Corps to court-martial E-9 charged with DUI

[JohnP]

Corps to court-martial E-9 charged with DUI

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 22, 2008 5:44:09 EST

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The Marine Corps plans to court-martial a sergeant major charged with drunken driving, unauthorized absence, making false official statements and violating general orders.

Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Kellison has been charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with one count of drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle; one count of unauthorized leave; two counts of making a false official statement; and four counts of violating orders or regulations, according to the court docket and charge sheet.

Kellison most recently served as the sergeant major for Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

He allegedly was intoxicated and driving a government vehicle near Yuma, Ariz., on July 17, and he missed a meeting of the Marine Corps Installations-West Marine/Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter and Meritorious Promotion Board that was convened at the Sonoran Pueblo Club at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station, according to the charges preferred against him Dec. 5.

The Corps has accused Kellison of driving at Miramar MCAS without a valid state driver’s license and driving government vehicles without a valid state driver’s license from March 3 to July 16. He’s also charged with taking his personal firearms in the government vehicle when he drove from San Diego to Yuma on July 16 and using the vehicle to get alcohol in order to get drunk that day.

Kellison was stopped by police at least twice in mid-July, according to the information. On July 17, he allegedly lied to law enforcement personnel, claiming that he was self-employed instead of telling them he was an active-duty Marine, and, on July 20, he allegedly told another law enforcement officer that a girl, not him, was driving his vehicle.

Kellison is facing aggravated DUI charges in Yuma County, according to Yuma County Superior Court information.

Miramar officials provided Marine Corps Times with a copy of the charge sheet. However, a spokesman, Maj. Jay Delarosa, had no information about the nature of the charges or the decision to send Kellison, a 28-year veteran, to a court-martial.

The H&HS sergeant major currently is Sgt. Maj. Gary T. Bow, who took over in that billet several months ago, Delarosa said.

The charges against Kellison and a motions hearing scheduled for Dec. 16 at Miramar were included in the weekly court docket for the Western Judicial Circuit, which is part of the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary.

According to his official biography, Kellison was trained as a field artilleryman after his enlistment in 1980. He completed several deployments and tours in the artillery field on both coasts and served as a drill instructor and senior DI at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot, S.C. He became the top enlisted Marine with Miramar’s headquarters squadron in June 2006 after an inspector/instructor tour in Wyoming and duty as the sergeant major for Marine Attack Squadron 231 at Cherry Point MCAS, N.C.

This is to show the young men that you're never too old to mess up.
Lead by example!

[SlightlyCatholic]

From those of you who were enlisted...

Did this kind of stuff happening increase your trust in the NCO Corps because subpar NCOs were being removed ,or did it decrease your confidence because of the fact that such men were in the NCO Corps? Honestly, I think things like this (while obviously bad for many reasons) have a silver lining in that it shows that the regulations are blind to rank and are not outranked by anyone.

[dukesix]

At least he didn't lose any nuclear weapons.

Dukesix

[HairyEyeball]

SgtMaj Kellison has been a Marine long enough to know how to act like one, and when and where to 'unwind'. He stepped on his 'unit', and should pay the price - and given his position and the example he is expected to set, the punishment should be commeasurate with not only the offense, but that position.

That said, he should be tried in the court of original jurisdiction, not made a public spectacle nor tried in the press - unless the same bias is shown, and the same public exposure given to, and similar ridicule heaped on, the members of the press and the political establishment who similarly violate their oaths and public trust.

[wukong]

Originally Posted by HairyEyeball

That said, he should be tried in the court of original jurisdiction, not made a public spectacle nor tried in the press - unless the same bias is shown, and the same public exposure given to, and similar ridicule heaped on, the members of the press and the political establishment who similarly violate their oaths and public trust.

I'm sure the Governor of Illinois feels the same.

[HairyEyeball]

Originally Posted by wukong

I'm sure the Governor of Illinois feels the same.

It's a start...

[Murray B]

Originally Posted by JohnP

Corps to court-martial E-9 charged with DUI

This is to show the young men that you're never too old to mess up.
Lead by example!

No, it shows that the Corps is absolutely whipped by the MADDwomen. The puniisment must fit the actual crime and not what what some f'tard thinks it ought to be. Since no one was harmed by this incident, which must be the first example of a Marine imbibing alcohol, there is no need for extraordinary puishment. This Marine drank too much and should be fined $500 with nothing on his permanent record.

The civilan has spoken and before you take that too lightly, consider this:

Several years ago before discovering Mexican food I was able to emit coherent gas clouds. It is not the same as when someone pulls your finger. These are coherent and they never dissipate and the CIWS is no defence. With the addition of a couple of pounds of refried beans even the Tarawa is vulnerable. The Corps really needs to be reasonable with the punishment or I will emit for sure. Is a drunken Marine really worth losing a major ship for. Get sensible!

[wukong]

Originally Posted by Murray B

The puniisment must fit the actual crime and not what what some f'tard thinks it ought to be.

The [I]civilan[/i] has spoken and before you take that too lightly, consider this:

Several years ago before discovering Mexican food I was able to emit coherent gas clouds. It is not the same as when someone pulls your finger.

Is a drunken Marine really worth losing a major ship for. Get sensible!

For those of us who served in the later stages of Viet Nam and the post Viet Nam period, the most egregious of the crimes committed was the the repeated lies to authorities. When you start tolerating lies you start down a slippery slope to ruin. We depend on the trustworthiness of our fellow service members for our own safety and our conduct with each other in dangerous situations. "Is a lying Marine really worth losing your life for!!!

[Ben Shotalot]

Originally Posted by Murray B

No, it shows that the Corps is absolutely whipped by the MADDwomen. The puniisment must fit the actual crime and not what what some f'tard thinks it ought to be. Since no one was harmed by this incident, which must be the first example of a Marine imbibing alcohol, there is no need for extraordinary puishment. This Marine drank too much and should be fined $500 with nothing on his permanent record.

The civilan has spoken and before you take that too lightly, consider this:

Several years ago before discovering Mexican food I was able to emit coherent gas clouds. It is not the same as when someone pulls your finger. These are coherent and they never dissipate and the CIWS is no defence. With the addition of a couple of pounds of refried beans even the Tarawa is vulnerable. The Corps really needs to be reasonable with the punishment or I will emit for sure. Is a drunken Marine really worth losing a major ship for. Get sensible!

A little more then drinking and driving was involved.

..unauthorized absence, making false official statements and violating general orders.

Those three things alone can bring a court martial.

[Murray B]

Sorry everyone, I was WUI (writing under the influence) last night. Sometimes I have a drink, just to thin the blood, and my blood was really circulating last night.

Now, I must apologize and recite the modern mans' motto from the great Canadian philosopher, Red Green.

It goes, “I'm a man, but I can change if I have to, I guess.”

Please don't tell my wife that I was being so politically incorrect.