhook Association 1991 convention, which created a sexual assault scandal that forced the resignation of the Navy’s civilian chief and focusedattention on sexual harassment throughout the military. The Navycut its ties to the group after that incident, which involved at least 90 indecent assaults.

But in January, the Navy restored full ties to the association,and the Aug. 17-20 convention at the Nugget Hotel in Sparks, Nev., was thefirst time attendance by Navy and Marine Corps aviators at the convention was officially sanctioned since 1991.

Is Tailhook in Jeopardy Again?

After news of the current scandal broke today, at least one lawmaker, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, has called for the the Navy to withdraw support if the allegations are found to be true because she says the Tailhook Association would have been shown to exhibit a “chronic disregard for human dignity.”

Some in the association now say they worry that the latest allegation will further tarnish the reputation of the annual reunion of pilots and prompt the Navy to again end its official support of the event.

“Here we go again,” said Cathie Tierney, 64, the wife of retired Cmdr. Glenn Tierney, who added that it would be a “crying shame” if the Navy dropped its support.

“I think it would be sad,” Tierney said. “Where would my husband have gone to be together with all of his friends?”

Homer Davis, a retired Navy commander from Long Beach, Calif., who attended the now infamous 1991 Tailhook reunion, said this year’s event was much different.

“It was beautiful,” he said. “This time everyone was well-behaved. No one stepped out of line. There were a couple of beautiful young ladies there, but mostly it was guys in uniform.”

Few Details Disclosed

The Navy’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Steve Pietropaoli, saidit would not release the name of the individual who lodgedthe complaint on a telephone hot line that had been set up afterthe 1991 incident.

Pietropaoli said the man reported that he and his wife were in acrowded hallway in the hotel and that when he asked people —apparently service members attending the convention — to make roomfor the couple to pass, “inappropriate comments” were made to him and his wife.

The man also said someone in the group madeinappropriate physical contact with his wife, although Pietropaoliwas not more specific.

Sparks, Nev., Police Sgt. Sherman Box said his department received noreports from or calls to the Nugget in connection with Tailhook.

Navy spokesman Cmdr. Greg Smith said the man who lodged thecomplaint said a senior Navy officer apologized to him in person,but the man considered it to be “not sincere.” The senior Navyofficer, who was not identified by name, was at the hotel but notpresent during the confrontation, Smith said.

Smith said the circumstances of the apology, made the day afterthe alleged incident, will be part of the inspector general’sinvestigation.

Tailhook President Surprised

Lonnie McClung, a retired Navy captain and president of theTailhook Association, said in a telephone interview today hisorganization was surprised to hear about the complaint.

“As far as we knew the guys were fairly well behaved,” hesaid. “This taints it a little bit.”

McClung said he had no information to confirm the allegation,which he said was made on Tuesday. He said there were about 1,200military members among the 2,000 convention attendees and thathotel officials told him there were only two noise complaintsduring the four-day convention, both on Aug. 18.

“The hotel told us our behavior was exemplary,” he said.

Anne McMillin, spokeswoman for the Fallon Naval Air Station,Nev., said today she attended last week’s convention and hadnot heard of an incident.

“I did not see anything inappropriate and did not experienceanything inappropriate,” she said.

Ties Restored This Year

The Navy restored ties to the group in January after sending several senior representatives to last year’s Tailhook convention as part of a review.

The Navy severed relations with the group in October 1991 after word spread about drunken debauchery at the Las Vegas convention a month earlier. Aviators attending the convention groped female officers during the three-day conference at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel.

The Defense Department inspector general implicated 117 officers in various offenses, ranging from sexual assault to indecent exposure, and faulted Navy leaders for failing to stop the behavior.

The episode triggered the resignation of Navy Secretary H. Lawrence Garrett and the early retirement of Adm. Frank B. Kelso, then chief of naval operations. It also led to lawsuits, multiple investigations and changes in the Navy — including more awareness of sexual harassment and an opening of more aviation opportunities for women.

Paula Coughlin, a Navy lieutenant who was molested at the convention, filed a lawsuit and received $400,000 from the Tailhook Association and $6.8 million from Hilton Hotels. Her attorney Dennis Schoville, of San Diego, Calif., said in an interview today with ABCNEWS.com that he hopes that the current allegations are fully and fairly investigated.

Schoville, however, says he does not believe that the Navy should necessarily withdraw its support for the reunion as long as the allegations are properly investigated and those responsible punished.

“My hope is that this is a very isolated, totally misunderstood incident that people have learned lessons” from the 1991 scandal, he said.

“Accountability has to be paramount,” Schoville said. “The lessons learned from the 1991 matter should have been that the investigation has to be fair and impartial and the chips fall where they may. That means no coverup.” ABCNEWS’ Barbara Starr, ABCNEWS.com’s Julia Campbell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.