Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., has asked Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III how the 47th Training Wing is dealing with a Facebook post from a public affairs officer who apparently joked about buying LSD.
In a letter to Welsh on Monday, Hunter argued that the post is the same type of joke among friends for which three instructor pilots were grounded and received letters of reprimand. The pilots, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, sent text messages thatwhich investigators claim were about using drugs. The pilots claim that the texts were misunderstood.
On Nov. 18, Joel Langton of the Laughlin Air Force Base public affairs office posted toon Facebook about the scenic view he saw while running along the San Felipe Creek, said Col. Sean McKenna, an spokesman for Air Education and Training Command spokesman.
When one person posted the comment, “Lay off the acid, Joel, this was just a hallucination,” Langton replied, “But it was some really good acid, and cheap,” according to a screenshot of the exchange, which was provided to Air Force Times.
“The comment by the PA [public affairs] member was posted in response to a friend’s comment,” McKenna said in a Nov. 20 email to Air Force Times. “47th Flying Training Wing leadership have spoken with the individual and they are handling the matter appropriately.”
Hunter asked Welsh why the three instructor pilots at Laughlin were investigated for their text messages, while Langton is apparently not facing the same level of scrutiny for his comment.
“My assumption, after reviewing the post, is that the individuals involved were only joking, and each of them deserves the benefit of the doubt,” Hunter wrote. “However, in the case of the Laughlin pilots, for personal messages that involved the same type of banter, the pilots in question were immediately treated like criminals — even though not a shred of evidence confirmed illegal drug use by the pilots.”
The three instructor pilots’ commander determined that the text messages were unprofessional. The pilots said they were referencing club and rap songs like Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop,” which use the word “Molly,” a term for the illegal drug ecstasy. The three passed drug tests.
Investigators believe two of the grounded instructor pilots also allegedly knew about other instructors having sexual, unprofessional relationships with student pilots, but failed to inform their command, according to Lt. Col. John Fredland, chief of military justice for Air Education and Training Command.
Hunter argues in his letter that Laughlin is applying a double standard by not investigating Langton for allegedly using and distributing drugs.
“Now, in the case of the senior personnel, why would they be treated any differently from the Laughlin pilots?” Hunter wrote. “I ask this especially knowing of your commitment to ensuring fair and equal treatment. Therefore, I would like to know what it means to be ‘handling the matter appropriately,’ as Col. McKenna stated.”
On Monday, McKenna declined to elaborate further on his Nov. 20 comments.
Hunter wrote that the three Laughlin pilots should be cleared of any wrongdoing and have their flight status restored.
“General Welsh, I know you are committed to resolving the case of the Laughlin pilots,” Hunter wrote. “And I know you are committed to avoiding the creation of a double standard, or even the appearance of one. Both of the situations that I have raised should underscore to the Air Force the magnitude of your decision in the case of the Laughlin pilots and the precedent it will set.”
