Alleged prostitution ring at Ft. Hood
Sexual misconduct allegations center on a Ft. Hood sergeant. Drew Griffin reports.
Tonight on AC360: Sexual misconduct allegations center around Ft. Hood sergeant
According to his own lawyer, military prosecutors are investigating accusations against a Ft. Hood sergeant once assigned to an artillery battalion at Ft. Hood, the nation’s largest military base.
Joseph Jordan told CNN that his client, Sgt. First Class Gregory McQueen, was suspected of “pandering” and that a military prosecutor had said McQueen is under investigation for prostitution. Jordan told CNN his client would “fight the charges” but also acknowledged that a military prosecutor had offered McQueen a deal, “if he would give up other members of the prostitution ring.”
No formal charges have yet been announced against McQueen but the incident is one of a string of recent accusations of sexual misconduct that have rippled through the American military. Most recently, an enlisted man at West Point was accused of taking photographs of women cadets while they were taking showers.
Abducted by pirates for $45 million ransom
American aid worker Jessica Buchanan was held captive in the Somali desert for 93 days. Her captors were heavily-armed pirates who initially demanded a $45 million ransom. She describes the harrowing ordeal and dramatic rescue to Anderson Cooper in an in-depth interview.
In her last "proof of life" call to her family on January 16, Buchanan told them she had an infection and urgently needed medication to survive. For months she had become weak from exposure to the elements and little food or clean water. That call set in motion the rescue operation that would end her nightmare.
Buchanan says she had no idea anybody knew where she and her Danish colleague were being held. She never imagined President Obama was aware of her imprisonment and location.
Tonight on AC360: Surviving a kidnapping against “impossible odds”
In late 2011, American aid worker Jessica Buchanan and a Danish colleague were abducted in Somalia and held captive for 93 days. With negotiations failing and her health declining, President Obama gave the go ahead for a dramatic rescue lead by the U.S. Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six. Tonight on 360, Buchanan and her husband recount her harrowing abduction and amazing rescue. They also share their remarkable story in the new book “Impossible Odds.”
“I felt like I was in the most impossible situation,” Buchanan told Anderson. Her kidnappers were Somali pirates who had moved their operation from sea to land. The pirates were high from chewing khat, a plant that acts as an amphetamine-like stimulant. They demanded $45 million in ransom. The pirates kept asking how could her family not have the money. She says she constantly told them, “I’m just an aid worker.”
According to Buchanan, the most terrifying pirate was an 11-year-old boy. He was walking around with a machine gun and draped in ammunition. “He followed me and terrorized me through the whole ordeal.”
Aid worker details dramatic rescue
American aid worker Jessica Buchanan was kidnapped in Somalia. She tells Anderson Cooper the story of her remarkable rescue. After 93 days in captivity and constant fear she would die, she was saved by U.S. Navy SEALs. Hear more of her fascinating story Friday on AC360° at 8 and 10 p.m. ET.
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Post by: Filed under: 360° Interview • Military |
Soldier investigated for sexual assault
The Army announced Tuesday that a sergeant first class assigned to an assault prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for sexual assault.
The soldier, who was not named in an Army statement, has been suspended from all duties.
Specifically, the soldier is under investigation for "pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates," the statement said. Special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are conducting the probe.
Documentary focuses on sexual assault in military
CNN's Jake Tapper interviews Kirby Dick, the director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "The Invisible War," and Kori Cioca, one of the women profiled in the film, which addresses sexual assault in the U.S. military.
Read "Congress takes on sexual assault, will military follow?"
Duckworth: Women can defend the country as well as men
Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to announce a lifting of the ban on women serving in combat. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a U.S. veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart, says female troops in Iraq and Afghanistan proved women should have combat roles. Anderson Cooper spoke with her, John King, and Margaret Hoover about the groundbreaking decision and the politics behind the policy change.
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Post by: Filed under: Military |
Policy change allows women in combat
Chris Lawrence reports on a groundbreaking change in U.S. military policy that will open combat roles for female troops.
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Post by: Filed under: Military |
Danzig: Obama has grown Navy
Richard Danzig and Fareed Zakaria debunk claims made during the presidential debate about the strength, needs, and cost of the U.S. Navy.
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Post by: Filed under: 2012 Election • Military • Mitt Romney • President Barack Obama |
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