Saturday, January 30, 2010

The Navy Must Decide What It Stands For ...

or it will fall for anything.

- Drug use at the academy. Not one of my Leading Petty Officers would have believed Midshipman Curry's explanation for popping positive on his urinalysis test. Can't understand why VADM Fowler did.

- Commanding Officer fraternization. At least the Navy fired Captain John Titus.

- Commanding Officer abusive behavior/cruelty. Thankfully, the Navy finally fired Captain Holly Graf.

- Commanding Officer solicitation of prostitutes. Captain Little was fired in South Carolina.

We're batting .750 when we could easily bat 1.000 on these four cases. It's not over until it's over and with the recent outcry at the United States Navy Academy, I'm not sure that the 'fat lady' has sung in Midshipman Curry's case.


I LOVE OUR NAVY. I HOPE THIS ILLNESS IS SHORT-LIVED.

17 comments:

Troy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
aeroeng said...

Agreed. The recent incident at USNA leaves myself and many of my fellow grads with a sour taste in our mouth.

Anonymous said...

Concur with aeroeng...this is a stain!

Anonymous said...

P.S. What happened to the Holly Graf blog?

standards first - football second said...

from the Washington Post:
"Curry, from Carrollton, Tex., averaged 7.3 yards per carry this past season."

This says everything you need to know.

Nobody is a bigger fan of football --at all levels-- than I.

But anybody who thinks that football players in *ANY* DI or above program are held to the same standards as non players has probably smoked a blunt or two of their own.

Multiple points of pain here.
-The gifted young person person who jeopardizes a series of opportunities given to few (take your choice as to whether its football prowess or spot at the USNA) with a stupid decision...a decision that my spider-sense tells me is simply the tip the iceberg.
-The missed leadership opportunity to send a powerful message that there are some standards that have no gray areas. I know plenty of good sailors who were shown their way out the navy after a similar lapse in judgment. They weren't in a training status...but they didn't average 7.3 yards per carry.

I may have gone to my last Navy football game. Let's hope USNA alums that get the failure here will stay away in droves. And that previously generous athletic boosters will snap shut their checkbooks.

LCDR Bob Morrison said...

"Not on my watch, not on my ship, not in my Navy"-- ADM Hayward, former CNO

Anonymous said...

This sadly defines the state of affairs at the Annapolis School for Wayward Youth. There is precedent going back to at least the 80's, where the Lacrosse Captain had popped positive for cocaine yet was retained. At least in that case the Supe was in favor of having him hit the bricks; if not for a crafty sea lawyer who threatened to sue the Navy, it might have become a reality.

What is more disturbing here is the report of 3 (or more) honor violations. But that's not anywhere close to being a record. In the 80's I had a female classmate (not Holly Graf) with at least 5 honor code violations that were adjudicated (that the class knew of) yet she was retained, probably due to the politically correct sensitivities at the time. The Boat School has always been under a Congressional microscope (perhaps due to proximity).

And then there's the story of one of our star basketball players being found guilty of a code violation, yet the Deputy 'Dant (acting on behalf of the Commandant who happened to be on leave) decided to overturn the findings. Did I mention that the Deputy Commandant was then Captain Al Konetzni, beloved by many a sailor as "Uncle Al", and oh by the way the O-rep for the hoops team? Perhaps that is why the "Deputy Dawg" made precedent here; in previous cases when the 'Dant was away, the Deputy would historically defer such a decision.

This sort of coddling is exactly how we wind up with Holly Grafs in the military (and for that matter, Major Hasans). It is time USNA goes back to the basics and stop worrying what the impact will be to Navy Football etc.

Anonymous said...

You do not have the facts on CAPT John Titus. What you imply is incorrect.

I have served with CAPT John Titus. He is an outstanding Naval Officer and has displayed the qualities we expect in a leader throughout his career.

Mike Lambert said...

"You don't have the facts". Can you provide them??

1610 LCDR Hawaii said...

Surprised about the fraternization issue with Captain Titas. Our captain here married a second class that she dated in Japan. There was never an issue with that. I'd like to know more about the circumstances around Captain Titas and who he fraternized with.

Anonymous said...

Our captain here married a second class that she dated in Japan. There was never an issue with that.

Perhaps there should have been...

General Quarters said...

Fraternization cases are not uniformly prosecuted in the Navy. It depends on who is doing the fraternizing, how they are perceived by the c-o-c, and what the detriment to good order and discipline is determined to be. I also think there may be variance according to the community in which the fraternizing occurs, eg the cryptologic community, especially ashore has a long history of taking the liberal view towards fraternization, essentially "don't ask, don't tell."

Heidi said...

The situation with Captain Little is a sad one. I volunteer(ed) with his wife at Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, and our office was pretty quiet this last week. What is to come is an interesting situation...

Anonymous said...

captain John Titus was a weak leader who should never promoted to captain in the first place. i worked with him, i was a student at NSCS, he was weak, he show weakness , that his LT's and CDR Wilson were running the show instead of him. catpain Titus in his times, the school has known many trouble, many DUI, and many problems. he lacks many thing.. he caused suffering to many sailors, he basically destroy lives of many sailors that work hard to be officers. Karma is a B....!!

Anonymous said...

VADM. Konetzni you mentioned as a hero to many USNA grads and naval officers. What was not mentioned was the fact that he spent several years cheating on his wife with a woman who's husband was a O6 on his staff at the time. Then he managed to divorce the first wife using US navy lawyers, usually divorce is a state matter. Then he shipped overseas. This is leadership of the first order. Maybe the issue is that the Naval Academy uses his text, "Command at Sea" to teach command. Funny as well, that one of his "commanders" and mentoree's was Scott Waddle who shared complicity in the negligent homicide by submarine of 19 Japanese high school children off the Wikikki coast. If USNA puts leaders like Konetzni on the street, maybe closing the academies and getting a more diverse cut of America from our public universities is the way to a better future.

2010 USNA Grad said...

The fat lady has sung her song and Curry is gone. Good riddance! I don't think his stain and stink on USNA will last.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:26

Don't talk shit that you have no idea about with regard to Big Al.

Cheating never happened - the Navy IG investigated and investigated. They found nothing.

Trust me, I know the man and it didn't happen.

Don't believe all the rumors - selfish is one thing Big Al is not.