National Commander Resigns

During a conference call, CAP's national commander, MajGen Dwight Wheless, informed the wing and region commanders that he was resigning as commander no later than 1 July.  BGen Tony Pineda will become CAP's next commander.  He was also on the conference call and said he would be not be making changes at this time.  He asked all of us to work together to continue to make CAP the best we can.  While we are sad to be loosing MajGen Wheless, we must now rally behind BGen Pineda and give him our full support as he steps up to be our national commander.  Below is the text of the message that Maj Wheless released tonight.

CAP NATIONAL BOARD, BOARD OF GOVERNORS :

Outside of the joy of my family and personal friends, my greatest joy in life has been my 24 years of service to my Country through Civil Air Patrol. The past ten months since assuming Command of this great organization have taken me all across the Nation carrying our story of better than 64 years of commitment to the principles of freedom and liberty for all people, the protection of our shores, the training of young people in the ways of respect and discipline, and the teaching of the lessons of air power.

During these ten months I essentially retired from the practice of law to devote full time to this Command, but I have clients I have served for 38 years who still rely on me for advice, and I have yet to fulfill my promise to finish the completion of our law office’s construction of a branch office and the training of new associates. Also, I seem to be missing all the junior baseball games and dance recitals that my grandchildren are involved in every weekend.

These months have also given me the opportunity to work closely with Brig Gen Tony Pineda whom I have tried to expose to all facets of commanding Civil Air Patrol so that he could step into the Command position seamlessly when the time came. Tony has been a loyal companion during these months and has shown me that he has the potential of being a fine Commander.

I also believe our Headquarters staff is a fine group of professionals, well-tuned, customer-oriented and will find great satisfaction and fulfillment ahead. I know that the staff and Col Vogt will work well together and only good things will come from that.

So, believing a transition would not be harmful to this great organization at this time, I hereby tender my resignation from the office of National Commander to become effective no later than July 1, 2005, or earlier at an appropriate change of command ceremony at a time mutually agreed upon with Brig Gen Pineda. I wish for Civil Air Patrol and all its members the continuation of our fine tradition of service to Country, and the satisfaction of knowing that volunteer time in Civil Air Patrol has been well-spent.

Sincerely [originally signed 15 June 2005]

DWIGHT H. WHELESS
Major General, CAP National Commander

Comments

[me]

First the EX, now CAP/CC... who's next?

[In the Know]

Too bad that Wheless' personal relationship with a CAP-NHQ staffer was used to bring him down. Politics reigns in the NEC. Let's hope the membership can see well enough to NOT elect anybody with a last name starting with "G" who really, really wants to be the national commander, and went outside our organization with the relationship info to cause this result.

[Bucc]

Do tell. I know of three "G's" which are Regionals

[Mark]

Did anything happen to the NHQ staffer - fired, forced to resign, etc.? And was the only thing held against Wheless fraternization? I am ignorant of all this stuff, so if anyone can fill in the blanks it would be much appreciated.

[JT]

Well... it seems to be right on the heel of the Executive Director resigning... maybe the two were bowling partners...

[Mark]

Well I knew about the Executive Director resigning, but what about the HQ staffer in question? Is she still at NHQ? And is this all about fraternization, or was there soomething more? I noticed one poster seemed to know a lot about thuis situation. I knew nothing until I saw this on this board.

[JT]

A "personal relationship" or "fraternization" don't necessarily need to involve opposite sex relatiionships. Do we know if it was just a personal item, or was a romantic issue? If it was just a personal relationship, I wouldn't think it is too far fetched that Wheless and Allenbeck (Allenbak?... you know who I mean...) were just chums...

[Mark]

From what "in the know" posted, I seriously doubt that the supposed inappropriate relationship for Wheless was with Allenback. Maybe Allenback was forced out for protecting Wheless or the staffer involved - who knows. I just would like to know why Wheless was forced out - and if it was for fraternization with a female staffer, is she still on the job? If so, looks like there's a double standard at work here.

[JT]

Sigh... apparently some people have a dirty mind and are assuming that by the comment "bowling partner" I mean engaging in a homosexual relationship. SIGH

I meant... were they pals. You know drinking buddies... bowling partners (Because they go BOWLING), card playing buddies... etc...

If you're a buddy of somone that works for you, and you have some control over their contract, etc... that could be considered an inappropriate relationship or fraternization... and THAT was what I was getting at.

Why does everyone think everything is about sex these days? SIGH

[In the Know]

Wheless' "friend" is still on staff. Allenback was canned over his treatment of senior staffers, at least four of whom filed complaints against him. BOG saw the potential liability, and "B'Bye, Al." Persons exerting command influence over subordinates are held accountable, not the subordinate. Dwight did the honorable thing in resigning before the organization was dragged through the mud by USAF IG.

