Army Witness Denies Feeling Victimized

In a case fraught with trouble, the Army’s newest witness in the sexual misconduct case against Army Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney testified Monday that she did not feel victimized by his unwanted advances and did not want to press charges. Maj. Michelle Gunzelman said she was testifying only because her superiors told her she had a duty to do so.

In another twist, attorneys for McKinney claimed Gunzelman was testifying under a grant of immunity from prosecution for what they said are felonies she allegedly committed in the Army. The lawyers said they could not disclose whether the acts involved sexual conduct.

Gunzelman, a single woman who says McKinney twice asked her to go to bed with him and once grabbed her arm in an apparent attempt to kiss her, is the fifth woman to describe unwanted advances by the Army’s highest-ranking enlisted officer. As with his other accusers, however, Gunzelman’s testimony fell somewhat short of a ringing indictment of McKinney’s behavior.