SECTION V SQUADRON HOSPITALITY SUITES A. Background The primary venue for social activity at Tailhook 91 was the squadron hospitality suites. The majority of the Navy and Marine Corps officers who attended Tailhook 91 told us they did so for two primary reasons: to take advantage of the professional symposium and to socialize with other aviators. The socialization centered around the third floor squadron hospitality suites. In the early years of Tailhook, the conventions revolved around social gatherings and parties held in various hospitality suites that were funded and operated by Defense contractors. Those suites offered free food and beverages to all Tailhook attendees. The growth in the number of contractor suites in the early 1970's is attributed to efforts of the Tailhook Association to increase the number of contractor or corporate sponsors. Hospitality suites continued to be sponsored by contractors until the Association notified its corporate members in the late 1970's that, as a result of existing rules and DoD regulations -l9 governing the relationship between contractors and DoD employees (both civilian and military), this practice would no longer be sanctioned by the Association. Those rules and regulations placed strict limits on the receipt by DoD employees of gratuities, including liquor and entertainment. They were intended to deter military and civilian employees from providing favorable treatment to contractors in return for gratuities. Tailhook Association officers told us that the Directive was the primary reason for the shift from contractor-sponsored hospitality suites to squadron sponsorship of the suites. As one Association employee opined, contractors sponsored the suites to facilitate meeting key military personnel in the naval aviation community. Contractors felt such meetings were important and would encourage those personnel to "like the contractors when it came time to buy stuff." He went on to 4 say that the practice ended only when "Congress outlawed it." We were further told by Captain (CAPT) Frederic G. Ludwig, Jr., President of the Tailhook Association during Tailhook 91, that the Association began to host what has become known as the "President's Dinner" as a legitimate means of allowing the senior naval leadership to socialize with the contractors. -20 According to the Executive Director of the Association, the U.S. Navy Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX-4) -21 was the first squadron to host a hospitality suite after issuance of the new DoD rules and regulations. In the ensuing years, other naval squadrons and commands also sponsored suites by collecting funds from squadron members to defray the operating costs of such suites. Witnesses opined that with the increase in squadron hospitality suites, competitiveness emerged among the squadrons to outdo one another with respect to having the most popular suite. One naval officer told us it was that mentality that led to excessive consumption of alcohol and an increase in rowdy, boisterous behavior at the conventions. Over the years, the officer witnessed drunkenness, strippers, public nudity and consensual public sex acts that he attributed to competition among officers in various squadrons. By many accounts, the increase in rowdy and improper behavior culminated at Tailhook 85. As a result of such behavior, the Association received a number of complaints and subsequently held a special Board of Directors meeting on September 26, 1985 to address those complaints. One complaint -22 from a Tailhook board member and squadron CO to the Tailhook Association read: As a member of the board and as a professional aviator I feel that several issues should be reviewed and corrected by the Association prior to Hook' 86. I viewed with disdain the conduct, or better put, the misconduct of several officers and a lack of command attention which resulted in damage and imprudent action. The encouragement of drinking contests, the concept of having to drink 15 drinks to win a headband and other related activities produced walking zombies that were viewed by the general public and detracted from the Association/USN integrity. Damage to the Hilton should not be tolerated and restitution should be made by the command in charge of the suite. Dancing girls performing lurid sexual acts on Naval aviators in public would make prime conversation for the media. The minutes of the special board meeting identified the most pervasive problems in the suites to be excessive drinking and lewd behavior and reported possible solutions for those suite-related problems. Those solutions included limiting the number of suites, black-listing "bad" suites, issuing warnings to the COs of squadrons causing problems and/or the elimination of all suites for one year. The minutes further reflected the following annotation: RADM Service feels that unless these problems or behavior are solved he will not be able to support Tailhook, which would eliminate the use of the C-9s from AIRPAC Commands. He stated that VADM Martin (OP-5) has