SHE
SHE WAS
SHE WAS A
SHE WAS A DECORATED TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIER -- WHO THEN BECAME A VICTIM OF
SEXUAL
HARASSMENT AS SHE EMBARKED ON A
DEPLOYMENT TO
KUWAIT.
NOW, THE KVUE DEFENDERS HAVE
LEARNED A FEMALE SOLDIER
FACES DISMISSAL FROM THE GUARD
ON WHAT SHE
CONSIDERS A TRUMPED UP
ALLEGATION -- RETRIBUTION,
SHE SAYS, FOR REPORTING THE
POPULAR CAPTAIN WHO
HARASSED HER.
HARASSED HER. HERE'S KVUE SENIOR REPORTER TONY
PLOHETSKI.
PLOHETSKI. FOR 17 YEARS, NICOLE TINKER
WORKED IN A MAN'S WORLD. "IT'S A VERY FINE LINE YOU HAVE
TO
TO WALK
TO WALK BEING A WOMAN IN THE MILITARY." THE 38-YEAR-OLD SERGEANT FIRST
CLASS JOINED THE
TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD IN 2004.
HER
HER FATHER TAUGHT HIS CHILDREN ABOUT SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRY, AND TINKER WAS
ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THE GUARD'S WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR HER
COLLEGE EDUCATION.
COLLEGE EDUCATION.
"SO
"SO THAT
"SO THAT WAS PROBABLY MY BIGGEST FACTOR ON WHY I WANTED TO JOIN, BECAUSE I DID WANT TO
GO
GO BACK
GO BACK TO SCHOOL." IN HER FULL-TIME CAREER WITH THE GUARD AT CAMP
MABRY IN AUSTIN, SHE'S GOTTEN
ACCOLADES AND
HONORS AND MET HER SOLDIER
HUSBAND. LAST FALL, THE WIFE AND
MOTHER
MOTHER OF
MOTHER OF AN 18-MONTH-OLD, RECEIVED DEPLOYMENT ORDERS TO KUWAIT FOR
NINE MONTHS AS PART OF THE
MILITARY'S TASK FORCE SPARTAN
PROVIDING SUPPORT TO TROOPS IN
THE MIDDLE EAST
AND ASIA.
"HI BABY, MAMA IS STILL AT WORK.
BUT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"
SHE MISSED CHRISTMAS -- AND SOME
OF HER
DAUGHTER'S MOST PRECIOUS MOMENTS
--
"SAY, GOOD MORNING MAMA...GOOD
MORNING MAMA!"
- BUT ALWAYS KNEW DEPLOYMENT WAS
POSSIBLE.
"THIS TIME IT WAS VERY HARD
TRYING TO LEAVE AN 18-MONTH-OLD.
SO
YEAH, BUT ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS MY
JOB. AND SO, I MEAN, WE KNOW
WHAT COMES WITH THAT. WE KNOW
THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT
COULD HAPPEN."
THROUGHOUT HER CAREER, TINKER
GREW ACCUSTOMED
TO THE CHALLENGES WITH BEING A
WOMAN IN THE
MILITARY.
"YOU KIND OF HAVE TO DO A LITTLE
MORE THAN MALES, JUST SORT OF
PROVE YOURSELF, WHICH IS A
LITTLE ANNOYING AT FIRST AND
THEN YOU GET
USED TO IT."
"JUST WALKING THAT LINE OF, 'IF
I SAY THIS KIND OF THING, IT'S
GOING
TO BE INTERPRETED THIS WAY. IF I
SAY THIS THING, IT IS GOING
TO BE INTERPRETED THAT WAY.' SO
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT BEING A
WOMAN IN A MAN'S CAREER."
BUT NOT UNTIL SHE WAS ABOUT TO
GO OVERSEAS LAST
FALL AS PART OF AN
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSIGNMENT
HAD SHE FACED ANYTHING LIKE WHAT
SHE SAYS HAPPENED WITH
NATIONAL GUARD CAPTAIN JOSUE
MUNOZ -- AN OFFICIAL FIVE
RANKS HER SENIOR AND HER
DEPLOYMENT
BOSS.
