The same day military victims of sexual assault testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, NBC News aired an interview Wednesday with the woman whose accusation ultimately led to the court-martial conviction in November of an Air Force lieutenant colonel based at Aviano, Italy. In a twist that critics say undermines the military’s effort to stamp out sexual assault, Lt. Col. Craig Wilkerson’s conviction was overturned by Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin in late February after reviewing the evidence presented at the court-martial. The dismissal, a power which military commanders have held since 1775, has drawn sharp criticism from…
Author Steve Weigand
