Although the military-themed site does not mention the 82nd Airborne specifically, a WhoIs search lists the registered owner as Dennis Ashe of Fayetteville, N.C., a town situated less than 30 miles from the Division’s base.
Emails sent by XBiz to the registered addresses for ActiveDuty.com were returned as undeliverable. The phone number listed for the site also was not in service.
In an official statement on Saturday, Maj. Amy Hannah gave no indication as to how many members of the 82nd appeared on the site, though an anonymous tip given to the local Sun Sentinel newspaper claimed upwards of seven soldiers were involved.
At issue in the investigation is whether the soldiers violated military conduct by appearing on the site.
“Homosexual orientation alone is not a bar to service, but homosexual conduct is incompatible with military service,” Maj. Todd Vician said. “We define homosexual conduct as homosexual acts or verbal or nonverbal communication that a member is homosexual.”
ActiveDuty.com is just one of dozens — if not hundreds — of gay adult sites purporting to feature real military men, but it is the first to make waves with such a highly respected institution as the 82nd Airborne.
With more than 15,000 troops, the Division is often heralded as one of the Army’s elite.
