Do as I Say, Not as I Do? : While the military braces for cutbacks, a questionable use of its planes

At a time when the Pentagon is proposing closing bases to save taxpayers’ money, and military families fresh from the sacrifices of the Gulf War are wondering about their futures, the high command at the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro is dealing with an embarrassing story that won’t go away. Some high-flying senior officers have been riding military aircraft all over the country for personal reasons, and now the trail leads straight to the top, to Brig. Gen. Wayne T. Adams, commanding general of the Marine Corps’ western air bases.

Records for Adams and two former top aides show flights to Big Bear with a fiancee and to tee times at weekend golf tournaments across the country. In one case, the top military official took a tax-supported detour through Florida en route to Virginia in order to carry out a dubious national security mission--signing divorce papers.

The scandal already has claimed the life of Col. James Sabow, who committed suicide after he was suspended by Adams and placed under investigation over his alleged misuse of planes. Another officer, Col. Joseph Underwood, pleaded guilty to abusing his flight time in a closed hearing before Adams, and he was allowed to leave the military while keeping his pension. Now a Times review of records shows that Adams himself took at least five recent flights that raise questions about the propriety of his use of military planes.

Navy and Marine Corps regulations prohibit mixing personal and military business when military aircraft is used. Although Adams denies wrongdoing, it’s clear what message he has been sending through the chain of command. It’s the proverbial “Do as I say, not as I do.”

For years, “Getting in your flight time” has been a tempting invitation for military aviators to mix training and personal business. But if the military wants the rules followed with something more than a wink, then its top guns must set the right example.