California National Guard ran errands for now sacked Brigadier General

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Los Angeles Times
7 Jan 21:22
1 Shares

California National Guard Brigadier General gets involuntarily transferred after investigations prove exploitation of troops.

US National Guard on July 31, 2018 (AP)

Involuntarily transferred to the US Air Force, retired reserve, Brigadier General Jeffrey Magram, is faced with a fate "parallel" to getting fired after investigations revealed he exploited the California National Guard for personal use, according to California National Guard Spokesperson Lt. Colonel Brandon Hill.

A memo, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, in which Major General Matthew Beevers addressed Magram read: “Your conduct has caused me to lose faith, trust, and confidence in your ability to continue serving."

According to the news outlet, Magram tasked his troops with driving him to medical appointments and taking his mother grocery shopping. Such duties, he claimed, were in line with the "wingman concept," according to which guards look out for one another. Magram also claimed that if he had been made aware of the ethical issues surrounding such conduct, he "would have corrected or addressed it on the spot."

Magram's claims contradict the information offered by the inspector general wherein the latter noted that Magram was informed, in 2017, that exploiting the troops to run errands was inappropriate.

Furthermore, the involuntarily retired Brigadier General failed to complete his cybersecurity training and instructed a member of the Guard to do it. Additionally, Magram tasked a member of the troops to manage his travel rewards account.

While Magram exploited the California National Guard for personal use, the troops are typically tasked with responding to emergencies. Occasionally, the troops have also been deployed for US military operations.

It is worth mentioning that Magram is the sixth general to have been accused of wrongdoing and has since resigned, retired, or been sacked.