Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis J. Reimer will appoint two acting sergeants major of the Army pending the outcome of an investigation of Sgt. Maj. Gene C. McKinney on sexual harassment and other charges, Pentagon officials said Thursday.
McKinney, the most senior enlisted soldier, was suspended from his job in February after being accused of sexually assaulting his public affairs assistant in April 1996. Since then, three other women have come forward to charge him with sexual harassment and other crimes.On June 23, a military investigator is to begin a closed hearing to decide whether there is enough evidence to order a court-martial for McKinney. The preliminary charges against him include maltreatment of subordinates, adultery, assault, communication of threats and obstruction of justice. If he is tried and found guilty of all of the charges, he faces up to 45 years in prison and a dishonorable discharge.
McKinney, 46, has said he is innocent, but last month he asked to be allowed to retire with an honorable discharge and his full pension and other benefits.
The Army was to announce the two acting sergeants major Friday. They are Sgt. Maj. James McKinney, the twin brother of Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, and Sgt. Maj. Jerry T. Alley, who has already been doing parts of the job.
James McKinney is command sergeant major for the Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Va., and was a finalist for the top enlisted job that his brother was given in 1995. Alley is with the U.S. Forces Command, which supervises all conventional fighting forces in the continental United States, based at Fort McPherson, Ga.
The sergeant major of the Army serves as a sort of advocate for the Army's 410,000 soldiers, dealing particularly with quality of life problems and bringing them to the attention of the Army's senior officers and civilian officials.