Tailhook Assn. Apologizes to Victims : Harassment: Navy fliers’ group concedes some responsibility for sexual misconduct at Las Vegas convention and promises to make amends.

Declaring that “we’ve had our wake-up call,” Tailhook Assn. officials offered their first public apology Friday to the more than 25 women who were harassed and assaulted at the group’s 1991 convention.

In a four-page letter to acting Navy Secretary Sean O’Keefe, Tailhook Chairman W. D. Knutson admitted that the group was at least partly responsible for sexual misconduct at a Las Vegas convention where women were groped, fondled and sexually assaulted by drunken Navy aviators in a hotel hallway.

“We apologize to the women involved, the Navy and the nation for our part in what has become a source of embarrassment,” the letter to O’Keefe said. “. . . In hindsight, we recognize the errors that contributed to the possibility of party-goers getting out of hand.

“We will correct those errors in the future. We’ve had our wake-up call,” Knutson wrote. “We believe we have the obligation to make amends and to move forward with what we have learned.”

Last month, O’Keefe’s predecessor, acting Navy Secretary Dan Howard, distanced the service from the Tailhook Assn. by forbidding active-duty aviators to serve on the group’s board of directors.

Tailhook members feared that the Navy was going to sever all ties with the group, founded 35 years ago to promote carrier aviation. Over the years it has sponsored annual conventions at which admirals, pilots and defense contractors participate at symposiums and debate tactics, weapons and policy.

In the letter, Knutson pleaded with O’Keefe to allow the Navy to resume its relationship with the group.

“We sincerely hope we will be allowed to enter a constructive dialogue with Navy officials to determine how the positive aspects of the relationship can be salvaged,” the letter said. “. . . We do not intend to abandon ship.”

Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Rudolph Brewington said O’Keefe had received the letter but had not read it as of late Friday.

In an interview, Tailhook Assn. spokesman Steve Millikin said the group is embarrassed that its name has become synonymous with sexual misconduct. Though “only a handful” of the 3,000 people who registered for the convention were guilty of wrongdoing, “the reputation of every Navy and Marine aviator has been impugned,” Millikin said.

On Friday, association officials repeated earlier calls for the prosecution of officers charged with wrongdoing. Millikin said the group has established a hot line for victims and witnesses to call with information that is helpful to prosecutors.

No one has been charged yet but the Department of Defense is investigating the incidents.

The association is also offering to help the Navy find a solution to the volatile issue of sexual harassment, which has driven a deep wedge in the ranks.

“We’re offering to become part of the dialogue. We want to help the Navy find some answers to a problem that is both insidious and destructive to the Navy,” Millikin said.

Although the group accepted responsibility for the sexual misconduct by the aviators, Tailhook officials also said naval leadership should share the blame for failing to properly supervise officers who attended the convention, held in September at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Millikin said Navy officials have unfairly allowed the association to be the lightning rod for fallout from the sex scandal. Tailhook members, many of them retired Navy aviators, took the brunt of the criticism when details of the incident surfaced in October.

“We’re tired of taking the heat,” Millikin said. He added that Navy officials initially encouraged them to not comment publicly about the sexual misconduct because, they said, “this thing will blow over quickly.”

“Today, however, 10 months and some three investigations later, the future is still far from clear. Near-irreparable damage has been done to the (association) and we wish to make our case,” the letter to O’Keefe said.

Tailhook officials are not sure when or where their next convention will be held, but Millikin said they plan to make changes.

Most of the sexual misconduct that occurred at the 1991 convention occurred in the hospitality suites sponsored by Navy and Marine squadrons, and in the hallway that joined the suites.

Millikin said squadrons will not be allowed to rent hospitality suites at the next convention and “we’ll also have control over the use of alcohol.”

The letter to O’Keefe was part of a public relations effort launched this week by the association to correct what Millikin said were myths about the group and its role at the 1991 convention.

As an example, Millikin said the Navy’s investigation of the sex scandal also reported $23,000 in damage to the hotel by drunk aviators. The Navy report suggested that the cost was paid by taxpayers, Millikin said.

“The individual squadrons paid for the damage to the suites and Tailhook paid for the damage to the halls. The American taxpayer didn’t pay for any of this,” he said.

Navy and Marine fliers at the Tailhook convention wore civilian clothes but flew to Las Vegas in military aircraft because they were considered to be on temporary duty.

Millikin also said the association was not the official host of the squadron parties. Security for the squadron parties, where some women had their legs and other body parts shaved by drunken aviators, was the responsibility of commanding officers, said Millikin.

According to Millikin, the Navy brass failed to be sure that squadrons follow the recommended policy for the parties, which called for “the commanding officer, executive officer and a uniformed duty officer be present to control behavior.”

“It’s obvious that good judgment wasn’t shown and there were leadership failures,” Millikin said.

The hot line number established by Tailhook for victims and witnesses is 800-322-4665.