Lipscomb pledges to find out truth about Guard

By By William F. West / community editor
March 19, 2003
The commander of the Mississippi National Guard said Tuesday that another probe is under way into allegations of misconduct at the 186th Air Refueling Wing and that he wants to conclude it by the summer. Maj. Gen. James H. Lipscomb III said Tuesday he requested an investigator from outside Mississippi to follow-up a two-year U.S. Air Force Inspector General's probe that surfaced last month.
The Inspector General's probe has already supported several allegations against the 186th including bigotry, inefficiency, fraud, special treatment for favored members and the operation of an on-base retail liquor store with no auditing scrutiny.
Lipscomb declined to be specific about the remaining allegations, other than to say they involve similar matters of less severity but not cronyism or racism.
The unit, based at Key Field, came under scrutiny because of allegations made by Joe Henry "Jody" Bryant Jr. and other former members of the 186th.
Bryant on Tuesday identified the new investigator as Col. Ken Emanuel of Florida. Bryant said he has spoken with Emanuel about the 186th Air Refueling Wing.
Emanuel is staff judge advocate of the Air National Guard in Florida and lead general counsel for the Naval Air Depot at Jacksonville, Fla. He could not be reached for comment today.
Bryant expressed concerns about the probe.
Stuart Kenney, another former member of the 186th, said he is unsure how serious Lipscomb is about taking disciplinary action if violations of military procedure are found.
The U.S. Air Mobility Command also conducted its own probe and found deficiencies at the 186th, but a spokesman for the command has said that the unit is combat ready.