Shop

USA Today looks at patterns of misconduct in the top echelons of the National Guard. The two-part series finds that some adjutant generals, who are the Guard's highest ranking officials in each state, have been involved in sexual harassment cases, retaliation against subordinates who complain and embezzlement of taxpayers' money. The investigation identifies faulty officers in at ;east nine state - New York, Illinois, Kentucky, California, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Massachusetts. A major finding is that between 10% and 20% of the soldiers on the rolls are "ghosts" who seldom - if ever - attend the drills. The stories examine how this inflated numbers can endanger the public security. Another finding is that the National Guard constitutes a formidable lobbying power, and that it has never lost its financing despite Pentagon's efforts to shortcut its budget.