Wednesday, July 19, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A • Page 7
Officers not liable for gay's death
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — An Army review of the circumstances in which a gay private was beaten to death by a fellow soldier at Fort Campbell, Ky., last year has concluded that no officers should be held responsible for the killing and that there is no general climate of homophobia at the base, officials said yesterday.
A report by the Army's inspector general, Lt. Gen. Michael Ackerman, found troublesome anti-gay attitudes among some members of D Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in which the killing took place according to senior defense officials who have seen the report.
But it concluded that the 101st Airborne as a whole had no unusual degree of homophobia, the officials said. The officials agreed to
discuss the report's conclusions on condition they not be identified.
The report's results are expected to be made public Friday, along with the findings of a Defense Department advisory group that Defense Secretary William Cohen formed last spring to draft an action plan for each of the military services to address the problem of harassment of gays.
The panel appointed by Cohen will recommend that service members of all ranks receive more tailored forms of training on how to properly implement the Clinton administration's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals, in which gay service members are allowed to serve as long as they don't reveal their sexual orientation, officials said. Cohen appointed the panel after the Defense Department inspector general reported in March that harassment based on perceived homosexuality
is widespread in the military.
Cohen's spokesman, Kenneth Bacon, declined to comment on either the Army report or the advisory panel's findings.
Charles Butler, the lawyer for the mother of the slain soldier, 21-year-old Pfc. Barry Winchell, said the Army had evidence that Winchell's company commander was alerted to anti-gay harassment before the killing but did not act.
"It appears that the Army isn't willing to accept responsibility for the circumstances surrounding Barry Winchell's murder," Butler said. He said he had not seen the Army report.
The Army inspector general's investigation at Fort Campbell was requested by Maj. Gen. Robert T. Clark, who was commander of the 101st Airborne at the time. Clark has since been assigned to an important post in the Pentagon, and the report concluded that he
should be not be held responsible for the killing last July.
The report's conclusions are to be reviewed by Clark's successor, Maj. Gen. Richard A. Cody.
Pvt. Calvin Glover was convicted by a military court and sentenced to life in prison for beating Winchell to death with a baseball bat. Winchell's roommate, Spc. Justin R. Fisher, was sentenced to 12/1/2 years in prison for his role in the killing. At Glover's trial, soldiers testified that Winchell had been relentlessly taunted with antigay slurs in the months leading up to his slaving.
The incident renewed a national debate over the Clinton administration's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which critic says does not work because it has failed to protect perceived homosexuals from harassment.
Trash-talking Olympians roil track trials
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Johnson says he is ready to take on Maurice Greene in their highly anticipated showdown in the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Johnson fired back at Greene's trash-talking yesterday, calling it immature, and said he was not as excited about facing Greene as he had been about facing Carl Lewis.
"I dislike a lot of the things Maurice has said about me in an attempt to elevate himself by using my name," Johnson said. "Some things he's said are totally untrue.
"He said the track was fast when I broke the world record. Please, that's ridiculous. Then, two weeks later he's saying he respects me."
The simmering feud between the two world-class sprinters began festering at last year's USA Championships in Eugene. Ore., where they were supposed to meet in the 200 meters. After Johnson withdrew late because of an injury, Greene accused Johnson of ducking him.
Johnson insisted that he was injured and said that he didn't
duck anyone. After all, he is the Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder in the 200 and the 400, and he already had won the 400 at the trials. The 200 final is Sunday, the last day of the trials.
Greene is the 100 meter world record-holder, a two-time world champion and the trials' 100-meter winner. He was last year's 200-meter world champion — in Johnson's absence — and has been verbally badgering Johnson since the 1999 nationals.
The potshots have accelerated during the trials.
"Get Michael Johnson, that's what I want to do." Greene said, after winning his opening heat in the 100.
He repeatedly has proclaimed he will win the 200, despite Johnson's best of 19.32 seconds and Greene's best of 19.86 seconds.
Johnson countered yesterday by saying he would not guarantee a victory but that he thought he could win the race.
"I'm not going to accept anything less," he said. "This is not a prelim; this is the Olympic trials. People have paid a lot of money to see a good race, and that's what I'm going to give them."
Johnson said he was not overly enthusiastic about facing Greene.
"Since Carl Lewis left the sport, there is not an athlete I get excited about running against," he said. "I was excited running against Carl because I wanted to be No. 1 in the sport. I'm there now, so I don't have to get excited."
Johnson said much of the trashtalking in the sport was among the 100-meter runners, not among the 400-meter runners.
"There's mutual respect in the 400," he said. "The trash-talking in the 200 has built up over the last year, and I don't like it. I've been defending myself. I've been pushed by Maurice and his coach (John Smith). I have a reputation to defend. I will not make a personal
attack. I've promised that to my family and friends. I'm not going to stoop to that level."
Johnson said Greene was taking the wrong approach to the race if he thought he could break him down mentally.
"If he depends on me shutting down or breaking down ... he's not going to win the race," Johnson said.
Johnson — who has won 88 of 103 200-meter races and 75 of 79 400-meter races since 1989 — suggested that Greene was trash-talking to pump himself up for the big showdown. Johnson and his coach, Clyde Hart, said they wouldn't let Greene's mouth affect the race.
"I prefer to do our talking on the track," Hart said. "But you have to defend yourself."
Johnson did praise Greene, saying he deserved to be ranked No.1 in the world last year because he won the world championship. Johnson was No.2.
The two have met twice, with Johnson winning in 1997 and Greene in 1998, each time at Eugene in the Prefontaine Classic.
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