TO THE READER: this story includes several characters from the series of Jason Garrett stories; however, this story is not part of that series.
Furthermore, with the exception of Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt, all characters and occurrences in this story are entirely fictional. This story is not designed to be a true portrayal of military policy; however, the author has tried to make this story as true to the military as possible.
In December of 2008, Hugh Hefner, publisher of Playboy, approached the Secretary of Defense with a proposal. Hefner wanted to do a Playboy featuring the Women of the Military. However, he knew that were military women to appear nude in Playboy during their enlistment period, it could jeopardize their standing within the Armed Forces. For all his foibles, Hefner has always been known as a man who would go out of his way to make sure that his Playboy models were well taken care of and that nothing he did would be harmful to their careers.
After a great deal of negotiating with the Defense Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hefner got the go-ahead to do his issue, provided that none of the women were dressed in actual military uniforms at any point during the shoot, and that no military equipment was visible in any of the pictures. Eager to do his issue, Hefner readily agreed.
In February 2009, Sergeant Amy Carson, US Army, Gunnery Sergeant Michelle Kingsley, US Marine Corps, Tech Sergeant Kat Warbington, US Air Force, Petty Officer Nicole McKenna, US Navy, and Petty Officer Rachel Marxen, US Coast Guard, all appeared in Hugh Hefner's "Women in Uniform" issue. It was the best selling issue of Playboy of all time, and provided unprecedented publicity for the United States Armed Forces. Recruiters nationwide reported a 56% increase in 18-25 year old male walk-ins between February and May of 2009. By the end of June 2009, the US Armed Forces stood at a place where they could've easily handled two major regional conflicts simultaneously – almost entirely thanks to Hugh Hefner publishing twenty-five pages of tastefully done nude photographs of women in the military.
My name is Tech Sergeant Austin Garrett, US Air Force. I've known Kat Warbington my entire life. We grew up together in Pasadena, with our birthdays within a week of each other (that sometimes proved to be a bitch, because my brother's birthday was only eight days after mine). The Monday after Kat turned 18, we both went to the Air Force recruiting office and enlisted. We would ship out for Basic Training at Fort Dyess in Texas three weeks after we graduated from high school in May 2005.
After Basic, we both got assigned to Beale Air Force Base in Sacramento. It was entirely coincidence that we were assigned to the same place, but it proved to be a blessing, being only four hundred miles from both of our families in Pasadena and a mere two hundred miles from my brother at Fresno State University.
So it was in March of 2009 that we were both nearing the end of our initial enlistment contracts. Despite the United States' continued presence in Iraq, the President had decided that nobody would be held past the end of their contracts. One day, Kat and I were both called to the commanding officer's office.
Brigadier General Mae Durban was the first female commander of Beale AFB. She was also one of very few general officers who was a registered Democrat, something that had not endeared her to the higher ranks. Between the fact that she was a female and the fact that she was a liberal Democrat, she would probably retire as a one-star general. She was also one of the few general officers who hadn't frowned on the February Playboy, instead choosing to promote Beale AFB as the "home of Kat Warbington, USAF representative to Playboy Magazine." Once again, this didn't exactly endear her to the higher ranks, but with retirement in sight, she had nothing to lose.
I was somewhat nervous about this meeting, as it is most unusual for E-6 Tech Sergeants to be called to the commanding officer's office, for any reason – good or bad.
When we entered the general's office, there were two chairs set up in front of her desk, with drinks in front of them – Vanilla Coke (Kat's favorite drink) in front of one chair, and chocolate milk (my favorite drink and my only remaining childhood vice) in front of the other.
"Please, come in and sit down," said General Durban. "And yes, I did find out what your favorite drinks are, because I like to treat my airmen with the respect they deserve."
With ever-growing apprehension, I took a seat. Kat followed suit.
"So," continued General Durban, "I'm sure you're probably puzzled and a little nervous as to why you've been summoned to my office."
"Yes, ma'am," Kat and I replied simultaneously.
"Please," she said with a chuckle, "it's Mae. My mother is ma'am."
"Yes, ma'am."
The general laughed. "Ah, the respect beaten into every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine in the United States military. Despite its downsides, still definitely a good thing."
Then, she got more serious. "Let's get down to business," she said. "Here's why you're here. Sergeant Garrett, Sergeant Warbington, both of your contracts are up at the end of May. However, I believe both of you to be officer material. As such, I personally submitted both of your names for Officer Candidate School."
We both perked up at this. I remembered that we had both applied for it back in December of 2008, but to think that General Durban had reviewed both of our files and personally submitted us? That was unheard of!
"Sergeant Garrett," she continued, "I received this letter yesterday."
She handed me a letter, which I opened.
I scanned through it, and then looked up. "I got in!"
"Yes," replied the general. "Congratulations are definitely in order!"
Then she grew even more solemn. "Kat – may I call you Kat?" she asked.
Kat nodded. Of course she wasn't going to say, "No," to a one-star general.
