Forum: Air Force Life

Drill Sergeant Who Posed Naked for Playboy Removed From Active Military Duty
Thursday , February 15, 2007
SAN ANTONIO

An Air Force drill sergeant who posed nude for Playboy magazine has been removed from active duty, she said Wednesday.

Whether that amounts to an honorable discharge, as Michelle Manhart also says, is unclear.

Manhart, who appeared in a six-page spread in Playboy's February issue, said she got word Friday that she was removed from "extended active duty" and was also told that she was demoted in rank from staff sergeant to senior airman.

"I'm disappointed in our system," Manhart told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "They went too far with it."

Manhart said that being removed from duty meant that she reverted to her Air National Guard status and that she submitted a "resignation" to the Guard, which she said is pending. Manhart was a member of the Iowa Air National Guard before going on extended active duty.

Manhart offered The AP a copy of a signed "request and authorization for separation" form that indicates her "character of service" was "honorable." It is not clear whether the form is an official discharge order.

Oscar Balladares, a spokesman for Lackland Air Force Base, confirmed that Manhart was removed from extended active duty on Friday, but he said Lackland did not discharge her.

"She was not discharged but she was removed from active duty status, and thus reverted to National Guard status," Balladares said. "It is not up to the Air Force — it is not our jurisdiction to discharge her."

Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, a spokesman for the Iowa National Guard, said "at this point we don't have any separation documents regarding Senior Airman Manhart and until we receive documentation of her separation from the Air Force, at this point we don't have her on duty status in the Iowa National Guard."

Manhart, a 30-year-old mother of two, said the military's action against her hinged on the fact that she was pictured in the magazine wearing her uniform.

She was photographed in uniform yelling and holding weapons under the headline "Tough Love." The following pages showed her partially clothed wearing dog tags while working out, as well as completely nude. After the pictorial hit newsstands in January, Manhart was relieved of her duties pending an investigation.

Manhart said she was given a letter of reprimand in late January, told not to talk to the media and that an "unfavorable information file" was established on her. Her husband is also in the military.

Balladares said he could not comment on any of the "administrative actions" taken against her because of privacy concerns. He said, though, that she was not prohibited from talking to the media.

Manhart said she is looking forward to pursuing a modeling and entertainment career.

"My family is going to stay here, but I do have plans to pursue anything that comes my way, whether it be in LA or New York or Hollywood," she said. "As far as moving on in my life, I'm happy. I hope this works out for my family and me."

Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey said Playboy had no comment on Manhart's case.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,252041,00.html

I'm disappointed in our system. They went too far with it," she told the Associated Press news agency.

Airman Resigns After Playboy Uproar

San Antonio Express-News, February 15, 2007
By Sig Christenson, Express-News Military Writer

A one-time Lackland AFB training instructor who posed nude in Playboy magazine says she's quit the service after being demoted from staff sergeant to low-ranking airman.

The trainer, Michelle Manhart, said life on the base became miserable after she appeared in a six-page photo spread Jan.12, sparking headlines around the country.

Manhart said she was taken off active-duty status last Friday and moved to the Iowa Air National Guard after facing disciplinary proceedings that began in the wake of the Playboy shoot.

The Air Force confirmed part of her account but did not elaborate on the disciplinary action or her current status.

In an interview Wednesday, she complained of being shunted to the back of an office while her case crossed the desks of commanders — all because she posed for the men's magazine.

"Obviously it's clear to me that the military has not progressed with life and time, because they're still living in a Stone Age period," Manhart said. "Women are still treated differently than men, women are still judged differently than men."

A SeaWorld-area mother of two whose husband is also in the Air Force, Manhart, 30, said she joined the Air Force in 1994. She worked last spring as a military training instructor, one of the service's elite jobs, when she posed for Playboy. The pictorial, shot at a home in the Dominion, depicts her in various states of nudity.

Lackland pulled her from duty as a trainer after she told superiors she had posed for Playboy. Manhart said a series of administrative actions ensued, and she contended she was ordered to attend media training and not talk with reporters — a claim a base official denied.

"She was never forbidden to speak with the media," said Lt. Col. Dan Epright, a Lackland spokesman, adding that she was "encouraged" to seek media training before more interviews.

Manhart said a series of administrative actions took place as she worked her office job. Both the Air Force and Manhart said she was moved Friday from active-duty to Guard status.

Epright said Manhart came to the base from a National Guard unit for a four-year tour as a military trainer. He said she was sent back to the Guard because she was no longer able to perform that job.

He also confirmed she had received disciplinary paperwork but could not provide documentation because of federal Privacy Act rules.

Manhart did not provide documentation but said she was embittered by her experience, saying she wouldn't want to serve in the Air Force.

"I do support our military troops. I support the government and everything it stands for," Manhart said. "My hat's off to them, but as far as my direct leadership, they've proved to me there are dirty things that go on and you're not protected. So I guess the phrase 'watch your six' (rear) is very important in more than just the desert."

Epright and another Air Force spokesman, Oscar Balladares, were careful in discussing her case. The Privacy Act forbids the military from releasing information in administrative disciplinary proceedings.

While not confirming Manhart's account of the administrative actions in her case, Epright said she had been reduced in rank, saying, "My understanding is that she is a senior airman." He added, "A demotion is not a favorable personnel action."

It is not clear if Manhart is still in the Iowa Guard. Though she said she resigned Friday from the Guard and had received an honorable discharge, Epright had no documentation, saying only that she was given a form for those seeking separation from the service.

Wearing a silver Playboy necklace and a white T-shirt with the words "I modeled today" and the magazine's bunny logo, Manhart vowed over soft drinks at Audry's restaurant to embark on a modeling and acting career — and would love to pose for a second spread in the magazine.

She spent Valentine's evening judging the finals of a bikini contest at Graham Central Station, a massive nightclub on the city's Northwest Side.

It isn't clear if the second spread will happen. A Playboy spokesman couldn't be reached late Wednesday. Neither Manhart nor Playboy officials has said how much Manhart was paid.

At nightfall Wednesday, she enjoyed her celebrity status by judging the finals of a local nightclub's bikini contest.

"I hope, really hope that Playboy wants to do another photo shoot for many reasons," she said. "I absolutely love working with the Playboy family. The people are so incredible."

It's a shame she's out. She would've made a great morale troop in the ROK

She would've made a great morale troop in the ROK

Please remember that it took a LOT of air brushing to make her look as good as she did in that magazine. When I first saw her holding up the mag I thought Playboy standards were lowered.

Busted: Playboy Model Stripped of Rank

Most people don't know that there are alot of reserve and ANG people on extended active duty filling hard to fill jobs like TI and STA's, She's the ANG's problem now.