11 MAY 1997: An interview with Air Force Lieutenant Kelly Flinn aired on the CBS news program 60 Minutes, generating unprecedented media coverage of a seemingly routine court-martial scheduled for 20 May 1997. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, and the first woman ever selected by the Air Force for B-52 combat crew training, Lieutenant Flinn came under the scrutiny of the military justice system when a commander initiated charges against her for failing to obey a lawful regulation, failing to obey a direct written order, fraternization, adultery, and making a false official statement. Lieutenant Flinn subsequently took her story to the media. With the aid of a public relations firm, she and her defense team argued that adultery was a private matter in which the Air Force had no business. Amidst intense media coverage and political pressure, Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall approved Lieutenant Flinn’s request for a discharge in lieu of court-martial, granting her a general discharge, rather than one under other-than-honorable conditions. An expanded discussion of this case will appear in an upcoming edition of The Reporter.
Source: Mr. Wade Scrogham, AF JAG Corps Historian
Related posts:
