Army I.D.'s female Soldier who went on a rampage at Ft. Lee

[whitehall]

A 14 year Veteran Soldier with six Army commendations can't "convince people she is serious" without brandishing a gun? What the hell is going on in the Army when the base commander makes excuses for a felony after the fact?

 

[chikenwing]

The only way to put an end to gun violence like this is to make it harder for people to legally acquire firearms.

No it won't people like you are a danger to this nation.

 

[ogibillm]

She brandished a firearm and threatened the staff enough to close the base for an hour. There were probably ten or twenty violations of the UCMJ. Why on earth would the C.O. try to defend her actions?

i'm going to go out on a limb here and say because the base commander is sorry that they didn't recognize she was in trouble before the incident occurred. you know, compassion and care for a fellow soldier, and disappointment in the idea of letting them down (even if realistically there was nothing anyone could have done)

Maybe it is assumed that the Army has the duty to "recognize" that an NCO was "in trouble" and maybe not. In the real world it is the duty of the C.O. to enforce the UCMJ and not to make excuses for criminal behavior.

it's not assumed. it's a fact. there will be an investigation, and her entire chain of command will have to report on what signs, if any, they missed.

also, this is the base commander. i do not think it is appropriate to call him the CO, since he may not have been in her chain of command at all.

Is the responsibility network of the Army so convoluted that the Base Commander can say he is not in her "chain of command"? He is the last link in the chain of command.

base commander runs the base, doesn't necessarily put him in the chain of command for all of the units there.

 

[whitehall]

Here's an interpretation of the Base Commander's statement: "We all know Army life can be tough when you are stationed far from home in an unfamiliar environment like Richmond, Virginia and a stressful MOS like human resources makes it tougher. Think of me as your father rather than a Base Commander. Daddy doesn't mind you acting out with a loaded handgun and causing the Base to be locked down but it makes daddy very sad when you blow your brains out with it.

 

[whitehall]

On second thought I'll offer this excuse. I don't think they gave the race of the female NCO but if she was Black it's possible that it was a racially based incident by woman who was raised in NY and never saw a confederate flag until she found herself in the former capital of the Confederacy. It's possible that it was a screwed up incoherent effort to show solidarity for the Black man who was killed in Ferguson. In that case the Base Commander was wise to say anything he could to keep the incident isolated.

 

[JoeB131]

SFC Paula Marie Walker entered the CASCOM Headquarters and wanted to speak with an individual (allegedely) with whom she was having an affair. The high ranking individual was not there and she believed the people she was speaking with were lying to her. She then brought out the personal weapon, small calibre handgun.
The 'rampage' was SFC Walker trying to convince people who knew her that she was serious. SFC Walker is about 5' tall and in the past generally had a positive, upbeat attitude. To see her demanding to see the high ranking senior NCO and brandishing a weapon was extremely out of character. So she started throwing things in the conference room and breaking them.
Almost everyone evacuated the building, the post was on lock-down, CID/MPs/Lee Police came and FBI showed up as well.
The problem -- the (alleged) affair with a very senior NCO and promises made (like an assignment and/or other personal quid pro quo) and the deal fell through over the weekend. Yes, she had deployed to Iraq for 15 months. No, it was not PTSD related.
he was a single parent of a 8 year old daughter. SFC Walker had been a Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention (SHARP) NCO and should have known not to get involved with a senior NCO. The tragedy is that she committed suicide.
The contributing factors are that while the Army 'officially' doesn't condone this activity, the command is contaminated with sexual indiscretions from BG Cross getting a secretary pregnant, to SGMs patting 1SGs on the fanny, to instructors having sex with students. If the Army is really serious, court-martial a couple of people. Don't allow them to retire. Send them to the Castle at Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks. Announce the punishment in formations to let Soldiers and leaders know that this activity will not be tolerated.
I am truly sorry for SFC Walker's daughter and the twin brother who will probably take care of the daughter. I am not surprised that people have put a spin on the story. It was not about gun control or PTSD. It was about sex in the work place and believing the lies that got you there. She truly believed she had no where else to turn. Who would believe her? Not even the people in the office area believed it while it was happening.

I took my AIT at Fort Lee in 1985. It was a pretty lax base then. Sounds like nothing has changed.