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A general with the California National Guard has been relieved of duty after he reportedly ordered troops to take his mother shopping.
Brigadier General Jeffrey Magram has also been accused of forcing subordinates to perform other personal tasks, such as making an on-duty National Guard member drive him 120 miles to a dental appointment and coercing an underling to take his place in a mandatory training session, a spokesman says. While Magram hasn't denied the accusations, he says no one has ever complained about running errands for him.
"Had I ever heard of any ethics issues like this from subordinates, peers or commanders, or perceptions of such, I would have corrected or addressed it on the spot," he said in a statement to an inspector general.
After finding Magram guilty of the offenses, a National Guard board has determined he'll be "involuntarily transferred" to the U.S. Air Force retired reserve, which a spokesman says is "parallel" to being fired. In a memo written to Magram, Major General Matthew Beevers writes, "Your conduct has caused me to lose faith, trust and confidence in your ability to continue serving."