A military police brigade commander quietly retired this spring, two years after an investigation found he fostered a toxic work environment and exhibited unprofessional behavior — including kissing other soldiers' wives on the lips at public functions.
Sworn testimony against his leadership included accusations of intimidation, micromanaging and "chasing jumps" (jumping excessively just to pad his resume), something he reportedly condemned to soldiers.
In one instance, he reportedly insisted on a team leader speaking at a soldier's funeral, even after learning the deceased's family had requested that particular soldier not to speak.
McRee, in testimony to investigators, disputed most of the allegations against him. He defended his actions, explaining that he needed to correct a unit that tended to be, in his words, "arrogant, obnoxious and extremely nepotistic," as well as resistant to change.
The commander did have supporters, including the command sergeant major at the time of the investigation, as well as a few other soldiers. The CSM said McRee "showed great patience" in dealing with a brigade staff.
Col. Chad B. McRee, commander, 16th Military Police Brigade, briefs his soldiers about the importance of buddy aid when it comes to suicide prevention in 2012. McRee was removed from command after a 2013 investigation.
Photo Credit: Army
"The COL does his best to implement guidance and programs passed down from senior Army Leadership. Some of this guidance and programs are resisted by our Battalion and Company level leadership," the CSM wrote. "The COL tries to implement positive change."
But many others slammed the colonel for unrelenting negativity and iron-headed intractability, adding that he had it out for their unit. The investigation deemed five of the eight allegations against him "substantiated."
An anonymous, Feb. 20, 2013, letter from "concerned leaders and soldiers" of the brigade written to the XVIII Corps commander initiated the probe. The six-page letter cited "toxic leadership and undue Command influence."
McRee's wife did not escape criticism. Some soldiers complained Family Readiness Group events were prioritized above all else under McRee, and his wife Julie played a big role. Subordinates said she had unit events moved, treated soldier spouses according to soldier rank, and gave her husband feedback later used to penalize soldiers.
The Army does not publicly release names of fired brigade and battalion commanders as a matter of policy. However, McRee's case was first discovered and reported by the Fayetteville
Observer. Army Times attempted to reach out to the McRees, but multiple numbers previously associated with him were disconnected. The Army has had no formal contact with him since his retirement and does not have forwarding contact information, according to XVIII Airborne Corps spokesman Sgt. Maj. Tom Clementson.
'I do kiss spouses'
McRee's distaste for the 16th Brigade — the 503rd Battalion in particular — originated before he assumed command in 2010, according to the investigation.
According to a 503rd Battalion XO, when the two both worked at the Pentagon McRee called the 503rd an elitist organization, and said that he was going to go fix it. Other officers also said McRee had it out for his battalion.
"There was always an appearance or perception that (McRee) was difficult to work with and for, however I truly did not realize the full extent of this until I worked directly for him," the XO said.
McRee had previously served in the 503rd, and in his rebuttal to the allegations wrote that it was known that parts of the 16th Brigade "have a tendency to be highly competent and enthusiastic and tough, but also arrogant, obnoxious, and extremely nepotistic." He also said he found a climate derogatory toward minority soldiers, low density MOS personnel and soldiers not on jump status.
McRee laid blame on some of his commanders, including his initial CSM and multiple 503rd Battalion commanders for insubordination and resisting his and Army-wide initiatives.
While vehemently denying most of the allegations outright, he did admit kissing wives at public events.
"I do kiss spouses depending on our familiarity with one-another and depending on the circumstances regarding the event," McRee wrote. "I am careful to read body language and I try in all instances to avoid ever making someone feel uncomfortable or vulnerable. Generally, if I am hugging or kissing a spouse, it is in the presence of my own wife or the spouse's husband."
Multiple sworn statements said he did make wives uncomfortable to the point of tears; some sought to avoid events where the colonel and his wife would be present and said they felt violated, the investigation found.
Back-stabbing and intimidation
Both supporters and detractors of McRee accused each other of an underhanded information war, according to the investigation.
McRee said he learned that leaders were trashing him in front of junior officers. He also said he heard that soldiers in his command had been were hunting down others to write negative statements about him. Many of the allegations surfaced in the anonymous letter that started the investigation.
"He further went on to tell [redacted] that, 'they were going to take (me) down, that this probe is Army Times sh-t, and that he had gotten at least 50 statements made against (me),'" wrote McRee, who said he was hurt by the efforts. "He went on to tell [redacted] that there was no one in my corner."
Meanwhile, McRee was accused of using "spies" and "moles" to dig for dirt about soldiers while in command.