similar feeling. -23 On October 15, 1985, another board meeting was held. Despite the concerns noted at the previous meeting, the minutes reflected that the board rejected all solutions discussed at the first board L meeting. Instead, the minutes indicated that the board opted for the following: Rules to all COs prior to Vegas. Will not close suites during symposiums, but will keep them low key. Duty officers in all suitesÑadult supervision. During the course of our investigation, we were informed by numerous attendees that many of the problems relating to the suites and highlighted at Tailhook 85 were not resolved. Excessive drinking, public nudity and various forms of entertainment (such as performances by strippers) in the hospitality suites continued through the years, including Tailhook 91. Furthermore, the minutes of the Association's Board of Directors meeting of January 11, 1989 reflected the following concerns regarding behavior at Tailhook 88: Due to the large amount of "Vegas Locals" under the age of 21 who showed up in the suite area [name deleted] suggest we check our liability to make sure we have the maximum protection to cover the underage and the behavior of some of our participants. Prior to Tailhook 91, CAPT Ludwig issued separate letters directed to the respective hospitality suite squadron commanders and hospitality suite coordinators. -24 Both letters addressed issues regarding conduct and behavior in and around the hospitality suites and warned against such things as "gang mentality," underage drinking and damage to Hilton property. When asked about the letters, CAPT Ludwig told us "That has been the letter for several years, and I don't know exactly when it first went in there. But my sense of this is that it stemmed from what took place in 85." He went on to say "I felt that I understood what it was all about, and I felt that I understood it to mean what took place in 85, which is a group getting totally blown away and running around destroying the hotel. That is my sense of gang mentality." Although our investigation centered on misconduct occurring at Tailhook 91, we also documented various instances of misconduct that took place in the suites during the previous years. The third floor hospitality suites became the locale for the most notorious aspects of each year's convention. B. TAILHOOK 91 The Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, one of the largest hotels in the city, is a 30-story "Y" shaped structure with approximately 3,000 guest rooms and suites, several restaurants, a large gambling casino, shopping arcade and convention area. (See Figure 3--Ñnext page) Figure 3. The Las Vegas Hilton Hotel unavailable due to graphics limitations. Figure 4. View of Crowded Pool Patio Area Taken During Daylight Hours unavailable due to graphics limitations. The Tailhook Association reserved approximately 1,000 guest rooms for Tailhook 91 attendees. Most of the misconduct discussed in this report occurred in or around the central and east tower hospitality suites located on the third floor. A number of the suites on the southern side of the third floor east tower open to a large patio area that has a pool, sunbathing deck, snack bar and shops. The pool patio, as it is generally referred to, gives the appearance of being on ground level. It is actually situated on the roof of the casino area and on the same level as the third floor guest rooms. (See Figure 4 Ñnext page) Some of the suites on th northern side of the third floor east wing also open onto a patio area that is much smaller than the pool patio. Other suites on that side of the third floor east tower are accessible only through the inside hallway. Those rooms have windows overlooking a parking lot three stories below. The diagrams at Fold-ins 1-5 are a graphic artist's rendering of the Las Vegas Hilton third floor hallway, the squadron hospitality suites located off that hallway, and the adjacent pool deck/patio areas. The diagrams are drawn to scale. -25 Our investigation determined that virtually all the indecent assaults and related misconduct described in the report occurred in the areas represented in the diagrams, which depict the following: Fold-in 1--Overview of the third floor and pool deck/patio area of the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel. Fold-in 2--Overview of the third floor showing the hallway and adjoining squadron hospitality suites. Fold-in 3--Overview of the third floor hallway and adjoining hospitality suites indicating those reported incidents of indecent assault on Thursday, September 5, 1991. Fold-in 4--Overview of the third floor hallway and adjoining hospitality suites indicating those reported incidents of indecent assault on Friday, September 6, 1991. Fold-in 5--Overview of the third floor hallway and adjoining hospitality suites indicating those reported incidents of indecent assault on Saturday, September 7, 1991. -26 [Fold-ins 1-5 unavailable due to graphics limitations.] There were 22 hospitality suites on the third floor of the Las Vegas Hilton