Case seen as example of anti-whistleblower bias

Case seen as example of anti-whistleblower bias
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Dec 20, 2009 16:43:04 EST

WASHINGTON — A Marine Corps whistle-blower says military officials are trying to force him from his job for exposing failures to deliver life-saving equipment to troops in Iraq. His tale sends a cautionary message to President Barack Obama.

Franz Gayl, a senior civilian employee, alleges a series of punitive actions that emphasize the challenges that Obama faces if he intends to fulfill a campaign pledge to treat federal whistle-blowers as patriots instead of pariahs.

Public interest groups cheered Obama’s vow, but Gayl’s case points to the difficulty of transforming a culture, particularly within the military, in which whistle-blowers often are viewed with contempt.

“That is going to be hard to change,” said Patrice McDermott, director of OpenTheGovernment.org. “But the reality is, whistle-blowers will have an improved situation over what they’ve had for the last eight years.”

Gayl, 52, is the target of an inquiry by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for his alleged mishandling of secret information, according to Tom Devine, his attorney. Gayl had accused the Marine Corps of “gross mismanagement” for failing to answer the call in 2005 for heavy-duty trucks that could withstand roadside bombs in Iraq.


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_marine_gayl_whistleblower_122009/