General Denies Allowing Gay Bashing

An Army general who commanded Fort Campbell for about two-and-a-half years denied Friday that he tolerated the harassment of homosexuals at the post prior to the bludgeoning death of a gay private by a fellow soldier.

Maj. Gen. Robert T. Clark, whose last day in charge was Friday, also denied claims that he did little after the killing to prevent such harassment or that a climate of homophobia existed at the post under his command.

CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin reports the still-secret investigation of the matter by the Army's inspector general has cleared Clark of negligence in the murder of Pfc. Barry Winchell last July.

In a letter to Defense Secretary William Cohen, made public Thursday, 30 members of Congress urged Cohen to take action against Clark, who is scheduled to be reassigned to a senior post in Washington.

"I object to being characterized the way I have been characterized by people who don't have a clue as to who I am as a human being or who I am as a commander," Clark said.

The lawmakers said the general "is responsible for tolerating anti-gay harassment on the post" prior to the brutal slaying of Winchell "and for doing little in the wake of the murder to stop this type of harassment."

"That's an absolutely false statement," Clark told reporters during a news conference prior to a change-of-command ceremony at the post.

"My style as a commander is well-known throughout the Army," he said. "There are thousands of people in the United States Army who know me and know what I am like as a leader."

Clark, the post's commander since Feb. 6, 1998, said Fort Campbell has gone further to educate soldiers on the U.S. Department of Defense policy on homosexual conduct than either the department or the Army requires.

"When anything, any crisis occurs on this post, the leadership of the soldiers of this post swarm to the crisis," Clark said. "Such was the case of the Winchell murder."

Winchell was beaten to death with a baseball bat after his homosexuality became known on the post. His killer, Pvt. Calvin N. Glover, was convicted of premeditated murder during a December court-martial and sentenced to life in prison.

Gay rights advocates and some congressional members are questioning the Pentagon's decision to reassign Clark before the Army inspector general's office completes an investigation of anti-gay attitudes at the base.

The deadline for the report, originally due May 1, was extended to July 1.

In their letter to Cohen, the lawmakers said they were concerned that Clark would be reassigned or promoted before the investigation ends. Clark expressed disappointment that the report wouldn't be completed until after his time at Fort Campbell.

"I wanted it to be completed before that change of command," he said. "That has not happened. It's, to me personally, disappointing."

The Army announced this week that Clark is being reassigned to the post of vice director for operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an important job in the Pentagon. The move does not include a promotion to three-star general.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley said Thursday that Clark would start his new job in "a couple of weeks."

Asked whether Clark's move into the Joint Staff job was dependent on the outcome of the Army investigation, Quigley said, "You don't assign officers in whom you have no confidence to positions of responsibility, like deputy director for operations on the Joint Staff. After having said that, the review of the Army inspector general is still a work in progress. So I wouldn't like to presuppose Secretary Cohen's judgment in responding to the letter."

Among the House members who signed the letter is Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., a leading critic of the Pentagon's policy of permitting gays to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation private.

Frank and other opponents of the policy say military members suspected of being gay or lesbian often are harassed, and that the Winchell murder was an extreme example of how the gay policy has failed. Frank says the harassment of gays won't stop until higher ups are punished.

But Lt. Col. Russ Oaks, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, said the Army is not contemplating any action against Clark and that the timing of his move to the Joint Chiefs job is unrelated to the completion of the inspector general's report. Still unclear is whether other officers who had more direct control over Winchell's unit will be punished.

No one from the Kentucky and Tennessee delegations signed the letter to Cohen. Fort Campbell straddles the states' border.

U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, a Republican who represents the western Kentucky district that includes Fort Campbell, said he thought it would be a mistake for Cohen to heed the letter written by the members of Congress.

"It's totally unfair to blame General Clark for what happened at Fort Campbell," Whitfield said Friday. "In my view this is a witch hunt."

Clark, whose long list of decorations includes a Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and four Meritorious Service medals, said he's not concerned about his military future.

"I'm not a person who chases stars," he said.