Brownbacked: Internal investigation of Kansas Guard pinpoints toxic (racist) leadership
Kansas National Guard Lt. Col. Barry Thomas spoke of black soldiers under his command with a harshness perceived by investigators to inflame racial tension.
The white officer, who led the Kansas Army Guard’s recruiting battalion among other assignments in a career spanning more than 25 years, told a soldier, “I thought I would never meet a black man that did not like watermelon.”
On a separate occasion, according to investigation documents obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal, Thomas said he believed African-American men universally favored oral sex. Investigators reported he referred to a black sergeant major as a “tongue-chewing retard” who dressed like a “pimp.” He questioned why a black soldier would possess a home more valuable than his own.
A multifaceted internal inquiry by Kansas military officers into alleged malfeasance within the Kansas National Guard found that Thomas held “little regard for soldiers under his care” and led to a recommendation he forfeit a chance for promotion. Thomas was elevated to colonel despite violating a zero-tolerance Kansas Guard order against bullying subordinates. He still holds a leadership position among 7,500 Kansas Guard employees who serve in combat, respond to Kansas disasters and perform humanitarian missions.
http://cjonline.com/news/state-government/2017-01-07/internal-investigation-kansas-guard-pinpoints-toxic-leadership