Air Force Sergeant Michelle Manhart in Playboy

Staff Sergeant Michelle Manhart is in trouble with the Air Force for posing nude for Playboy.

An Air Force staff sergeant who posed nude for Playboy magazine has been relieved of her duties while the military investigates, officials said Thursday.

In February’s issue, hitting newsstands this week, Michelle Manhart is photographed in uniform yelling and holding weapons under the headline “Tough Love.” The following pages show her partially clothed, wearing her dog tags while working out, as well as completely nude.

“This staff sergeant’s alleged action does not meet the high standards we expect of our airmen, nor does it comply with the Air Force’s core values of integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do,” Oscar Balladares, spokesman for Lackland Air Force Base, said in a statement.

Manhart told Playboy that she considers herself as standing up for her rights. “Of what I did, nothing is wrong, so I didn’t anticipate anything, of course,” Manhart, 30, told The Associated Press. “I didn’t do anything wrong, so I didn’t think it would be a major issue.”

Manhart, who is married with two children, joined the Air Force in 1994, spending time in Kuwait in 2002. She trains airmen at Lackland.

It’s rather difficult to be taken seriously as a military leader after appearing naked in a porno mag. That someone who has been in the Air Force thirteen years can’t figure this out is incredible. And the only reason a 30-year-old mother of two is in Playboy to begin with is because of the novelty of her being in (and out) of uniform.

She has a MySpace page with numerous photos. She has her clothes on in all of them.

Air Force Sergeant Michelle Manhart in Playboy Photo 3

Air Force Sergeant Michelle Manhart in Playboy Photo 2

Air Force Sergeant Michelle Manhart in Playboy Photo 1

Okay, so maybe her Air Force affiliation isn’t the only reason Playboy was interested. Still, what was she thinking?

UPDATE: Steven Taylor wonders whether “investigating, and likely castigating, someone over nude photos is a good use of time and resources” given the military’s recruiting issues.

UPDATE: Scans of several of the photos from the Playboy shoot.

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