Accused Of Illicit Drug Use Despite No Positive Tests

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh had called on the Air Force Inspector General to look into a case of several pilots grounded after sending text messages that their commanding officer said were evidence of drug use.

The pilots, who are not named, reportedly sent text messages that included the lyrics of a Miley Cyrus song that says "We like to party/ Dancing with Molly/ Doing whatever we want."

"Molly" is a common street name for the drug ecstasy.

Fox News reports that officials at Laughlin Air Force Base concluded that the text messages meant that the pilots were distributing the drug. But the pilots reportedly passed drug tests, and told investigators that the lyrics were about chasing women and similar activities during a weekend in Las Vegas.

The case came to the attention of Gen. Welsh after Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) raised questions about the base commander's judgement. Hunter said through an aide that “General Welsh is a good leader and a no-nonsense kind of guy. He recognizes a problem here.”

In a statement, the Air Force acknowledged that the Inspector General would be looking into the matter. "Commanders are expected to hold members accountable for their actions, while ensuring due process and equitable treatment are appropriately applied in every case. Commanders take this responsibility very seriously. An allegation of mistreatment is reviewed at multiple levels, and the Laughlin cases are no exception,” the statement said.

The investigation is expected to take about six weeks.

FMI: www.af.mil/InspectorGeneralComplaints.aspx