Court-Martialed Sgt. Major Will Get Full Pension
The Army’s former top enlisted soldier will get full retirement pay despite his conviction for obstructing justice in a sexual harassment case, the Pentagon said Monday.
A military jury reduced Gene C. McKinney by one rank to master sergeant and cut his pay after his conviction in March. Six military women accused the former sergeant major of the Army of groping them or using his position to pressure them for sex.
He was acquitted of 18 of 19 charges. McKinney, a 29-year Army veteran, took the stand at his six-week court-martial to deny all wrongdoing and ask the jury to let him retire with dignity.
Ordinarily, the jury’s decision would mean McKinney, 47, is eligible for about $28,000 in annual retirement pay based on his new, lower rank and salary. But Pentagon lawyers concluded that under a law applying specifically to top enlisted personnel, he is eligible for about $10,300 more because of his former position.
The law does not distinguish between those who leave a post voluntarily and those who are forced out or demoted.
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