February 3,2006
Volume 27, Number 3
the Carolinas For Over 25 Years!
Probed on Pom
By Bob Roehr .
Contributing Writer
Seven paratroopers in the 82nd
Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina are under investigation for
possibly participating in a gay pom
video available at a pay per view web
site. The paratroopers being were
moved from their barracks Monday to
protect their privacy, according to a
report in The Fayetteville ■ Observer
(1/31/06).
The 82nd Airborne is one of the most
celebrated units in the military. Its
15,000 troops are brained to deploy any
where in. the world within 18 hours.
Soldiers from the division have served
extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan,
and several thousand troops remain
overseas. **• v'<r"' .
The division began the inquiry
violated
Justice.
duct unbecoming, both of which can
carry a prison sentence." Those are
more serious charges and punishment
than under DADT.
Each scene in a video might be filed
as a separate charge, and each charge
can carry up to a five year prison sen
tence.'Ralls said, "It has the potential to
be a very serious problem for die sol
diers involved."
three production companies — Active
Duty Productions, Pink Bird Media and
New Fame Media. County real estate
records indicate that the man is a
Fayetteville resident living in a one
story brick house in a local subdivision.
He told his neighbors that he ran a
graphic design firm and a computer
company.
Most of the neighbors said the owner
is a race man. c/tner saiu
he often threw late-night
parties and had male
guests, most with military
style haircuts, who visited
at all hours.
"We understand it is
legal to shoot pom out of
your house said^neuJ^ttH
who asked not tmRnc^m^
fied. "You would expect
' him to be quiet. This is a
faxrlily heignRSifixxl"
•" The manager of the site
For the Pentagon to raise DADT is
very unusual and far off the mark of
what they should be concerned about"
Ralls said it is unlikely that SLDN
would get involved with criminal
charges associated with this investiga
tion. "Butwewill watch closely andif it
looks like the military is prosecuting
them on harsher charges or going after
a harsher sentence man they would
with a heterosexual case, then we
would certainly call the Pentagon on
that"
It is unclear how the Army came to be
aware of the video. Under the rules
implementing DADT the military is not
supposed to conduct fishing expedi
tions but it may pursue information
that is brought to its attention.
Past prosecutions of gay and lesbian
service members have come from leads
offered by disgruntled roommates and
spumed lovers.
The website that is believed to be the
center of the investigation has a military
theme and is based in Fayetteville, the
dty closest to Fort Bragg.
According to the Fayetteville Observer,
the website is registered to the owner of
and the director ofthempvies goes by
the name "Dink Flamingo."
'Dink himself films all of the videos
featured on [the site], and takes all of
the photographs," according to the site's
page of frequently asked questions.
Some of the movies produced try
Pink Bird Media include Another Tour of
Duty, Band of Lovers and a series called
Bareback Barracks Buddies.
The site stresses that its operations
are legal. "All of the men featured on
this site are 18 years of age or older,
proof of which is on file. All of the men
are fully aware that they are being
taped," the ate says.
Meanwhile cm January 25, a report
written under contract for the Pentagon
warned thatthe Army was "in a race
against time" to modernize "or risk
'breaking' the * force." Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld downplayed
its findings."
SLDN called the report "a wake-up
call to Congress that our armed forces
must welcome, not turn away, qualified
Americans who want to serve our
country." It has called cm Congress to
repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
majui jrusiy iimuiau, uivi&iua
spokeswoman, confirmed that an
inquiry is underway but would offer no
details as to how many soldiers are
involved or if any of them have been
charged.
It is unclear when the investigation
will be completed, Hannah said. 'rWe
are concerned about the privacy and
rights of each trooper involved and that
they are treated with dignity and
respect," she added. '
Military spokesmen linked the inves
tigation to homosexual activity and the
antigay policy known as "Don't Ask,
Don't TelL" t
Maj. Todd* Vidan, 1 a Defense
Department spokesman in Washington,
said the military's "don't ask, don't tell"
policy states that "homosexual orienta
tion alone is not a bar to service, but
homosexual conduct is incompatible
with military service."
"We define homosexual conduct as
homosexual acts or verbal or nonverbal
communication that a member is
homosexual," Vidan said.
• That is "troubling" to Steve Ralls,
spokesman for fire Servicemembers
IParatroopers of the 82nd Airtx)me
Division descend over a drop zone
on Fort Bragg during“Large
Package Week.”
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army.
Legal Defense Network (SLDN).
"Given the Crinunal charges that tihe sol
diers involved are potentially facing,’
the fact that die Pentagon is focusing on
this as a DADT story seems absurd; and
troubling." ■
. The Uniform Code erf Military Justice
(UCMJ) prevents soldiers from partici
pating in activities such as pornogra
phy, regardless of whether they are gay
or straight, he explained. About a year a
go a female soldier lost her job as a
result of posing for Playboy.
"Depending on what is in the video
and what charges the Army decides to
bring against mem, the soldiers poten
tially face charges of sodomy and con
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