DEPLOYMENT BOSS. WHILE STILL STATESIDE, IN FINAL
READINESS
TRAINING, SHE SAYS THE POPULAR
SENIOR-LEVEL
OFFICIAL BEGAN MAKING GRAPHIC,
HARASSING
COMMENTS -- AND SENDING SEXUAL
TEXT MESSAGES --
THAT SENT THE CONFIDENT SOLDIER
INTO A SPIRAL OF
SELF-DOUBT, SHAME -- AND ALMOST,
SILENCE.
"THERE'S A LOT OF EMOTIONS.
THERE'S A LOT OF THOUGHTS THAT
COME WITH IT. SO YEAH, IT TOOK
ME A LITTLE WHILE TO REALIZE
THAT'S
NOT OK. IT'S NOT AN OK THING TO
DO."
TINKER FILED THIS HANDWRITTEN
COMPLAINT
OCTOBER 30TH ONCE SHE ARRIVED AT
CAMP ARIFJAN,
KUWAIT:
"I RECEIVED TEXT MESSAGES ABOUT
AN OFFICE BEING
ARRANGED FOR LATE NIGHTS AND
FOLLOWED UP IN PERSON
THAT IF I WANTED TO BE IN THERE
IT'S OK. I RECEIVED TEXT
MESSAGES STATING MY RESTING FACE
WAS SEXY; MESSAGES ABOUT ME
REQUESTING
INFORMATION WAS SEXY. HE HAD
COVID AT ONE POINT, AND
I MENTIONED THAT I DIDN'T KNOW
HOW I DIDN'T GET IT
SINCE I WAS ON A CALL WITH HIM
RIGHT NEXT TO HIS MOUTH AND I
RECEIVED A COUPLE OF MESSAGES
ABOUT HOW
NOW I'M CLEARED YOU CAN BE IN MY
MOUTH."
THREE WEEKS LATER, AN
INVESTIGATOR CONFIRMED
TINKER'S ALLEGATIONS IN THIS
BLISTERING REPORT.
NOT ONLY DID THAT FEMALE
INVESTIGATOR SAY MUNOZ
"EXHIBITED POOR JUDGEMENT AND
BAD
CHARACTER" SHE ADDED THAT "HIS
ACTIONS SHOULD RENDER
HIM UNFIT TO CONTINUE HIS
CAREER." AND SHE SAID THAT
"FURTHER INVESTIGATION MAY BE
NECESSARY
INTO THE COMMAND CLIMATE OF THE
UNIT," THAT THE
"COMPANY RECEIVE TRAINING ON
FRATERNIZATION
AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT."
"I'M NOT QUITE SURE IF I REALLY
SAID ANYTHING. IT WAS MORE LIKE,
I
AM GLAD SOMEONE IS FINALLY
SEEING WHAT IS GOING ON."
WHAT HAPPENED TO TINKER CAME
DURING INTENSE
SCRUTINY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT
AND ASSAULT OF
WOMEN IN THE MILITARY. MUCH OF
THE ATTENTION HAS
BEEN ON FORT HOOD, 75 MILES
NORTH OF AUSTIN,
FOLLOWING THE APRIL 2020 MURDER
OF SPECIALIST
VANESSA GUILLEN. GUILLEN HAD
TOLD FAMILY
MEMBERS THAT AT LEAST ONE
SOLDIER HAD BEEN SEXUALLY
HARASSING HER. CONGRESS HAS HAD
HEARINGS ABOUT HOW TO
BETTER PROTECT WOMEN IN THE
ARMED
SERVICES, AND MORE THAN A DOZEN
FORT HOOD TOP
OFFICIALS HAVE SINCE BEEN OUSTED
OR DISCIPLINED.
"TINKER'S SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT PLACES
SCRUTINY ON THE TEXAS NATIONAL
GUARD BASED HERE IN AUSTIN.
CAPTAIN MUNOZ, A GUARD MEMBER
FOR 21 YEARS, WAS REPRIMANDED
AND
NOW FACES POSSIBLE TERMINATION.
WE TRIED REACHING
HIM BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. BUT
TINKER'S RELIEF THAT THE GUARD
DID THE RIGHT THING PROVED
SHORT-LIVED."
"I KNEW THERE WAS PROBABLY GOING
TO BE SOME KIND OF
BACKLASH."
