Equality in the ranks - editorial

The Four Star General did not end his bid to become the nation's top military officer because he lacked the qualifications, but rather to spare the Pentagon and President Clinton the embarrassment of another sex scandal.

Ralston was the leading candidate for the Joint Chief's post until last week, when he admitted to Defense Secretary William Cohen that he had an affair with a civilian woman 13 years ago while he was separated from his wife.

News of Ralston's affair came just days after Lt. Kelly Flinn was granted a general discharge after having an affair with an enlisted woman's husband. Flinn, the first female B-52 pilot in Air Force history, resigned to avoid a court-martial for adultery, lying and disobeying orders.

Flinn's case is now being compared to Ralston's as an example of a double standard for adultery in the military. When it comes to sexual misconduct, you don't have to search far and wide to find evidence of such a double standard in the military's top bra ss.

Ironically, it was Ralston who stripped Lt. Gen. Thomas R. Griffith of his command of the 12th Air Force and U.S. Southern Command Air Forces at Davis Monthan Air Force Base because of adultery.

In 1995, Griffith told his superiors that he had an affair with a civilian woman. According to an Air Force statement, Ralston removed the 28-year veteran because he had "lost confidence in Griffith's ability to command due to inappropriate personal condu ct."

As Griffith, Flinn, and now Ralston have found, the personal life of a public servant is never far from the public spotlight. Considering his connection with the enforcement of the military's code of conduct, Ralston had no choice but to end his candidacy for the highly visible position of Joint Chief's chairman.

The military must adhere to the highest standards in maintaining order and discipline, however playing bedroom police is not the answer. Witch hunts and double standards are demoralizing to morale.

In dealing with the personal lives of military personnel, the first and only consideration should be to determine whether behavior could be detrimental to performance and the preservation of order.

However, the fact that Ralston's affair with a civilian apparently had no affect his professional performance or the morale of the Air Force, became a moot point in the politics of the military's sexual witch hunt.

To quell the rumors of a double standard, Ralston is now paying the price for the harsh treatment of Kelly Flinn. Unfortunately, Ralston will not be judged on his merits.

The only real winners in this situation are the Pentagon and the commander in chief, who escaped a public relations nightmare.