Press Release
For Immediate Release
For more information: (910) 336-5966 or info@mwpa.army
Raleigh, NC | April 25, 2024 — The federal civil suit filed by US Army Sergeant First Class Michael J. Forbes against the US Army has moved to the next stage in its struggle for justice, with service of process being completed to US Attorney General Merritt Garland, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and the US Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina (Western Division, based in Raleigh), Michael Francis Easley, Jr.
The suit was first filed on March 19, 2024, with a case number of #5:24-cv-00176-BO-RJ.
SFC Forbes is a Military whistleblower, protected by the Military Whistleblowers Protection Act (MWPA) of 1988, which has been gutted with the Congressional amendments of 2017. His suit alleges that he has been retaliated against and will soon be involuntarily separated from the US Army only a few months prior to eligibility for retirement because he exercised his right to ask for informed consent information for two unlawfully ordered Behavioral Health Assessments that he had the right to refuse. These violations are punitive and carry significant penalties.
This suit is not the first attempt by SFC Forbes to seek a resolution of his case with the Secretary of the Army because on May 23, 2023, SFC Forbes’ wife, Sabrina, wrote a letter to Secretary Wormuth describing the situation and pleaded with her to, “Please help us; they are hunting him!” The Secretary of the Army did not respond to her, but instead, Mrs. Forbes only received a letter on July 25, 2023, from Mr. Herman Walker (Chief, Whistleblower Branch) that acknowledged her request for assistance but stated that privacy issues bar the Secretary’s office from addressing her concerns because of Inspector General (IG) procedures. The letter said, “We are unfortunately not able to assist you further with your inquiry.” Notably, he did not acknowledge an ongoing IG Investigation that will likely not be completed until after her husband’s separation from the Army later this year.
To add insult to injury (and regardless of claims of Army procedural doctrine), the letter by Mrs. Forbes somehow found its way into the packet uploaded by her husband’s Commander into the Army Military Human Resource Record (AMHRR) system (a system of record for Human Resources in the Army), which the Commander used to recommend her husband be permanently removed from service just months from completing a retirement paperwork. His packet was included in the Qualitative Management Program Board proceedings that culminated on April 15, 2024. “How can they use my letter to get help from the head of the Army, against my husband? I was trying to help him? I don’t think they care about Soldiers’ families at all; they just talk a lot about it to cover their ass. They are intentionally ruining our future because he did his job.” she said.
NOTICE: This press release reflects the views of the author alone and does not represent the views of the US Army, Department of Defense or any component of the US government. More information is located at https://mwpa.army.