BELIEVING IT WAS PURE
RETALIATION, TINKER BECAME
THE TARGET OF AN INVESTIGATION
INTO WHETHER
SHE VIOLATED A RARELY INVOKED
POLICY PROHIBITING
SOLDIERS FROM MAINTAINING AN
"UNDUE FAMILIARITY"
WITH A SOLDIER OF A DIFFERENT
GRADE, SIMPLY PUT -- GETTING
TOO CLOSE.
IN TINKER'S CASE, SHE WAS
ACCUSED OF VIOLATING THAT
POLICY WITH ANOTHER CAPTAIN, WHO
TINKER KNEW
AND HAD WORKED WITH FOR TWO
YEARS AT CAMP MABRY.
AND RECORDS REVEAL THAT WHILE HE
WAS BEING
INTERVIEWED ABOUT THE SEXUAL
HARASSMENT
CASE AGAINST HIM, IT WAS CAPTAIN
MUNOZ WHO ACCUSED
HER OF BEING "TOO COMFORTABLE"
WITH THE
SECOND CAPTAIN.
A GUARD INVESTIGATOR SPENT A
MONTH INTERVIEWING
53 WITNESSES -- 13 TIMES THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
INTERVIEWED FOR TINKER'S SEXUAL
HARASSMENT
COMPLAINT -- BEFORE CONCLUDING
SHE VIOLATED
THE POLICY.
RECORDS SHOW THAT TINKER HAD
TOLD ANOTHER
FEMALE SOLDIER AT CAMP ARIFJAN,
KUWAIT, THAT
SHE FELT SAFE WITH THAT
COMMANDER BECAUSE OF
MUNOZ'S HARASSMENT.
"YEAH, I FELT SAFE. I KNEW HE
RESPECTED ME, SO I KNEW THERE
WAS
NOT GOING TO BE ANY ISSUES. I
KNEW HE HAD MY BACK WITH THE
OTHER
STUFF."
OTHER STUFF." IN JANUARY, TINKER RECEIVED THIS
FORMAL
REPRIMAND, SENT HOME FROM KUWAIT
AND COULD
LOSE HER JOB AFTER A STILL-
PENDING TOP NATIONAL
GUARD REVIEW.
WE ASKED TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD
OFFICIALS FOR
AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW.
OFFICIALS DECLINED.
IN A STATEMENT TO THE KVUE
DEFENDERS, TEXAS NATIONAL
GUARD OFFICIALS WOULD NOT
COMMENT ON
WHAT HAPPENED TO TINKER BUT SAID
IT IS CONFIDENT IN
THE INVESTIGATION, ADDING THAT
QUOTE, "THE
TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT
FOSTERS A CLIMATE OF
DIGNITY AND RESPECT." THE
ORGANIZATION IS HEADED BY A
FEMALE TOP OFFICIAL, ADJUTANT
GENERAL TRACY
NORRIS.
AFTER 17 YEARS OF SERVICE,
THOUGH, TINKER IS LIKELY TO BE
FIRED FROM HER FULL TIME JOB AT
CAMP MABRY.
"IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE, AND
OBVIOUSLY, IT STILL HURTS."
SHE SAYS SHE IS SPEAKING OUT NOW
-- HOPING WHAT
HAPPENED WILL CAUSE THE TEXAS
NATIONAL GUARD TO
CONSIDER ITS OWN CULTURE FOR
WOMEN.
"I WANT TO BE THAT STRONG FEMALE
THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN LOOK
UP TO."
AND MAKE SERVING IN THE MILITARY
EASIER FOR THE NEXT
GENERATION OF FEMALE SOLDIERS.
"NOTHING IS HAPPENING TO CHANGE
THE CULTURE, TO
CHANGE THE WAY WE VIEW THESE
THINGS. AND INSTEAD, WE ARE
JUST GOING DOWN THE SAME PATH.
ALL IT IS DOING IS HURTING
PEOPLE IN
THE MILITARY."
AS PART OF THEIR STATEMENT, THE
NATIONAL
GUARD SAID THAT IT HAS WORKED TO
IMPROVE
WORKING CONDITIONS FOR WOMEN AND
IS SOON PUTTING
MORE TRAINING IN PLACE.
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS, I'M TONY
PLOHETSKI.
PLOHETSKI. AHEAD--
AHEAD--
AHEAD-- FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS, I'M TONY PLOHETSKI.
PLOHETSKI.