Reports Clears Army in Gay Soldier's Death

W A S H I N G T O N, July 18 -- An Army review of the circumstances in which agay private was beaten to death by a fellow soldier at FortCampbell, Ky., last year has concluded that no officers should beheld responsible and that there is no general“climate” of homophobia at the base, officials said today.

A report by the Army’s inspector general, Lt. Gen. MichaelAckerman, found troublesome anti-gay attitudes among some membersof D Company, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st AirborneDivision — the unit in which the killing took place, according tosenior defense officials who have seen the report.

But it concluded that the 101st Airborne as a whole has nounusual degree of homophobia, the officials said. The officialsagreed to discuss the report’s conclusions on condition they not beidentified.

Dealing With ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’The report’s results are expected to be made public on Friday,along with the findings of a Defense Department advisory group thatDefense Secretary William Cohen formed last spring to draft an“action plan” for each of the military services to address theproblem of harassment of gays.

The panel appointed by Cohen will recommend that service membersof all ranks receive more tailored forms of training on how toproperly implement the Clinton administration’s “don’t ask, don’ttell” policy on homosexuals, in which gay service members areallowed to serve as long as they don’t reveal their sexualorientation, officials said. Cohen appointed the panel after theDefense Department inspector general reported in March thatharassment based on perceived homosexuality is widespread in themilitary.

Cohen’s spokesman, Kenneth Bacon, declined to comment on eitherthe Army report or the advisory panel’s findings.

Nobody’s At FaultCharles Butler, lawyer for Patricia Kutteles, Winchell’s motherin Kansas City, Mo., said the Army has evidence that Winchell’scompany commander was alerted to anti-gay harassment of Winchellbefore the killing but did not act.