043 United States v. The Port Chicago 50
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
Release Date: 08/06/2024
070 United States v. Soloshenko
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
Sometimes when I need to compose a challenging message, I rely on a council of women. It’s always women because I have many years of Taboo board game experience and a team of women will win every time. My first council of women messaging meeting followed a weird twenty first birthday in which the young man I was dating ignored all of my friends and criticized me for consuming a single mojito with my dinner. I gathered my trusted sorority sisters and inquired how one might end things because I’d not had to do that before. It was immensely helpful to draw on one another’s experiences...
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069 United States v. Thomas
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
The last two times I reported for jury duty, I got kicked by the parties using peremptory challenges. The first time, I was working on post conviction record relief and it was a criminal case--a prosecutor's least favorite kind of juror. The second time, I held a more general legal position and it was a civil case. I think both times I got kicked it was because I’m an attorney and, well, attorneys think other attorneys won’t make good jurors. But, attorneys aren’t generally a protected class, and it’s totally kosher to keep us off of juries. At least, it's kosher as long as we’re...
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068 United States v. Harpole; United States v. Deremer
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
My freshman year of college, I spent a lot of time out of my dorm room. Which, given the size of the room I shared with two other women, was objectively the correct choice. My primary motivation for avoiding the room my parents lovingly and generously paid for was a roommate that was… very friendly… with members of the opposite sex. I didn’t want to sit in awkward tension while my roommate waited for me to leave or fall asleep, so I made myself as scarce as possible. Preparing the episode script and reading about roommates in tight quarters aboard a ship made me profoundly thankful...
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067 United States v. Swisher
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
Just before last call in a beachfront party area, two sets of men observed a woman that was a little too drunk. What they chose to do, having realized she was so vulnerable, proved the litmus test for them. The events of December 1, 2019 stand to show that it’s perhaps not all men that would assault women when given the opportunity, but certainly Lance Corporal Swisher. I relied heavily on all three NMCCA opinions (, , ) and the , and . I also reference information from , , , and . This episode involved discussion of sexual assault. There are a number of resources available for...
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066 United States v. Hilton
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
A few years back, we were at a holiday party when the host grabbed my butt. I turned in horror and he observed to his friend that what he did was “probably not good.” I scooped up my spouse, explained that I wouldn’t be in the same room with that man again, and I’m happy to report to you all my life has been blissfully unwanted buttgrab free. The most ideal situation is not having entitled men grab women when they feel they’ll get away with it. The second best outcome was mine: a partner who believed me and respected my desire not to be around someone I’ve deemed unsafe....
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065 United States v. Jenkins; United States v. Edwards
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
It’s been my experience that women and girls receive a lot of messaging around domestic violence. We’re coached to recognize warning signs and to get out. In hushed conferences, we advise each other to set aside a little money, just in case. We tentatively poke at the edges of relationships to try and discern whether our friends are safe. I don’t offer this to suggest that men cannot or do not suffer from domestic violence, but to highlight that we tend to focus on teaching women what to do if they find themselves embroiled in a violent dynamic. But, in the cases of Air Force Technical...
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064 Japan v. Alkonis
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
There are parts of the drive up to the national park atop Haleakala that start to feel a little otherworldly. You’re angled up and climbing quickly, and you can lose sight of the horizon before you crest a hill and reacquaint yourself accordingly. The effects of altitude can be potent, and they can come on quickly. Best practice is, of course, to stop and park to avoid driving unsafely. For Lieutenant Alkonis, pulling over simply wasn't an option and resulted in his minivan careening into parked cars and pedestrians, killing two people. I accessed the and articles from the , ,...
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063 United States v. Lee
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
This case has a lot of moving parts, but in trying to write this introduction, I found I kept distilling it to the same point. Viewed through a relationships lens, this case highlights how far two women would go for the men they loved. One woman, grieving the loss of her beloved, vowed to work towards a more effective military justice system. The other helped hide her fugitive boyfriend and, after his arrest, tacked a sign that said “we have no comment” to her front door. But this case really isn’t about these women, but rather the reverberations from the repeated, but varied, criminal...
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062 United States v. Dillenburger
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
I have a pretty serious food allergy - one I feel compelled to share with restaurant staff and friends we visit with. It’s deeply unfun, but the alternative is, you know, anaphylaxis. The silver lining I’ve been able to identify is that it shows me how fiercely I’m loved by family and friends, who generously announce to others at parties that they, too, are responsible for not murdering me. For my servicemember spouse, I am equally fiercely protective of what comes into our home. We live in a state where recreational marijuana use is legal. Incidental exposure is a possible risk,...
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061 United States v. Hill
Conduct Unbecoming: A Military True Crime Podcast
Eight young men started the night at various happy events, celebrating the end of an arduous week of work. Then, they clashed in an unplanned roadside encounter. Although they'd been at parties, they had at least a combined four knives between them, some brandished, some reserved. The two groups struggled to find common ground in what had become a racially charged atmosphere. Fortunately, they found their common thread and the tension began to dissipate. Unfortunately, an intoxicated Private Hill was faster than the de-escalation and chose to strike, killing a fellow soldier. I relied heavily...
info_outlineGrowing up in the Golden State means a certain familiarity with warm summers and fire risks. We worry about lightning strikes, gender reveal parties that involve any kind of explosives, and lost hikers who, for some unknown reason, light a flare instead of using their working cell phone to summon assistance. The California I grew up in is this way because of an awareness of a challenging climate, drought conditions, and, frankly, hindsight. But for all that awareness, I was surprised to discover the tale of a large, dangerous explosion with civil rights implications that I had never heard of. A case of mass trials, mass incarceration, and segregation. As the dust and ash settled over the remains of Port Chicago and hundreds of dead sailors, the criminal case was just beginning.
I relied on information from ABC News, Navy historians (1)(2)(3)(4), Mercury News, Uniform Reference, the US Naval Institute, the National WWII Museum, the Navy Press Office, and Wikipedia.
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Disclaimer: Conduct Unbecoming is a podcast where I get to talk about interesting crimes and cases that involve US military service members. I research, write, and produce the podcast myself… the opinions expressed are my own and, perhaps it’s obvious, Conduct Unbecoming is not approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Department of Defense. I am not a military JAG and have never been a military JAG. While I'm a practicing attorney, I don't do direct criminal defense. This podcast is a passion project, not legal advice or expert opinion.