IDF sergeant verbally assaults subordinate
A kitchen manager at the Air Force's elite commando unit bullied and threatened a cook under his command, but was only given a reprimand; Soldier claims the IDF subsequently tried to whitewash the incident.
A master sergeant managing the kitchen at the Air Force's elite Shaldag commando unit bullied and threatened a soldier under his command, but was let off easy by receiving a reprimand.
According to information received by Ynet, among the insults the master sergeant hurled at the soldier, Cpl. Y., were "You cockroach on a wall, you stink. I'll open up your head and go to jail for a month. I'll punch you, I'll flatten you up, you loser."
The soldier tried to explain to the master sergeant that his medical appointment was authorized, to no avail.
In his complaint submitted to the Ombudsman for Soldiers in the Defense Ministry, Cpl. Y. said he returned to base shaking with fear and that his concerns were confirmed when the master sergeant met him back at base and started yelling at him and threatening him with violence in front of soldiers and other career soldiers.
Cpl. Y., who recorded the incident, told the master sergeant he was treating him as a criminal, and that it was not appropriate for a father-of-four to speak in this matter.
Shortly after that, Cpl. Y.'s request to be transferred to a different base was approved, and he moved to the Ramat David Air Force base in the north.
The master sergeant remained in his position and there has been no investigation of the incident. The Air Force claims this was done at the advice of officials from the Military Advocate General's Office, who gave their support to the decision.
"They worked together to protect a master sergeant who behaves in a dictatorial manner towards his subordinates, lords over them, yells and humiliates," said an official in the unit, who serves alongside the master sergeant. "There's a sense that even the officers in the unit, including the most senior ones, are scared of him or are subject to his authority."
"This is a regular occurence in this unit," the unit official added. "For example, a (kitchen) soldier gave milk to combat soldiers who came to get food, and by accident gave them the milk carton, even though it's not allowed. This soldier was confined to base."
He went on to say that "soldiers under the master sergeant's command work from early in the morning until late at night, almost without breaks, while being exposed to shouting like 'I'll f*** you up,' 'a bunch of morons,' and so on. Are these Shaldag's values and norms?"
Cpl. Y. also claimed the master sergeant threatened him with an iron stirring paddle and even threw it at him. The iron stirring paddle missed the soldier only thanks to other soldiers who witnessed the incident and pushed the master sergeant aside.
The Air Force described the incident as an "argument between a commander and his subordinate," saying the master sergeant only "held the iron rod" during the incident and didn't hurt the soldier with it.
The unit reported to the Commissioner for Soldier’s Complaints that the incident was resolved within the unit and that discipline measures were taken against the sergeant. Thus the matter was closed without involving any external intervention.
The commissioner’s office claims that Y. verbally agreed to halt the handling of the complaint in a telephone conversation but Y. denies that and asserts that he never agreed. Other soldiers say that the sergeant’s behavior continues to be problematic.
The IDF Spokesman’s Unit issued a response: “"Three months ago there was an argument, including verbal aggression, between a kitchen manager and a soldier who served under his command. The managing sergeant was tried by the unit commander for inappropriate behavior, pleaded guilty and expressed remorse for his actions.
“In view of the fact that this is the first such incident and is atypical considering his usual behavior, the sergeant was severely reprimanded by his commanders and remained in his position. The Air Force reported the incident to the relevant law enforcement authorities and under the circumstances, and since he was already tried by his commanders, a decision was made not to open an investigation into it."
The IDF also stressed that it views such incidents, of commanders abusing their subordinates, very seriously and is working to ensure a safe working environment for all its soldiers. They added that the incident did not involve physical violence. The soldier asked to be transferred out of the unit and his request was accepted two weeks after the incident.
