A Private Affair

Love is never having to say yessir.

Army Second Lieut. Mary Lou Follett, 22, a nurse, and Specialist Fourth Class James C. Johnson, 20, a medical technician, met last summer while both were working at Heidelberg Army Hospital in West Germany. They fell in love --and soon fell afoul of Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which has been interpreted to hold that since Johnson was an enlisted man, Lieut. Follett was guilty of "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman."

Her commanding officer, Lieut. Colonel Doris M. Cobb, called her in for counseling and pointedly reminded her that the Army word for such liaisons is "fraternization."

"I told Colonel Cobb that there was no problem," says Lieut. Follett, "that my relationship with Johnson did not interfere with my duties at the hospital, and that furthermore I was dating whom I pleased."

After the couple began living together in a $175-a-month furnished apartment, the petty punishments began.

While driving Lieut. Follett's car without a military driver's license, SP4 Johnson was stopped one day by MPs; he was fined $80, reduced to private and given 14 days extra duty. Then he was transferred to another job at a dispensary in Worms, 25 miles away, forcing him to commute by train or car, or to hitchhike. Says Johnson of his new assignment: "The people here are pretty nice. As long as I keep my bunk tidy and footlocker straight, nobody cares where I spend my nights."

In two petitions for redress of grievances, Follett and Johnson have charged their superiors with harassment. The Army has declared both petitions "without foundation." It should come as no surprise that when their tours of duty are up, the Lieutenant and her private have no plans to remain in the Army.

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