Praised Airman Is Convicted of Molesting Girls

An Air Force helicopter pilot honored for leading a daring rescue off Iceland in 1994 was found guilty at a court-martial Friday of repeatedly molesting two girls.

Col. James A. Sills, 48, also was found guilty of assaulting his estranged wife, having an unprofessional relationship with his secretary and lying during a security interview.

The eight senior officers on the court-martial panel deliberated for 13 hours.

They heard more testimony, then sentenced him to eight years in prison and dismissal from service.

Sills showed no emotion as the verdict was read. The 6-foot, 6-inch pilot, in his blue dress uniform with rows of decorations on his chest, towered over a civilian and two Air Force defense lawyers who stood alongside him.

Sills was acclaimed for leading two helicopters through stormy weather to rescue six seamen who had abandoned their ship off Iceland in 1994. Sills and the other airmen were awarded the MacKay Trophy for the year’s most meritorious Air Force flight.

During the two-week trial, one alleged victim, now 21, testified that Sills groped and fondled her repeatedly over a 10-year period, starting when she was 10. She also alleged that they once had oral sex.

Her allegations cover a period when Sills was stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland; and Hurlburt Field, where he was a squadron commander.

The second alleged victim, now 22, accused Sills of groping and fondling her and masturbating in front of her on boating trips in 1991, when Sills was stationed in Illinois. She testified that the first alleged victim was present at the time.

Defense lawyer Drew Pinkerton argued that there were “terrible, terrible inconsistencies” in the prosecution’s case, based solely on the women’s accusations, which Sills denied.

Sills said one of the girls twice kissed him when he didn’t expect it, once mashing her braces into his lips.