[Dennis]

Is the CAP NHQ staffer who was "friendly" with Wheless known around HQ for a number of liasons with other CAP brass? If so, maybe Wheless got axed out of jealousy.

What a mess. When was the last time an NHQ/CC left without a cloud of controversy following him out the door? I can't think of one and I've been with the organization as a Senior for fifteen years.

So, do we attract Bozos or do we create them..?

[Observer]

I think that possibly Wheless was involved with a staffer who has created a bit of a reputation through the years at CAP conventions, etc. She is always really "available" if you catch my drift.

It's a shame if Wheless sacrificed his command over something that probably wasn't terribly rare or valuable.

[JT]

To answer Dennis's question... we did have one in the last 15 years...

If I recall correctly, he didn't resign. But, he was later demoted from his BG grade to Col, but a few years later his BG grade was reinstated.

But, I'm not going to name names... but if you read up on some past BOG minutes... you'll be able to figure it out...

[USAF Supporter]

Maybe it is time that the Air Force just step in and take control of CAP. That way we could do away with 95% of this crap!!!

[Another USAF Supporter]

In 1999, the USAF tried to come in and have greater control and oversight of CAP.

Instead, the "corporate" leadership of CAP circled their wagons and fought it, including a very ugly finger-pointing campaign, and CAP leaders running to every congresscritter they could get to hear of their plight.

I wonder where the organization would be today if the USAF had gotten their way. I wonder if we would have been better prepared to truly step up to the plate and assist our country after 9/11.

We had 60 years to prepare for helping our country, and CAP squandered it. As various government agencies get their taskings for homeland security, we will be left in the dust because we didn't prepare.

But hey, we are only in this for the kiddies, right? (As voiced to me by more than one region commander.)

[Dwight Baby]

Hey, maybe we are in it to MEET the kiddies! Or at least to meet chicks . . .is this organization about service or "leaving in Vegas what happens in Vegas?"

[Bucc]

"Hey, maybe we are in it to MEET the kiddies!"

That was just a disgusting comment. You should be ashamed! Even though I am not in this program to interact with the cadets (ES is my bag). Most of them could provide a lesson in proper manners and decorum to you. I do admire their involvement and commitment to the program. It would be much easier to do the "cool" thing. So to even suggest that the Senior Members are in CAP "to meet the kiddies" is just a demeaning and insidious statement. Next time you want to make an inference to pedophilia I suggest you keep it in your little tumultuous mind. (And don't quote Shakespeare for comments such as yours "I doth protest enough".)

Bucc

[USAF Supporter]

I normally do not agree with Europeans or Canadians on much of anything when it comes to politics, but I do agree with how they run there programs that are similar to CAP, i.e. Air Cadets. I think that CAP and the USAF could learn a lot by integrating CAP into the role of an active component of the USAF – Active, Reserve, Guard, Auxiliary. Using other countries programs as a model. Even our own Coast Guard recognizes their Auxiliary and analogizes that they are on even ground.

All of this boils down to leadership. Get good dynamic leaders in the program that are not afraid of making decisions (definitely not lawyers) and let them run with it. I have been going to the National Board meetings for the last 10 years and it just amazes me anything can get done in CAP. I have never witnessed such a bunch disorganized leaders trying to run a national level program by popular vote. So much for the military system… Look at how much time is wasted by arguing over the stupid things that are voted on. I will say this for the management of CAP; they do pick some nice and expensive places to argue over these stupid things.

On Wheless doing a Clinton – I have heard the rumors about this for over a year now from some very high level CAP leaders. The problem that I have with Wheless is the fact that he was her boss as Vice Commander and then as National Commander. He had the ability to fire her; instead he used that position to fire into her… The really sad part is that as a lawyer, he knew exactly what kind of liability he was exposing the CAP Corporation too. Thank you Maj Gen Wheless for jeopardizing our program for your satisfaction… In the corporate world, both would have been fired on the spot. Now NHQ will go into crisis mode and spend thousands upon thousands of dollars and hours to recover from this FUBAR. Who pays for this indiscretion? We do as CAP members. CAP is on shaky ground with the Air Force anyway, now this really makes the CAP look like a bunch of hormone driven bozo’s. Maybe General Looney (new AETC Commander) will say enough is enough and step in to make the necesary changes. If not, hopefully Pineda and Greenhut can bring back some respect and integrity to the program, not only for the members but for the Air Force as well.

