Seventeen leaders of a Georgia-based National Guard company deployed to Kosovo for peace-keeping effort have been accused of hazing following a U.S. Army investigation and will be reassigned, according to a report from Germany.
"It was physical. It was psychological. It was a range of tactics," Col. Jeffrey J. Liethen, mission commander at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. "Once the nature of the offenses are brought into the sunlight, I think this is going to open eyes wide shut."
Among those reassigned was the commander of the company, which is from Georgia's 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said in a Thursday interview with the newspaper.
Formal charges are expected to be filed within a week, Hertling told the newspaper.
The group is based in metro Atlanta, a spokesman for the Georgia National Guard told the AJC late Friday.
The consequences for the soldiers could range from courts-martial and Article 15s -- a nonjudicial punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice -- to general officer memorandums and counseling, depending on the degree of culpability, Hertling said.
The investigation began after a formal complaint was made earlier this month by a private in the unit, who reported a hostile work environment, according to the reports.
“I applaud the young private,” Hertling said. “He was a new guy to the unit, and it took a lot of personal courage to come forward. This kid pulled it together in a tough environment and stepped forward.”
Two Army platoons and a command team were dispatched to assist the Georgia unit during the investigation, according to the newspaper.
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