US sergeant demoted for Playboy act

San Antonio: A US Air Force drill sergeant who posed nude for Playboy magazine has been removed from active duty, she and the Air Force said.

Michelle Manhart, who appeared in a six-page spread in Playboy's February issue, said she got the word on Friday that she was removed from 'extended active duty' and was also told that she was demoted from staff sergeant to senior airman.

"I'm disappointed in our system," Manhart said, adding, "They went too far with it."

Manhart said she was reverted to her Air National Guard status and that she submitted a 'resignation' to the Guard, which she said is pending.

Manhart was a member of the Iowa Air National Guard before going on extended active duty.

Oscar Balladares, a spokesman for Lackland Air Force Base, confirmed on Wednesday that Manhart was removed from extended active duty on Friday, but said Lackland did not discharge her.

"She was removed from active duty status, and thus reverted to National Guard status," Balladares said. "It is not up to the Air Force, it is not our jurisdiction to discharge her."

Lt Col Greg Hapgood, a spokesman for the Iowa National Guard, said because the Guard did not have "documentation of her separation" from the Air Force, it did not have her on duty status.

Manhart, a 30-year-old mother of two, said the military's action against her hinged on the fact that she was pictured wearing her uniform.