[Newbie]

Some people on here seem a bit in the know on this subject (Wheless' "Clinton"). Will Wheless' "friend" face any fallout over this mess? I have gathered from some that she has a number of other "friends" scattered through the CAP power structure. Will she breeeze through this scandal unscathed?

[NIN]

Keep in mind that the acting SecAF, Michael Dominiguez, is a former BoG member. Its my understanding that we were told "OK, you have the capability to clean up your own house. Do that."

If the allegations are true (and I'm not saying they are), then the AF is sending a clear message: We're holding you folks to a higher standard than we have in the past. If it was something that would get an AF Major General in hot water, then it would get a CAP Major General in hot water, eh?

[A Friend]

I am curious about the broader implications of NIN's comments about conduct, "If it was something that would get an AF Major General in hot water, then it would get a CAP Major General in hot water." This could be an interesting precedence. The USAF (and all of the military) are under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) which outlaws many actions that are legal for civilians --and CAP members are civilians. Adultry, for example, is a crime under the UCMJ and what former President Clinton did with his intern and humidor would be a crime for a USAF MG (or an E-1, and everyone in between). Will the same be true in CAP henceforth? What about homosexuality? It's illegal under the UCMJ but quite legal in the civilian world and seemingly within CAP. This could open up a real "Pandora's box" in CAP.

Will this new standard of conduct apply to all CAP members or just those who wear stars?

It will be interesting to see where it ends up.

[pjh7]

My question is what can USAF "really" do in these cases? On June 17, "In The Know" mentioned a USAF IG - does CAP, or indeed any of this, fall within the purview of the USAF IG? If it does, what is the likelihood that they would indeed launch an investigation? Again, if so, and further to the implication of the post by "A Friend", what would the potential ramifications to the individual(s) be if their investigation came up positive?

Anybody out there with any definitives?

[CAPMess]

A previous poster pointed out that this had been buzzing around Wheless for well over a year. The fact that he took no action and allowed this situation to come to this unpleasant result (with more unpleasant ramifications on the horizon) show that Wheless was grossly unsuited for command of this type of organization.

[USAF Supporter]

The problem with Blog’s is that everyone likes to turn things around and read between the lines. Let’s get the straight scoop out. It was not about cadets, kids or another guy, it was about a woman. My sources on this are very reliable and I have treated them as rumors because I have not heard it straight from the man (Even the Air Force says 80% of all rumors are true).

Wheless indiscretion was with a “female” NHQ civilian employee. Wheless was her boss. He had the ability to hire or fire her. That puts him in a position of authority. That is where he went wrong. I personally could not care who Wheless is doing on his own time, but he was using CAP resources and a CAP employee for his own pleasure; that is wrong, wrong, wrong. Again, we got to pay for that out of our pockets as dues paying members. Is she still working there – I do not know. I think she just might have found her retirement program though. I am sure that a lot of CAP’s lawsuit fund dollars will be spend on this one.

Now to address the UCMJ comments; we are not in the military so the UCMJ does not apply to us. If the Auxiliary bill ever passes congress, then the UCMJ or some version of it may apply. But not right now.

Even though CAP does not have a specific regulation regarding sexual harassment, we do fall under the federal guidelines for conduct. This is because CAP receives DoD and USAF funds. Take their money, play by their rules. What really concerns me is that Wheless’s actions could be construed as sexual harassment. After all, it is her word against his. All she has to say is that she was intimidated by his position and she was afraid that she would loose her job if she did not comply.

This is what the former SecDef had to say:

"...Our policy on sexual harassment is crystal clear. We believe that sexual harassment is wrong, ethically and morally. We believe it is wrong from the point of view of military discipline. And we believe it is wrong from point of view of maintaining proper respect in the chain of command. And for all of these reasons therefore, we have a zero tolerance for sexual harassment."

--- Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, November 13, 1996

In addition the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would also apply. Some of the quick facts are:

Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:
The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
The harasser's conduct must be unwelcome.

CAP is also bound by a myriad of AFI’s, of which I am sure that you can find one to fit this situation. Re: AIR FORCE INSTRUCTION 36-2909, PROFESSIONAL AND UNPROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS and AIR FORCE INSTRUCTION 36-2707,
NONDISCRIMINATION IN PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES ASSISTED OR CONDUCTED BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

Again, her word against his. If we want to point fingers, we can look at the NEC and BoG, they all knew about it before the elections. Yet, they allowed him to run for National Commander and they elected him. Even though he resigned his post, I do not think that the fall out from this is far from over.

Any way you look at it, we as the members are the ones who got screwed (no pun intended). St. Louis should be real interesting this year.