Updated at 2:16 p.m. Eastern
A former command chief who was fired from his leadership position at the 20th Fighter Wing in 2019 for creating a hostile work environment and treating airmen unprofessionally and disrespectfully is still in uniform -- and now a squadron superintendent at another base.
In October 2019, Chief Master Sgt. Jason Morehouse was quietly relieved of his job as the top enlisted leader at the 20th, headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, after four months on the job. Later that month, an Air Force investigation substantiated allegations of sexual harassment, racist remarks, discriminatory behavior against his Black executive assistant, and dereliction of duty.
One witness said Morehouse once referred to glitter in her office as "stripper dust." He made a joke about his wife hating when he came home from the strip club with glitter on his face, she told investigators, and then made a gesture mimicking rubbing his face in breasts to demonstrate what he meant.
Two witnesses told investigators that Morehouse once said he would not be a good physical training leader "because he would stare at the test-takers' butts the whole time," the investigation report said. Morehouse made this comment during a discussion about the wing staff's fitness assessments in the command section's front office, it added. At least two witnesses felt his comment sexualized airmen under his command.
The investigation also found that Morehouse likely discriminated against a Black woman under his command and made several racist comments.
An unidentified Black airman, newly hired as his executive assistant, said Morehouse told her during a debrief one day in September 2019, "You don't act like a Black girl."
She told investigators she was taken aback and asked, "Well, how do Black girls act?"
Morehouse then appeared to recognize what he had said was offensive and inappropriate, she said.
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Then-wing commander Col. Derek O'Malley removed Morehouse from his position in 2019 after learning of the credible allegations and issued a no-contact order between Morehouse and the seven complainants. Investigators interviewed 11 witnesses and found them all credible.
The Air Force confirmed to Military.com that Morehouse is now serving as the squadron superintendent for the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Squadron superintendent is a special duty position given to senior noncommissioned officers who help organize and run their squadrons, handle personnel issues, and mentor airmen.
In a statement provided after this article was originally posted, the 15th Air Force, which encompasses both Shaw and Davis-Monthan, said that a thorough investigation was conducted into the allegations against Morehouse.
"As a result of the investigation, appropriate administrative actions were taken by the command, to include removal of CMSgt Morehouse from his role of command chief at the 20th Fighter Wing," Maj. Docleia Gibson said in an email. "Administrative actions are a rehabilitative tool that are designed to allow airmen to learn from their mistakes and grow. However, details of those administrative actions are covered by the Privacy Act and cannot be released."
Military.com also asked Davis-Monthan whether Morehouse wished to comment, but received no response.
The 20th Fighter Wing and its F-16 Fighting Falcons perform the Air Force's crucial "Wild Weasel" mission. In a major conflict, the Wild Weasels would be in charge of taking out enemy surface-based air defenses before they can strike U.S. or allied aircraft. The wing's F-16s have also supported combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Morehouse, who entered active duty in 1997, became the command chief of the 20th in June 2019. But in his four months there, he made a series of offensive statements and behaviors that shocked and offended personnel in the wing, according to the investigation report, obtained by Military.com via the Freedom of Information Act.
He made some women so uncomfortable that they tried to hide to avoid him, the report said. One witness said his behavior made her feel "creeped out" and used the term "predatory vibe" to describe him. At least one whistleblower said some of his inappropriately sexual comments were made in the presence of junior airmen.
Morehouse's inappropriately sexual jokes even extended to an August 2019 memorial service at Shaw's chapel. As some airmen hugged each other in sympathy for the loss of another airman, he surprised them when he said not to expect a hug from him.
"I don't hug with clothes on," the report said Morehouse explained.
And during a discussion about hiring a new executive assistant, a witness said Morehouse told her "he thought it would be better if he had a male executive assistant because he was a 'dirty old man.'"
Witnesses told investigators that Morehouse would frequently call things "stupid" and make mock masturbating hand movements.
He also regularly made "that's what she said" jokes, turning otherwise innocuous statements into sexual double entendres, witnesses told investigators.
Witnesses said Morehouse appeared not to give his Black executive assistant the same opportunities as her predecessor. She wasn't invited to awards presentations, welcome breakfasts or other events, they said, nor to enlisted briefings that would have been good chances for Morehouse to mentor her. One witness suspected the executive assistant's exclusion was racially motivated, though others weren't sure.
The investigator found that Morehouse treated her differently than her predecessor, who was invited to leadership events.
"While some of that difference can be attributed to personality differences, I do not believe all the disparate treatment can be dismissed that simply," the investigator wrote.
On at least two occasions, witnesses said, Morehouse made jokes about Morehouse College, the historically Black men's college in Georgia.
"You know those are my people," he said when someone else brought the college up in June 2019. "My middle name is Tyrone."
Witnesses told investigators that Morehouse changed his voice to a stereotypical Black accent when he made the joke. He again made the "Tyrone" joke at a dinner the following month, but the report does not say whether he adopted the accent that time.
The report concluded that Morehouse's racial comments showed he held negative stereotypes of Black people, which denied African Americans under his command the right to equal opportunity free of discrimination.
"Those remarks, coupled with additional indications of disparate treatment of [other airmen] show more likely than not, CMSgt Morehouse discriminated against [his executive assistant] based upon her race," the investigator wrote in the report.
The report also concluded that Morehouse was "willfully derelict" in his duties by failing to act professionally and be a role model for his airmen, by repeatedly making other immature or disrespectful comments.
For example, witnesses said Morehouse used the slur "retarded" and would make hand gestures that appeared to mock people with disabilities. This deeply upset one woman in the wing, whose brother has severe disabilities.
Morehouse declined to be interviewed for the investigation, but provided written responses that primarily said he either was joking or didn't remember making the statements in question, the report said.
In November 2019, the wing posted an interview with O'Malley and the 20th's new command chief on its website about the need to treat personnel with kindness and respect, and addressed Morehouse's removal.
"I will never walk by a problem when it is brought to my attention," O'Malley said. "When individuals on our team, particularly those in leadership positions, fail to treat people with professionalism, kindness and respect -- I have a responsibility to take action, and in some cases, to remove them."
Before his arrival at the 20th Fighter Wing and the subsequent investigation, Morehouse himself wrote an essay, which the Air Force posted online in January 2018, about the need for leaders to treat subordinates properly, and to do a better job developing young airmen.
"The front-line supervisor has two jobs: develop subordinates into professional airmen and develop these professional airmen to be great at their craft," he wrote. "The front line supervisor and subordinate relationship is much like the parent and child relationship. ... We have to get this one right. Today's subordinates are tomorrow's leaders and they are counting on us to get it right today."
-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.
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