Salute to New Policy on Sex Harassment : El Toro Marine Corps Brass Shows That It Now Takes the Serious Charges Seriously

The Marine Corps, along with the Navy, has been doing some soul-searching in the aftermath of the infamous Tailhook scandal, in which aviators from the two services allegedly sexually harassed female officers at a hotel party in Las Vegas. But while the military readies for the fallout from a forthcoming Pentagon report on the scandal, a recent court-martial at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station suggests that local Marines already are sending a strong and welcome internal message about allegations of sexual harassment.

The case of a Marine Corps investigator expelled after conviction for adultery, dereliction of duty and other alleged crimes was especially troubling. It had to do with the alleged abuse of power in an extremely sensitive matter. Staff Sgt. Randy L. Robinson allegedly had threatened to make “trouble” for a woman whose husband was under investigation for possible child abuse unless the woman had sex with him, according to transcripts of the court-martial. The Marine is now appealing his conviction and denies all the allegations, saying that he never did more than “shake hands” with his El Toro accuser.

Obviously mindful of the implications of the case in the context of the larger Tailhook scandal, the Marine’s attorney went so far as to suggest that the case actually was affecting the climate of the conviction. But the case centers on the larger question of sexual wrongdoing and how the military handles it. And the Marine leadership is reinforcing confidence in and the integrity of the highly powerful and sensitive investigative arms of the services, where the potential for the abuse of authority poses special risks.

Robinson deserves a fair appeal hearing on his argument that it was only an instance of “bad judgment” in having the woman come to his office late at night. But the seriousness with which the El Toro Marines leadership has approached this kind of case sends the right message.