The 173rd Airborne Brigade soldier responsible for a 2016 “Humvee bomb” incident has been found guilty at a court-martial of destroying military property and giving a false official statement.
Sgt. John Skipper, 29, was dealt a bad-conduct discharge and reduction in grade to E-1 in Vilseck, Germany, this week for a stunt involving the destruction of three Humvees during a heavy drop training exercise. A jury concluded that Mr. Skipper intentionally cut parachute straps on three Humvees in Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, in April 2016, Stars and Stripes reported Wednesday.
“Oh! Yes! Yes! Yes!” one witness says as the Humvee makes impact — seemingly at terminal velocity — during a YouTube video viewed over 1.4 million times.
That individual, an observer trainer coach with the 7th ATC’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center, was previously given an administrative letter of reprimand.
Stars and Stripes noted that Mr. Skipper could have received a 10-year prison sentence, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Negligent destruction carries a maximum punishment of a year in prison, a bad-conduct discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances, the newspaper reported.
SEE ALSO: Army charges soldier over infamous air drop gone wrong in ‘Humvee bomb’ video
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.