Mud Wrestling Investigation Ends

[USMCRET6391]

Associated Press
March 28, 2005

MIAMI - Ten members of an Army military police unit should be disciplined for staging a mud-wrestling match at a U.S. military prison in Iraq, an investigation concluded. No detainees saw the episode last October at Camp Bucca, one of the largest U.S.-controlled detention centers in Iraq, officials said.

The investigation involved reservists from the Tallahassee-based 160th Military Police Battalion, spokesman Steve Stromvall said Friday from Army Reserves headquarters in Atlanta.

It is up to the Army Reserves commander, Lt. Gen. James Helmly, to decide how to discipline the three female guards who wrestled, six sergeants who encouraged them, and a soldier who let one of the women change in his quarters, Stromvall said.

He said the decision on punishment had not yet been made, but options included reprimand, reducing the soldiers' ranks, discharging them or ordering a court-martial.

The New York Daily News published photos of the incident, including images of women wrestling in bras and panties in front of a crowd of male soldiers.

A fourth female soldier who was also found to have engaged in the mud wrestling was from a different unit and her rank was reduced as punishment, Stromvall said.

[AmericanGirl]

so much for some good old fashioned fun right? I know the military is particularly sensitive about some stuff, but this didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. someone set me straight if there is actually an issue here.

[Vulture6]

There are some other threads here on this case. The main issue was that senior enlisted leadership provided alcohol (in violation of theater level orders) and encouraged junior female Soldiers to strip down and participate. The last part never would have happened if the first part hadn't started it all.

Everyone over there knows about General Order #1 - no alcohol in theater. Not saying that it stops people from drinking, but most folks who choose to violate this particular order generally have the sense to keep it private and not have open air parties with E-7s plastered in front of their troops and encouraging E-2 and E-4s to get naked.

[AmericanGirl]

Oh okay, well that explains things...

[USMCRET6391]

Originally Posted by Vulture6

Not saying that it stops people from drinking, but most folks who choose to violate this particular order generally have the sense to keep it private and not have open air parties with E-7s plastered in front of their troops and encouraging E-2 and E-4s to get naked.

I have no problem with this as long as it doesnt turn into a "shit rolls downhill" scenario and the E-7s get theirs along with everyone else