during Tailhook 91. -27 The same location within the hotel had been used by the Tailhook convention for several years. Eleven of the suites -28 were adjacent to the pool patio deck level of the hotel and six suites -29 were located across the third floor hallway. These 17 suites were bi-level--the upper section contained a bathroom and sleeping area, and the lower level a living room. The levels were separated by railings with the upper level two steps above the lower level. Access was gained through the third floor hallway on the upper level and through sliding glass doors on the lower level that opened either onto the pool/patio deck or a small terrace. The remaining five suites -30 were single level, and access could be gained only through the third floor hallway. The size of the suites varied depending on location and some suites adjoined other suites. Suite coordinators told us that, prior to the start of the convention, they either removed or rearranged furniture in the suites to maximize the available space. Of the 22 hospitality suites, 19 were associated with Navy and Marine Corps squadrons and 3 were associated with Navy aviation training commands, schools or centers. -31 More specifically, 17 suites were associated with Navy squadrons, 4 with Marine Corps squadrons, and 1 was hosted by former members of a deactivated Marine Corps squadron. Twenty of the squadrons were from naval bases located on the west coast of the United States and one each from the east and gulf coasts. Documentation revealed there were 24 hospitality suites hosted by various squadrons at Tailhook 90, many of which also sponsored suites at Tailhook 91. According to the Tailhook Association, it "brokered" the suites with the Hilton on behalf of the respective hosting squadrons. Each squadron was directly responsible to the Hilton for paying suite rental charges and any damage occurring in its suite. CAPT Ludwig told us there was a procedure established to ensure that Tailhook committee members checked and inspected the suites and adjacent areas for damage prior to and after the convention. The Association was liable for damage to the common areas of the Hilton. He reported that the total damage bill for Tailhook 91 was approximately $23,000. Of that figure, $18,000 was for the installation of new carpeting on the third floor as a result of cigarette burns and drink stains. For the most part, the remaining damage occurred in the squadron hospitality suites, including one suite that was vandalized. Regarding security in the hospitality suites, one Association committee coordinator informed us that, although the Hilton and not the Association was responsible for security on the third floor of the hotel, the squadron duty officers in the respective suites were expected to maintain order and prevent any damages. -32 During the course of our investigation, squadron COs and executive officers (XOs) explained that prior to Tailhook 91 they provided specific guidance to attending squadron members concerning behavior, conduct, damage to the suite and the responsibilities of the duty officers. The COs and coordinators gave us various reasons for hosting a suite. Some suites such as the Fighter Squadron 126 were set up for the sole purpose of establishing a place for squadron members and their guests to meet and relax while at Tailhook. Other suites were administered to highlight the mission of a particular squadron or command, such as the Commander, Naval Air Reserve Force suite, which focused on attracting naval aviators into the Navy aviation reserve program. Finally there were suites organized to provide entertainment. Those suites featured activities as diverse as disk jockeys playing music for dancing; leg shaving; -33 and performances by strippers. Two suites featured phallic drink dispensers. One suite, Marine Corps Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, featured a mural of a rhinoceros to which was affixed a dildo rigged by squadron members to dispense an alcoholic drink. (See Figure 5) The other suite, hosted by Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron featured a statue of a "green knight" which also dispensed alcoholic drinks through a phallus. -34 Figure 5. Rhino mural and stand--tubing visible through which alcoholic beverages were pumped to phallic dispenser [unavailable due to graphics limitations] Members of the VA-128 squadron reportedly passed out business card size "invitations" to people inviting them to visit the VA-128 hospitality suite in room 307. The "invitation" included a sexual double-entendre and encouraged people to visit the suite "...for an evening of imbibing, chicanery, debauchery." (See Figure 6--Ñnext page) Figure 6. Invitation widely distributed by A-6 aviators. Copies were handed out at local colleges as well as throughout the hotel area [unavailable due to graphic limitations] Our investigation determined that, for the most part, the hospitality suites were financed by individual assessments paid by attending squadron members. By most accounts, the assessments