Battleland

Paper Cuts

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ARMY PHOTO / STEVE REEVES

Command Sergeant Major Teresa King assumes command of the drill-sergeant school at Fort Jackson in 2009.

Command Sergeant Major Teresa King – relieved of command of the service’s drill-sergeant school at Fort Jackson, S.C., last November – was reinstated Friday, only days before she is set to relinquish command. The Army reversed shortly after King filed a complaint alleging that her suspension stemmed from racism, sexism, and her lack of combat experience.

Army Times reports that an Army spokesman “declined to say what issues led to the five-month investigation. He would not say whether King would face other disciplinary action related to those issues. He did say the investigation produced a 9-inch stack of paper.”

Huh?

A “9-inch stack of paper?” What is that supposed to mean? If the command sergeant major is not guilty, the size of the stack of paper involved in proving so doesn’t matter. Conversely, if she created a poor command climate, a single sheet detailing how and why would suffice.

Command Sergeant Major Smith, the first woman ever to command the drill-sergeant school, is the daughter of a North Carolina sharecropper who has dedicated 31 of her 50 years to the Army. It’s cases like this that drive soldiers, and those who care about them, crazy.