| Gene McKinney | |
|---|---|
SMA Gene McKinney |
|
| Born | November 3, 1950 Monticello, Florida |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1968-1997 |
| Rank | Master Sergeant, formerly Sergeant Major of the Army |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
Gene McKinney was the 10th Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) of the United States, serving from July 1995 to October 1997. He was the first and to date the only African-American to reach that rank in the United States Army. McKinney was the only Sergeant Major of the Army to resign. In 1998, he was courtmartialed on a variety of charges including sexual harassment and obstruction of justice. He was convicted and demoted to the rank of Master Sergeant.
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Gene C. McKinney was born in Monticello, Florida on November 3, 1950. He is one of five brothers, all of whom served in the Army. One served as an officer; one retired as a master sergeant; another served in Vietnam; and an identical twin, Command Sergeant Major James C. McKinney.
He enlisted in the United States Army in August 1968, and completed OSUT as an Infantryman at Fort Benning, Georgia. From 1969-1970, he saw combat in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. In more than 28 years, he served in all Noncommissioned Officer leadership positions. He was Command Sergeant Major of the United States Army Europe; 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Bad Kreuznach, Germany; 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany; 612th Quartermaster Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; 1st Battalion, 58th Mechanized Infantry, 197th Infantry Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia; 3rd Squadron, 12th Cavalry Regiment in Büdingen, Germany; 3rd and 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas; and 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Bamberg, Germany. He is a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Class 31.
In the fall of 1996, allegations of sexual misconduct by training cadre at Aberdeen Proving Ground and several other Army bases surfaced, and the Army instituted a substantial investigation, with a toll-free telephone hotline that received nearly 60,000 calls within a matter of weeks. The task force established by Secretary of the Army Togo D. West, Jr., to advise him about the situation included SMA McKinney as the spokesman of the Army enlisted soldiers.[1] In February 1997, McKinney was himself accused by a female former subordinate of improper advances.[2] The Army suspended him from his SMA duties in February 1997 while the charges were investigated; in May–October of that year, two Command Sergeants Major—one McKinney's twin brother, James C. McKinney; the other, CSM Jerry T. Alley—took over his duties in rotation.[3] While McKinney was suspended from his duties as SMA, five more female soldiers accused him of similar improprieties.[4] In November 1997, the Article 32 investigating panel (U.S. military counterpart to a grand jury) completed its investigation and recommended charges for a court-martial. McKinney was thereupon permanently reassigned out of his SMA billet and laterally redesignated to the rank of Command Sergeant Major; his successor, SMA Robert E. Hall, was promptly installed.
Command Sergeant Major (then-formerly SMA) McKinney was acquitted of all sexual harassment charges, but was convicted of obstruction of justice, and received a reduction in grade to Master Sergeant (E-8) and a reprimand.[5] Though he retired in the grade of Master Sergeant (E-8), his retirement pay was calculated using the pay rate he earned during his tenure as SMA, in accordance with 10 USC § 1406(i)(1) which dictated that the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commanders of unified combatant commands, and the senior enlisted member of each service (SMA, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) calculate their retired pay at no less than the pay held while serving in one of the aforementioned positions. That law was subsequently amended by 10 USC § 1406(i)(2)(A) to prevent a recurrence.[6]
On October 25, 2010, McKinney allegedly hit a man with a car on purpose, and was charged with felony malicious wounding.[7] This occurred after McKinney was driving erratically with two slug passengers.[7] When the passengers exited the car, one of them attempted to take a photograph of McKinney's license plate, and claimed that McKinney drove his car into him.[7]
Based on the preliminary hearing in April 2011, a judge ruled that the evidence in the case was sufficient to proceed to trial.[8] He was indicted for malicious wounding (a felony) and reckless driving (a misdemeanor).[9]
McKinney's awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "http://www.army.mil/leaders/leaders/sma/former/mckinney.html".
The Sergeants Major of the Army, Daniel K. Elder, Center of Military History, United States Army Washington, D.C. 2003.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard A. Kidd |
Sergeant Major of the Army 1995—1997 |
Succeeded by Robert E. Hall |