I go off on my own, get stupid drunk for three days AWOL, sober up, come back, tell my tale.
Who wouldn't prosecute?
I'm a big believer in the simple explanation makes the most sense as you hypothesize.
She most likely fucked up, Big Blue made her out to be a hero while embarassing the Krgyz [sic] in getting her out of country ASAP, realizes she has a connection to an up and coming (sts) then three star, decides to cover it up to avoid the public scrutiny.
USAF would never do that, would it?