Army charges Fort Lewis soldier

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, September 27, 2006

PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army brought charges Wednesday against Spc. Suzanne Swift, a military police officer who has become a rallying point for the antiwar movement after refusing to return to Iraq and alleging her supervisor there coerced her into a sexual relationship.

Swift, of the 54th Military Police Co. based at Fort Lewis, faces charges of being absent without leave and missing movement. The latter means she wasn’t with her company when it left in January for a four-month tour of duty in Iraq, a military spokeswoman said.

Swift, 22, of Eugene, Ore., faces punishments that could range from an administrative reprimand to penalties imposed at a trial by a court-martial.

Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Choates, Fort Lewis spokeswoman, said Swift’s commanders will decide how to proceed, and there is no deadline for them to do so. She said the Army’s options are an administrative action, such as a reprimand, a more serious non-judicial punishment, or a court-martial.

Swift was in Iraq from February 2004 to February 2005. Her unit was sent back in January 2006, but she didn’t go. She was arrested at her home in Eugene in June.

Swift alleged she had been harassed or abused by three non-commissioned officers – two in Iraq and one at Fort Lewis.

The Army said it was able to substantiate one allegation, involving the soldier at Fort Lewis, and took disciplinary action. But it said it was unable to substantiate two allegations against non-commissioned officers in Iraq: that one sexually harassed her and another forced her into a sexual relationship.

The Army said it had delayed disciplinary action to conduct a “thorough, impartial investigation” into her allegations of sexual harassment and said that Swift, on the advice of her lawyer, did not provide a sworn statement to investigators.

Her mother, Sara Rich of Eugene, said in a Tuesday interview that her daughter has most recently been assigned to clerking duties at Fort Lewis, filing police reports.

She has said Swift suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and should have a medical discharge to deal with it.

Rich, who has been speaking for her daughter, did not immediately return phone calls on Wednesday nor did Swift’s lawyer.

Swift’s cause has been taken up by women’s and peace groups, who have demonstrated outside Fort Lewis and invited Rich to be a speaker in a number of states, including Texas, California and Washington. She was in Washington, D.C., last week to plead her daughter’s case with members of the Oregon congressional delegation.

“It’s terrible,” said Nancy Lessin, cofounder of Military Families Speak Out. “A criminal activity took place and you have a soldier who did what she needed to do to remove herself from criminal abuse and harassment and they are charging her.”