NATION IN BRIEF : VIRGINIA : 3rd Officer Charged in Tailhook Scandal

The Navy formally charged a third officer in the scandal involving the 1991 Tailhook Assn. convention. Lt. Cole V. Cowden, 32, was served with a copy of the charges and will face a court-martial, the Navy said. Cowden, who is assigned to a flight squadron at Norfolk Naval Air Station, is accused of conduct unbecoming an officer and conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces. He denounced the charges. “Once upon a time, the Navy was trying to find men who assaulted women,” he said. “Now, it’s boiled down to a few men who the Navy’s going to have to hang to avoid embarrassment.”