Skeptoid: Did President Obama Really Purge the Military?
Major General Michael Carey — As commander of the US land-based nuclear missile program, Carey was responsible for three units of ICBMs. He was
relieved in October 2013 for his conduct on a July trip to Moscow, where he went on what news reports called a "drunken bender," fraternized with local women and made inappropriate comments disparaging the Russian military. As a result, he was reassigned and made Special Assistant to the Commander of Air Force Space Command in Colorado.
Vice Admiral Tim Giardina — Giardina served as chief of staff of the US Pacific Fleet and was the number 2 officer of US Strategic Command (StratCom) until being
relieved of duty in September 2013, following an investigation into his use of fake casino chips in a poker game. This is a class D felony in Iowa, where StratCom is located. He was already due to leave StratCom, and his bio currently lists him as "assigned to the staff of the vice chief of naval operations."
Lieutenant General David Holmes Huntoon, Jr. — Huntoon was serving as the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy in West Point until June 2013, when a report of an Inspector General's office investigation was
released, which found that he had misused his position and forced subordinate officers to perform personal tasks. Huntoon was given a letter of reprimand, allowed to resign from his post and took his mandatory retirement the next month.
Major General C.M.M. Gurganus — This was
one of two generals asked to retire early by the Commandant of the Marine Corps after a September 2012 Taliban surprise attack on a Marine airbase. Gurganus was found to have "not taken adequate force protection measures" at Camp Bastion, which led to the death of two Marines and the destruction of six Harrier jet fighters.
Major General Gregg A. Sturdevant — Sturdevant was the other general asked to retire in the wake of the Camp Bastion attack.
Brigadier General Bryan Roberts — The former commanding officer of Fort Jackson, the largest training post in the US Army,
Roberts was suspended in May 2013 after an investigation into adultery and a physical altercation with a woman described as his mistress. Adultery in the military is punishable as an action that can bring discredit upon the armed forces.
Major General Ralph Baker — Baker was
removed from his post as commanding officer of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, as well as fined, after an administrative hearing into alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct charges in April 2013.
Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette — Gaouette held the position of commanding officer of Carrier Strike Group Three until a reprimand from the US Navy led to
his removal. He was found to have used profanity in public and made several racially insensitive remarks. The origin of the complaint might have come from the captain of the aircraft carrier assigned to the Strike Group, who alleged Gaouette had humiliated him in public.
General Carter F. Ham — The commander of US Command Africa, Ham
retired in the wake of the September 2011 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Though the attack itself generated enormous controversy and blame on the Obama administration, Ham himself was never reprimanded and served the entirety of his two-year posting in Africa, retiring as scheduled at age 62, after a 40 year career.