"Kat," said General Durban, "I believe that you are one of the best NCOs on this base, if not THE best. You have proven yourself time and time again in leadership situations, and you have shown the courage and the foresight to go outside the box if you feel it will be good for the United States Air Force.
"Unfortunately, in going outside of the box, you have made many enemies in the higher ranks. There was one specific incident that really pissed a lot of people off."
With that, General Durban reached under her desk and pulled out a copy of the February Playboy. Kat was on the front, dressed only in a desert-pattern camouflage bikini. She had been chosen for the cover, because of the five women in the photo spread, she was by far the most attractive.
"Now, in my opinion, you're getting the shaft, royally," said General Durban, disgust creeping into her voice. "Even after two hundred and thirty years, this is apparently still 'this man's military'. Even after Tailhook, men can do pretty much anything they damn well please and get away with it. They can brag about how many women they've been with. They can drop trou and walk down Black's Beach butt naked, get arrested by the San Diego Police, and come out smelling like a rose because they're a Goddamn Admiral. But God forbid a woman in the US military do something that's even the slightest bit sexually independent, because they'll be crucified for it."
I looked over at Kat, and at this last statement, she went pale. Her lower lip began trembling, so she bit into it, but that didn't stop the tear that was forming in the corner of her eye.
"Kat, I'm sorry," said General Durban, "but May 31
st
is the end of the road for you as far as the US Air Force goes. You've been rejected for OCS, and you're not even going to be allowed to re-enlist. However, you will receive an honorable discharge. There were even those ultra-conservatives in the general ranks who wanted you to receive a bad conduct discharge and be court-martialed, but I cajoled, finagled, pulled in every favor I had, and generally threatened to bring down the majority of the US general officer corps in a massive scandal if they tried to do that to my best NCO. I did my best; unfortunately, all I could get you was the honorable discharge."
Kat couldn't speak for a moment. Then, she composed herself. "Thank you," she whispered. "I know you would've done anything that you could've."
With that, she got up and left the general's office. I looked after her for a moment, then turned back to General Durban.
"You have GOT to be shitting me – ma'am," I said. "This was a project APPROVED by the Secretary of Defense, it's caused a huge surge in enlistment, and she's being screwed over like this?"
"Sad but true," she replied, not even betraying a hint of anger over the fact that an NCO had just said "shit" in front of her. "Maybe it's something you can work to change."
"Right," I replied. "I work on engines in Goddamn F-22's. What the hell can I do?"
"You're going to OCS, remember?" she replied. "With your intelligence and knowledge, I wouldn't be surprised if you have your first star by the time you're 45. When you get there, you just need to bust your ass to make change and cause reform within the United States military."
With that knowledge in mind, I left General Durban's office, generally disgusted at the commanders of the United States military.
And so it was that on June 1
st
, 2009, Kat received her official discharge papers from the United States Air Force, whereas I headed to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for Officer Candidate School. In August, I graduated from OCS. I couldn't believe how many of my friends and family came to see me be commissioned as a 2
nd
Lieutenant – even Kat came, dressed in her Class A dress Air Force uniform. Even though she had been discharged, she would continue to be considered part of the Inactive Reserve until she was 40.
Kat approached me and mustered a smile. "Congratulations," she said. "I'm very happy for you."
Looking at her face, though, I could see she was anything but. "Kat..." I started. As I did so, tears started welling up in her eyes.
To hell with fraternization rules, I thought. I wrapped my arms around Kat in a giant hug and just let her cry out all her frustration.
Later that night, after every one had left, I sat alone in my bachelor enlisted quarters at Ft. Sill, thinking about everything Kat had been through as a result of her exercising her first amendment rights. What the military had done to her just wasn't fair. General Durban was right – despite the fact that it was the twenty-first century, it was still very much a man's military, and enough was enough. I, Lieutenant Austin Garrett, was going to do everything I could to put things right.
I got my orders the following Monday – I was to report back to Beale Air Force Base, where I would be assistant to General Durban until her retirement the following March. At that point, I would be reassigned wherever the Air Force saw fit to send me.
Well, it turns out that General Mae Durban recognized that I was the type of "revolutionary" that the United States Armed Forces needed if it was going to be reformed. My primary assignment was gathering material that she would be able to use in an attempt to change the attitude of the military toward women and to use that material and everything she already had to begin building a case.
About two weeks into the job, I was looking through the papers she already had in a file, and I came across a few that disturbed me greatly.
CARSON, SERGEANT AMY, USA – COURT MARTIAL 1 JUNE 2009; BAD CONDUCT DISCHARGE AND DEMOTION TO CORPORAL, 5 JUNE 2009
KINGSLEY, GUNNERY SERGEANT MICHELLE, USMC – COURT MARTIAL 2 JUNE 2009; BAD CONDUCT DISCHARGE AND DEMOTION TO SERGEANT, 5 JUNE 2009
