Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh has ordered an investigation into the case of several pilots who were grounded after exchanging text messages referencing Miley Cyrus’ lyrics, which were seen by their superiors as evidence of drug activity.
Three instructor pilots at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, are now facing the end of their flying careers after investigators searched their personal cellphones and found mentions of the word “Molly” — a slang term for the illegal drug ecstasy, the Daily Beast reported.
The pilots, who have not been identified publicly, claimed they were referencing club and rap songs, using popular song lyrics like “We like to party/dancing with Molly/Doing whatever we want” from Miley Cyrus’ song “We Can’t Stop.”
The pilots said they began using the term “Molly” to refer to a trip they took to Las Vegas, which one of the accused swore was drug-free. After hearing the song on the radio, the term became an inside joke to make fun of a group of girls the men ran into on the trip, whom they suspected where high on drugs, The Daily Beast reported.
The pilots all passed drug tests, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations found no evidence that they had used drugs.
But they were punished after the Air Force deemed their texts to be unprofessional. Their commander, Col. Brian Hastings, issued three of the pilots letters of reprimand and stripped them of their wings. A fourth pilot was exonerated at an Article 15 hearing.
The three pilots have asked that the letters of reprimand against them be withdrawn. The letters constitute blemishes on their military records that could end their Air Force careers and make it less likely that they will be able to secure jobs as commercial airline pilots.
The case has raised eyebrows in Congress, where lawmakers have called the punishment “excessive.”
Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Illinois Republican, both military veterans, sent a letter to Gen. Welsh last week demanding to know why the Air Force had handed down such an “excessive punishment” against the pilots based solely on texts that showed “no evidence of drug use” and were clearly joking in nature, The Daily Beast reported.
Now Gen. Welsh has directed the Air Force’s Office of Inspector General to investigate the incident and determine whether officials at Laughlin Air Force Base followed the proper procedures.
The investigation is expected to take about six weeks to complete.
The Air Force has issued a statement confirming the IG inquiry and saying the pilots’ cases will be reviewed based on the findings.
“Commanders are expected to hold members accountable for their actions, while ensuring due process and equitable treatment are appropriately applied in every case,” the statement reads.
“Commanders take this responsibility very seriously. An allegation of mistreatment is reviewed at multiple levels, and the Laughlin cases are no exception.”
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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