A Ranger School commander was suspended in January amid an investigation into his conduct over online dating.
Lt. Col. Nathan E. Showman was suspended Jan. 26 from his position as commander of the 5th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Merrill in Dahlonega, Georgia, according to a service spokesperson. The suspension was first reported by Army Times.
The investigation is related to Showman's use of a dating profile and subsequent consensual relationships, according to his attorney.
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"This investigation in no way is accusing [Lt. Col.] Showman of sexual harassment or any similarly related allegation," Robert Capovilla, with the Capovilla & Williams law firm, told Military.com. "Rather, it appears the Army is attacking a single, heterosexual man, and his desire to have a dating profile and to have consensual dating relationships with other adults."
It's unclear whether Showman had relationships with other soldiers, which could have potentially violated some of the Army's fraternization rules, but Capovilla said the relationships were not with subordinates.
"We are confident in [Lt. Col.] Showman's ability to continue to lead and continue to be a successful officer in the United States Army," Capovilla added.
Showman took command of the 5th Ranger Training Battalion in April 2023. The Army's installation in Dahlonega is home to the mountain phase of Ranger School, where students are training on mountaineering and combat patrol operations in rugged terrain.
Ranger School is conducted in three phases, each run by a different Ranger training element. The first is the Darby phase, which centers around small-unit tactics at Fort Moore, Georgia; the second is the mountain phase; and the final bit is the swamp phase at Camp Rudder, Florida, which focuses on waterborne operations, navigating through streams and using boats.
Lt. Col. Bob Stone, U.S. Army Infantry School executive officer, is serving as interim commander of the battalion.
Showman is a Cincinnati, Ohio, native and commissioned as an infantry officer out of Xavier University's ROTC program in 2005, according to his official bio. His first assignment was at Fort Riley, Kansas, with the 1st Infantry Division, where he served as a platoon leader during a deployment to Iraq in 2007. He deployed again to Iraq in 2009 as a company commander with the 23rd Infantry Regiment.
Showman has been assigned to duties at Fort Moore, according to a service spokesperson.