Multiple officers said McRee would task them to report negatively on leaders, including the 503rd battalion commander. If they had nothing negative to say, McRee allegedly would respond with statements like "you owe me," "I write your OER, not [redacted],'" and "Why are you afraid of [redacted]? He can't hurt you, but I can!"
"(McRee) does not trust his subordinates," one company commander said. "Before taking command of the (company, McRee) told me it was my duty to inform him of what people are saying about him [redacted] and to give him a "pulse" on the 503d Military police battalion (airborne)."
A battalion commander also called out McRee for the general atmosphere his tactics created.
"[McRee] has fostered an (sic) hostile work environment of intimidation, fear of reprisal, mistrust, negativity, unachievable standards, double standards, hypocracy (sic), forced/coerced compliance, and unprofessional conduct," the battalion commander wrote. "There is only one way to do things in the 16th BDE and that is [McRee's] way."
Family Readiness
Much of the tension in the brigade stemmed from McRee's attempt to overhaul his unit's family readiness program. McRee said the atmosphere was unwelcoming when he assumed command. He received support from his CSM at the time of investigation.
"(McRee) tried to create a positive climate for all Soldiers, NCOs, officers and family members. (McRee) has tried to establish a climate where everyone feels welcome," the CSM wrote.
The FRG program was at the forefront of these efforts, but according to a 503rd Battalion commander, McRee took it too far.
"I truly believe FRG is extremely important, but I believe there should be a balance between FRG and all the other aspects of command," the commander said.
McRee's wife played a key role in planning FRG events, and at least five people's sworn statements described her as heavy-handed and authoritative. A battalion commander said he's heard spouses and junior leaders refer to her as "the General." McRee would also accuse soldiers of sabotaging his efforts if there are scheduling conflicts with FRG events, according to the investigation.
"I have been personally reprimanded by (her) for things that I have done that upset his wife," one leader said. "I was forced to conduct a calendar scrub with her during which she had me change events on the battalion calendar to accommodate coffees and other FRG-type events that she wanted us to do."
Some leaders said the issue has helped lead to penalization during OERs. McRee denies that any evaluations were unfair, though he does write that "lack of FRG support would certainly be within my purview to consider." His CSM again backed him up, saying that organizational changes left more peers competing for "above center mass" ratings. (Multiple dissenting leaders shifted from "above center mass" before McRee to "center mass" under him.)
"Not everyone is an A+ performer yet everyone expects a perfect rating, deserved or not," said the CSM, who said leaders had equated "airborne" and the "maroon beret" with excellence without regard to performance.
Other complaints
The investigation lists a number of other substantiated complaints from various sources, including:
• McRee stuck to his insistence that during the unit memorial for a specialist who had killed himself committed suicide, the specialist's team leader would speak. The family, at the time believing the team leader may have contributed to his the specialist's decision to kill himself, had requested him the team leader not speak. (An investigation later failed to substantiate abuse from the team leader.) According to multiple statements, McRee's decision to have him speak anyway clearly upset the family. After the service, the family asked the team leader be kept away from them. Instead testimony, indicated the team leader approached and "virtually yelled at them," telling the family "the unit had to grieve as well as the family and that this service was for the unit."
• The investigation's review of jump logs left "no doubt" that McRee had been was chasing jumps in pursuit of his Master Parachutist badge, at times jumping as many as 3-4 times in a day. The report found that McRee had "preached to officers and NCOs within the 503rd that it is a 'selfish' act to chase jumps." (In a constrained fiscal environment in which fewer jump opportunities are available, there is concern that such unneeded jumps take slots from other soldiers trying to stay proficient, which requires jumping once a month. It was unclear in the report if McRee took seats that could have helped other soldiers maintain proficiency.)
• McRee admitted missing mandatory sustainment training for multiple jumps, an allegation substantiated by eight officers and NCOs in the investigation. McRee said he would instead conducted sustained airborne training on his own (as a qualified jumpmaster) or ask another jumpmaster to do it. He cited his duties and schedule as justification for sustainment training away from other jumpers.
• McRee would frequently micromanage and ignore or not seek input from the chain of command, the investigation found, citing multiple soldier-provided examples. He once berated a first sergeant after having witnessed him speeding across the base; the MP had been was rushing a subject experiencing chest pains to the hospital. In another case, he reportedly suspended a first sergeant and company commander for hazing without talking to them; an investigation later found the hazing claim unfounded. Another account stated he publicly ripped into another soldier for hazing when, in fact, the allegedly-hazed soldier was standing off to the side after refusing to rig up.
• After an email requesting "candid feedback" from company commanders on a topic, several did not respond. After McRee cited his rank while berating the lack of response, one offered feedback on the idea that approached the goal from another angle. McRee allegedly disregarded the dissent: "You better learn to like it," was his response, according to the investigation summary.