were voluntary and not considered excessive. In certain instances, the hosting squadron supplemented the funds by selling memorabilia or through other activities. Examples of suite financing range from $1,680 collected through individual assessments from the 24 officers of Fighter Squadron 1 who attended the $19,000 -35 in available funding to support the Chief of Naval Air Training suite. Witnesses reported that the suites had two things in common: the serving of alcohol and lengthy hours of operation. The hours included the afternoon, evening and early morning hours of Thursday) Friday and Saturday until early Sunday morning. Beer was served in every suite and 17 suites served mixed or "specialty" alcoholic drinks. It was common practice in the suites to provide alcohol free charge to attending squadron members, their guests and any other visitors to the suite. The hosting squadron of one suite spent up to $8,500 for the purchase of alcoholic beverages. Records reflected that the 22 hospitality suites spent a total of $33,500 -36 on alcoholic beverages. However, this figure is not entirely accurate inasmuch as witnesses informed us that, as the initial supply of alcohol ran out, additional alcohol and beer were purchased using supplemental funds collected in Las Vegas from squadron attendees. In one case, squadron members' credit cards were collected and used to pay for additional liquor. A Las Vegas beer distributor stated he delivered 27 kegs, equating to 4,200 gallons of beer, to the suites over the course of the weekend. The total cost of the beer to the squadrons was $12,000. That figure does not include the cost of the 97 kegs of beer the Association ordered for consumption in the exhibition area. One Navy commander compared the general conduct and consumption of alcohol in the suites to a "cruise party." The officer stated: Well, I don't think it's any secret that in times past, after we've been at sea for a long time and we've gone into port for the first time in some amount of time at sea, that we--that, traditionally, Navy aviation sets up an admin. suite, what we call an admin. suite in a hotel. And this is normally a common suite where guys can meet. It's kind of our living room ashore for a brief period of time. A lot of times it seems to serve two functions: It's one place where we can all congregate, and at other times it's a place of pretty--some good parties. You know, when I say the word "party", I mean somewhat similar--well, better not say similar--somewhat along the lines of what was happening up at Tailhook, not so much with nudity or women, that's usually not the case, but certainly a place to sit around and drink beer. Well, this tradition of doing this on cruise is exactly what the suite thing at Tailhook is. It's the same thing. There's no difference, really, between the two, in terms of that, though Tailhook definitely is a lot rowdier than most of the parties on cruise get. Evidence indicates that many officers consumed excessive amounts of alcohol during Tailhook 91. This may have been a contributing factor in the incidence of misconduct and other inappropriate behavior. The excessive consumption of alcohol at Tailhook 91 should be considered in light of two instructions issued by the Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary's instruction on Military Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control,SECNAVINST 5300.28B), issued in July 1990, defines alcohol abuse as the use of alcohol "to an extent that it has an adverse effect on performance, conduct, discipline, or mission effectiveness, and/or the user's health, behavior, family or community." The Secretary's instruction on Alcohol Abuse and Drunk Driving (SECNAVINST 5300.29), issued in April 1985, discusses three manifestations of alcohol abuse, including "public inebriation (i.e., 'drunken sailor') and its consequences. Brawls, public discredit to military service and injuries and deaths resulting from intoxicated driving are all examples of the adverse effects of that third form of alcohol abuse." Further, both instructions establish a policy that it is the goal of the Department of the Navy to be free of the effects of alcohol abuse. This policy was not complied with by many junior officers nor was it enforced by the senior officers in attendance during Tailhook 91. Many naval aviators, their guests and other visitors recounted in detail various incidents of inappropriate or unbecoming conduct in the squadron hospitality suites and adjoining areas which were accessible by the public.-37 These incidents included a stripper performing oral sex on an aviator during her performance. Another account included an incident in which a woman, while getting her legs shaved by a male aviator, stripped off her clothes and had her pubic area shaved. There were additional accounts of women exposing themselves either to have squadron stickers applied to their breasts by aviators or to receive free squadron T-shirts. Other reports described male aviators who "ballwalked" or otherwise exposed themselves in the suites or in the third floor hallway.