Schofield Barracks, Hawaii–The problem we see with commander-directed investigations (AR 15-6s in the Army) is they take a completely inexperienced service member (who just barely outranks the accused) and turns them into an “investigator.”
The only training they get often comes from a JAG who maybe knows more about investigations than the “investigator,” sometimes only because they just read the training slides and guide before training the investigator. Those JAGs though often have fewer years experience in the military than even the person accused of committing the alleged misconduct. That all is a recipe for disaster.
And this investigation was a disaster. The AR 15-6 was so terrible, we had to complete a full-scale counter-investigation, re-interviewing nearly all the witnesses who were “interviewed” by the investigating officer who just asked a few scripted questions but didn’t listen to the answers or ask obvious follow-up questions. We also had to interview the witnesses who should have been interviewed from the start: witnesses who absolutley would have seen something had there been any there there.
Ultimately, what we uncovered is every piece of “evidence” supporting the false allegations was really just a rumor spread by one person (also the only “eyewitness”) who the investigating officer found to have “no reason to fabricate.” But our counter-investigation revealed the opposite: the rumor spreader literally had the only motive to fabricate in the case: admitted, documented, public fraternization.
Even when it seems all the evidence is against you, fighting to prove your innonence is not a lost cause, and with the right defense team behind you–you can be exonerated and be remembered for your actual servant leadership and combat skills–not just some untrue rumors spread by someone trying to cover their own tracks.