Sebelius fires high-ranking Kansas National Guard officer

? A high-ranking officer in the Kansas National Guard has been fired from his job as human resources chief, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday.

Col. Joe Rose had backdated pay raises for himself and friends, according to a recent Pentagon report.

Sebelius said that Maj. Gen. Gregory Gardner, who is the state’s adjutant general, rejected an appeal from Rose “and involuntarily separated Colonel Rose from the Adjutant General’s department as its Human Resources Officer, effective immediately.”

Rose also will be required to pay back money that he received for making his promotion retroactive, an amount of $4,000 to $5,000, Sebelius said.

Gardner said he didn’t know about the allegations against Rose until the Pentagon investigation started a year ago.

But Gardner was criticized by some lawmakers after the investigation noted that Gardner had approved a form authorizing Rose’s promotion on the Guard’s pay scale, but that the form lacked an effective date when Gardner signed it.

Sebelius said she was taking no action against Gardner, a gubernatorial appointee, although she added that he was expected to improve his job performance. Rose remains in the Guard, she said.