-38 A number of ballwalking incidents were photographed. Finally, there were numerous descriptions of women performing simulated oral sex on the dildo attached to the rhinoceros mural in order to obtain a drink from it. Nineteen indecent assaults occurred in various hospitality suites. -39 Those suites are identified as: HOSTING SQUADRON SUITE NUMBER NUMBER OF ASSAULTS ___________________________________________________________ VS-41 304 1 VMFP-3 (Rhino) 308 6 VMFAT-101 355 1 CNATRA 364 8 Unable to determine 3 Our investigation determined that naval aviators rented other rooms, in addition to the squadron hospitality suites, to sponsor private parties for groups of aviators. We were told that, in a number of those rooms, strippers performed or prostitutes were hired to engage in sexual activities with the attendees. -40 A number of contractors, including corporate members of the Association and exhibitors, sponsored hospitality suites at Tailhook 91. According to an Association employee, contractors made their own arrangements with the Las Vegas Hilton for those suites. By most accounts, the contractor suites were located on upper floors of the hotel. We found no instances of impropriety with regard to contractor-sponsored suites. We were told by contractor personnel and naval aviators that there were a number of reasons for the suites. One contractor representative explained their suite was used as a place for the company personnel to meet and plan their official activities at the convention. One Navy officer described a suite, sponsored by an aircraft manufacturer, as a site for company representatives to socialize with naval aviators and determine how the company might improve its aircraft. In that suite, company representatives served alcohol and food to guests. Token gifts of nominal value were available in the suite. -41 Notes 19 DoD Directive 5500.7, dated May 6, 1987, superseding the previous DoD Directive dated January 19, 1977. 20 The President's Dinner, at which the Chief of Naval Operations was the featured speaker, was held on Friday, September 6, 1991. Attendees included 250 industry and military dignitaries. 21 Naval aviation squadrons are commonly referred to by their alphanumeric designations. The letters designate the type of squadron. For instance, "V" indicates fixed wing aircraft and "H" indicates helicopter. The numbers represent a particular squadron. The glossary at Appendix D defines the alphanumeric squadron designations and Naval command acronyms referenced in this report. 22 The letter is also quoted in Tailhook 91, Part 1. 23 Rear Admiral (RADM) James Service, at the time of Tailhook 85, was the Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. VADM Edward H. Martin, at the time of Tailhook 85, was the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Air Warfare. 24 The letters are contained in Tailhook 91, Part 1. 25 The diagrams are based on original architectural blue prints and recent photographs taken of the Hotel. 26 The location of indecent assaults as depicted on the graphs are approximations. Precise locations could not always be determined. Each number corresponds with an individual victim. The numbers appear in a roughly sequential fashion beginning with assaults that occurred on Thursday and progressing through Saturday evening. Details are set forth in Appendix F. 27 Identification of and description of activities occurring in the 22 suites are discussed in Appendix E of the report. 28 Rooms 308, 307, 306, 305, 304, 303, 302, 357, 356, 355 and 354. 29 Rooms 310, 315, 316, 318, 319 and 320. 30 Rooms 319, 360, 364, 371 and 373. 31 Hereafter, all hosting commands or units will be referred to as squadrons. 32 The issue of overall security responsibilities is discussed in Section IX of the report. 33 This activity occurred on the third floor during Tailhook 91 and involved the shaving of women's legs and pubic area by male aviators. 34 VMFA(AW)-121 is known as the Green Knight squadron. VMFP-3, known as the Rhino squadron, was decommissioned prior to Tailhook 91, but nonetheless former members of the unit hosted a suite. 35 0f that amount, $5,000 was the balance of funds left over from Tailhook 90 and the additional $14,000 was collected in individual assessments of $35 from each of the approximately 400 attending CNATRA members. 36 The figure does not include purchases of alcohol by two of the suites because their records for those purchases were not retained. 37 Sections VII and VIII of the report briefly describe those activities. See Appendix E for detailed description. 38 Ballwalking was an activity engaged in by some aviators in which they publicly exposed their testicles. It is discussed at Section VII.C. 39 The indecent assaults, along with information on the other reported assaults, are discussed in Section VI. 40 The issue of consensual sexual activity is discussed in Section VIII of the report. 41 These gifts included such things as T-shirts and coffee mugs bearing a corporate logo.