By This is a story you need to read in full but basically the wife of Colonel Thompson Gerke, the former USFK deputy commander of Marine forces on the peninsula, launched a lawsuit against a Yongsan travel agent because she had to fly business class instead of first class. She says the agent owes here $12,000 because she had to pay the extra amount of money to upgrade at the airport while the agent offered to pay $5,527 which is what she actually spent on an upgrade since she only upgraded one way.
She claims she has a back problem and has to fly only in first class because of her back problem. I found this to be strange behavior if you have a back problem:
Park said the family won’t take anything less than $11,054 and that Catherine created a scene in his store after the last court session. Park said she was lying on the floor of his shop screaming disparaging remarks about his business in front of other customers and he was forced to call the military police.
I don’t know the full story and maybe there is more to this, but judging by this Stars and Stripes article the agent offering to pay $5,527 seems like a fair settlement. The colonel and his wife have some responsibility in this because they should have checked their tickets or their receipt to verify what section they were sitting in before they even went to the airport. The fact that Ms. Gerke lodged complaints throughout Eighth Army as well as even writing her Congressman to launch a Congressional inquiry, sounds more like someone thinking they wear their husband’s rank instead of just being a military wife.
You can read more over at Lost Nomad.
By...
American town aws american...
1:52 am on July 24th, 2007 1
Reminds me of some other cases where senior officer's wives get their husbands career ruined…
2:25 am on July 24th, 2007 2
If I owned this Travel Agency I would Sue here back claiming she scared away potential business with her antics.
5:34 am on July 24th, 2007 3
Officers wife, with a bad back? Can't be much of a wife in my book. I know. Not on topic.
8:33 am on July 24th, 2007 4
I made a comment at Nomad's, but in short we only know that Mr. Park said he offered the money, as for not checking the tickets…..emergency leave to go to a funeral does not always allow you to complete your 30 point checklist. Getting home to see a good friend's funeral (not emergency leave but the command let me go anyways) I forgot quite a few things and almost didn't make it. There is a lot of heresay in this article, we do know that Mr. Park admitted making the mistake (or outright fraud) and that they paid for what they thought were first class tickets, everything else is suspect which in my mind favors the Col and his wife.
10:08 am on July 24th, 2007 5
Yep but as it turns out she did not show up at the hearing
Gen V ruled in favor of the Travel Agency and the Ambassador turned down her request for an audience (I am sure she wants him to come to her house)
Sen Warner has not responded to her urgent situation
2:29 pm on July 24th, 2007 6
BITCH people MARINES and soldiers especially are dying every day in combat and you are complaining about first class flight accommidations
your husband should be embarassed and tell you to shut your F'ing mouth!!!!
pathetic moron
2:59 pm on July 24th, 2007 7
She probably made some pretty good scratch off that "Chosen Gift Shop" scam too. Or at least imported some nice things for herself…
12:09 am on July 25th, 2007 8
Its about time that her hubby should be deployed to Iraq just to get away from this BS that she is doing. And he can kiss his Star O-7 promotion goodbye and be prepared for retirement. Being a flag officer is very political and everything counts when it comes to who gets the star and who gets retired as O-6. I guess she does not want to a USMC General's wife.
12:18 am on July 25th, 2007 9
Hamilton,
That is why I said I'm judging this by the Stars and Stripes article and since she claims she was rolling around on the ground vomiting on the airplane it doesn't seem like to much of a stretch she may have done the same thing in the travel agency. Also as kingkitty pointed out the disciplanary board ruled in favor of the travel agency, General Valcourt did as well and the ambassador turned her down along with the US Congress. Then she didn't show up for court. These are all very telling.
Like I said before the travel agency offered to payback the money which seems like a fair settlement. All the rest of the drama around this case is simply unnecessary.
7:07 pm on August 6th, 2007 10
[...] The Stars & Stripes have given an update today on the case of the pissed off Colonel’s wife: [...]