The Washington Post

May 30, 1997, Friday, Final Edition

Army Southeast Medical Chief Is Forced Out; General Allegedly Had Improper Relationship

Dana Priest, Washington Post Staff Writer

SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A19

LENGTH: 506 words

A one-star general in charge of all Army medical facilities in the Southeast region was permanently relieved of his command yesterday for sexual misconduct, Army officials said last night.
Brig. Gen. Stephen N. Xenakis, 48, a psychiatrist who was also in charge of the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Ga., was relieved of his duties because the Army surgeon general “had lost confidence in his ability to command the hospital,” said Virginia Stephanakis, a spokeswoman for the surgeon general’s office.
Army officials refused to discuss details of the dismissal, citing the general’s privacy.
“Even though I did not know what the allegations are and I still do not have a statement of them, in the best interest of my wife and caring for her, I elected to relinquish command,” Xenakis told the Augusta Chronicle.
“My wife’s undergoing chemotherapy for a real serious illness and I really need to ascertain what I’m going to do that’s in her best interest and my children’s best interest,” he added.
The action against him comes as the Army is conducting a wide-ranging review of sexual harassment in its ranks and is in the midst of painful courts-martial at its Aberdeen, Md., base involving drill instructors who had sex with trainees in their charge.
In addition, the adultery case of 1st Lt. Kelly Flinn, the Air Force’s first female bomber pilot, brought largely unwanted public attention to the relations between the sexes in the military. Flinn officially rejoined civilian life when her general discharge went into effect yesterday.
The Army has painted itself as being open to public scrutiny and has been more forthcoming than usual on the facts of cases involving the noncommissioned officers accused at Aberdeen. Last night, however, the Army struggled to explain its silence regarding a general.
“Frankly, I don’t think we’re hiding behind the Privacy Act,” said Col. Robert Gaylord, an Army spokesman. “It’s a private matter.”
Xenakis was temporarily relieved of his command May 12 in order to prepare his defense, according to Stephanakis. Other Army sources said the inspector general’s office has not finished its investigation and that Xenakis may still be subject to administrative punishment or court-martial.
The New York Times reports in today’s editions that Xenakis was relieved of command for having an improper relationship with a civilian nurse caring for his wife. Army sources would not confirm the account, but did say Xenakis’s wife is suffering from cancer.
In the Air Force case, Flinn, 26 and single, received a general discharge last week and avoided being court-martialed on charges that included adultery, lying during an official investigation and disobeying a direct order at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. Her discharge went into effect at midnight.
She will have to repay the service up to $ 19,000 for part of her education at the Air Force Academy. Flinn also will lose all medical and other special benefits that veterans receive.