1369
02-15-2007, 09:06 AM
From MySA.com
A one-time Lackland AFB training instructor who posed nude in Playboy magazine says she's quit the service after being demoted from staff sergeant to low-ranking airman.
The trainer, Michelle Manhart, said life on the base became miserable after she appeared in a six-page photo spread Jan.12, sparking headlines around the country.
Manhart said she was taken off active-duty status last Friday and moved to the Iowa Air National Guard after facing disciplinary proceedings that began in the wake of the Playboy shoot.
The Air Force confirmed part of her account but did not elaborate on the disciplinary action or her current status.
In an interview Wednesday, she complained of being shunted to the back of an office while her case crossed the desks of commanders — all because she posed for the men's magazine.
"Obviously it's clear to me that the military has not progressed with life and time, because they're still living in a Stone Age period," Manhart said. "Women are still treated differently than men, women are still judged differently than men."
A SeaWorld-area mother of two whose husband is also in the Air Force, Manhart, 30, said she joined the Air Force in 1994. She worked last spring as a military training instructor, one of the service's elite jobs, when she posed for Playboy. The pictorial, shot at a home in the Dominion, depicts her in various states of nudity.
Michelle Manhart hopes to embark on a modeling and acting career.
Lackland pulled her from duty as a trainer after she told superiors she had posed for Playboy. Manhart said a series of administrative actions ensued, and she contended she was ordered to attend media training and not talk with reporters — a claim a base official denied.
"She was never forbidden to speak with the media," said Lt. Col. Dan Epright, a Lackland spokesman, adding that she was "encouraged" to seek media training before more interviews.
Manhart said a series of administrative actions took place as she worked her office job. Both the Air Force and Manhart said she was moved Friday from active-duty to Guard status.
Epright said Manhart came to the base from a National Guard unit for a four-year tour as a military trainer. He said she was sent back to the Guard because she was no longer able to perform that job.
He also confirmed she had received disciplinary paperwork but could not provide documentation because of federal Privacy Act rules.
Manhart did not provide documentation but said she was embittered by her experience, saying she wouldn't want to serve in the Air Force.
"I do support our military troops. I support the government and everything it stands for," Manhart said. "My hat's off to them, but as far as my direct leadership, they've proved to me there are dirty things that go on and you're not protected. So I guess the phrase 'watch your six' (rear) is very important in more than just the desert."
Epright and another Air Force spokesman, Oscar Balladares, were careful in discussing her case. The Privacy Act forbids the military from releasing information in administrative disciplinary proceedings.
While not confirming Manhart's account of the administrative actions in her case, Epright said she had been reduced in rank, saying, "My understanding is that she is a senior airman." He added, "A demotion is not a favorable personnel action."
It is not clear if Manhart is still in the Iowa Guard. Though she said she resigned Friday from the Guard and had received an honorable discharge, Epright had no documentation, saying only that she was given a form for those seeking separation from the service.
Wearing a silver Playboy necklace and a white T-shirt with the words "I modeled today" and the magazine's bunny logo, Manhart vowed over soft drinks at Audry's restaurant to embark on a modeling and acting career — and would love to pose for a second spread in the magazine.
She spent Valentine's evening judging the finals of a bikini contest at Graham Central Station, a massive nightclub on the city's Northwest Side.
It isn't clear if the second spread will happen. A Playboy spokesman couldn't be reached late Wednesday. Neither Manhart nor Playboy officials has said how much Manhart was paid.
At nightfall Wednesday, she enjoyed her celebrity status by judging the finals of a local nightclub's bikini contest.
"I hope, really hope that Playboy wants to do another photo shoot for many reasons," she said. "I absolutely love working with the Playboy family. The people are so incredible."
A house in the Dominion on two military salaries?
A one-time Lackland AFB training instructor who posed nude in Playboy magazine says she's quit the service after being demoted from staff sergeant to low-ranking airman.
The trainer, Michelle Manhart, said life on the base became miserable after she appeared in a six-page photo spread Jan.12, sparking headlines around the country.
Manhart said she was taken off active-duty status last Friday and moved to the Iowa Air National Guard after facing disciplinary proceedings that began in the wake of the Playboy shoot.
The Air Force confirmed part of her account but did not elaborate on the disciplinary action or her current status.
In an interview Wednesday, she complained of being shunted to the back of an office while her case crossed the desks of commanders — all because she posed for the men's magazine.
"Obviously it's clear to me that the military has not progressed with life and time, because they're still living in a Stone Age period," Manhart said. "Women are still treated differently than men, women are still judged differently than men."
A SeaWorld-area mother of two whose husband is also in the Air Force, Manhart, 30, said she joined the Air Force in 1994. She worked last spring as a military training instructor, one of the service's elite jobs, when she posed for Playboy. The pictorial, shot at a home in the Dominion, depicts her in various states of nudity.
Michelle Manhart hopes to embark on a modeling and acting career.
Lackland pulled her from duty as a trainer after she told superiors she had posed for Playboy. Manhart said a series of administrative actions ensued, and she contended she was ordered to attend media training and not talk with reporters — a claim a base official denied.
"She was never forbidden to speak with the media," said Lt. Col. Dan Epright, a Lackland spokesman, adding that she was "encouraged" to seek media training before more interviews.
Manhart said a series of administrative actions took place as she worked her office job. Both the Air Force and Manhart said she was moved Friday from active-duty to Guard status.
Epright said Manhart came to the base from a National Guard unit for a four-year tour as a military trainer. He said she was sent back to the Guard because she was no longer able to perform that job.
He also confirmed she had received disciplinary paperwork but could not provide documentation because of federal Privacy Act rules.
Manhart did not provide documentation but said she was embittered by her experience, saying she wouldn't want to serve in the Air Force.
"I do support our military troops. I support the government and everything it stands for," Manhart said. "My hat's off to them, but as far as my direct leadership, they've proved to me there are dirty things that go on and you're not protected. So I guess the phrase 'watch your six' (rear) is very important in more than just the desert."
Epright and another Air Force spokesman, Oscar Balladares, were careful in discussing her case. The Privacy Act forbids the military from releasing information in administrative disciplinary proceedings.
While not confirming Manhart's account of the administrative actions in her case, Epright said she had been reduced in rank, saying, "My understanding is that she is a senior airman." He added, "A demotion is not a favorable personnel action."
It is not clear if Manhart is still in the Iowa Guard. Though she said she resigned Friday from the Guard and had received an honorable discharge, Epright had no documentation, saying only that she was given a form for those seeking separation from the service.
Wearing a silver Playboy necklace and a white T-shirt with the words "I modeled today" and the magazine's bunny logo, Manhart vowed over soft drinks at Audry's restaurant to embark on a modeling and acting career — and would love to pose for a second spread in the magazine.
She spent Valentine's evening judging the finals of a bikini contest at Graham Central Station, a massive nightclub on the city's Northwest Side.
It isn't clear if the second spread will happen. A Playboy spokesman couldn't be reached late Wednesday. Neither Manhart nor Playboy officials has said how much Manhart was paid.
At nightfall Wednesday, she enjoyed her celebrity status by judging the finals of a local nightclub's bikini contest.
"I hope, really hope that Playboy wants to do another photo shoot for many reasons," she said. "I absolutely love working with the Playboy family. The people are so incredible."
A house in the Dominion on two military salaries?