The top Air Force general is getting involved in the case of
several pilots who were grounded after exchanging text messages that
referenced Miley Cyrus lyrics -- but were seen by their commanding
officers as evidence of drug activity.
After lawmakers complained the punishment appeared "excessive," Air
Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh last week directed the military
service’s inspector general to look into whether officials at the
Laughlin Air Force Base followed proper procedures and made the right
call.
“General Welsh is a good leader and a no-nonsense kind of guy,” a top
aide to California GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, now involved in the pilots’
case, told FoxNews.com on Monday. “He recognizes a problem here.”
Officials at the Texas base reportedly concluded the pilots were
distributing drugs based only on the text messages, which refer to
ecstasy by its street name, Molly, and include the Miley Cyrus lyrics:
“We like to party/ Dancing with Molly/ Doing whatever we want.”
The pilots purportedly passed drug tests and said the lyrics are
about carousing, chasing women and trying to sustain the memory of a
lost weekend in Las Vegas.
The Air Force has issued a statement confirming the IG inquiry and
saying the pilots’ cases will be reviewed based on the findings.
“Commanders are expected to hold members accountable for their
actions, while ensuring due process and equitable treatment are
appropriately applied in every case,” the statement reads in part.
“Commanders take this responsibility very seriously. An allegation of
mistreatment is reviewed at multiple levels, and the Laughlin cases are
no exception.”
However, officials could not immediately say Monday whether their
punitive actions, which purportedly include efforts to discharge the
pilots, were based on additional evidence
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