Ryan,

The difference between enlisted and officer in this case is Article 88 of the UCMJ only applies to Commisioned Officers.

In 1950, Congress enacted the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the prohibition survived intact as Article 88, but only commissioned officers were subject to penalties.

So, in theory, a Senior NCO could have made the same statement and received no punishment. But, I think your point is that officers seem to get less punishment for offenses than do enlisted and on that point I agree with you.... but so do I agree that the Sergeant Major of the Army and the USAREUR CSM should have received more harsh punishments for their cases of sexual misconduct. So, the case of un-equal treatment seems to be a case of "Senior" Ranks not the difference between enlisted and officer.

Mike