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What a wildly stupid reason to remove someone from a command post. This is something that should have been met by a jokey meme, not relieving him from duty.
It's never one thing.
The picture brought attention to him, and most Captain's have done some shit. When they're out to sea they're pretty much the final authority. Like no one is ever going to hear about what they do from UCMJ cases.
Until something like this. Then you have an investigation and they look thru everything and talk to everyone.
That's what gets them kicked out.
Yeah I grew up around some Navy veterans and the weird stories I know is kinda impressive, im also going to note these were all doen with the captains permission and/or knowledge.
Cooking a turkey with the smokestack.
Shooting seagulls with an AA gun, related to the previous one.
Shooting seagulls with a pressure washer, unrelated to the person from before.
Shooting seagulls with an M1 flamethrower, this is from an entirely different person from the two before.
Blaring music over the loudspeaker "because it annoyed the British"
Smuggling "Way too much" whiskey
Making "The Man Signal" with a floodlight
Confetti cannon, I have no fucking clue what this means I assume they filled a ship cannon with confetti
Some dude was very proud of his dick and wanted to show God.
I expect it was something other than the picture due to the four month gap, but the pic could be part of an overall pattern of incompetence.
See, that's an interesting take. This guy might have been a fuck up in some other way and this gave the Navy an easy exit for him.
Just being sidelined for a gun scope being incorrectly configured in a picture? That would be a wild over reaction.
It was also a relief of command, not a court martial, not non-judicial punishment, not a demotion or and not a punitive action. It happened because it affected the image of the force, but not necessarily anything that is terribly bad. Relieving someone of command can be a precaution or a temporary measure, not always leading up to anything drastic. He will probably get additional training and a small mark on his record that will go away in a short time as long as the trend doesn't continue. He may even still get to keep his command or just move somewhere else to command.
No, it is not as severe as NJP or court martial, but being relieved of your command during a deployment overseas is a very serious reprimand for someone at an O-5/O-6 level. Its a statement that the wider command does not trust in your ability to lead during combat maneuvers, which is your entire role at that level in your career.
It is likely that this ends his career, not that he's just allowed back. I would expect "voluntary" retirement at a minimum.
We've had similar incidents with weapon safety (and other things) in the past that were more serious than what was going on in that picture. It all depends on the circumstances, and I've seen it go both ways. The point I was making is if there was anything more substantial, it would not just be 'relieved of command'. No mention of an actual reprimand, which is more serious. I'm not saying it couldn't ultimately lead up to that, but we don't know that yet.
Meanwhile sexual abusers practically get a free pass in the military. Still an ol' boys club.
Well, at least they didn't put their scope on backwards. Can you imagine?
you command one of the most destructive forces ever devised by man, if you're dumb enough to make the mistake of accepting a lethal weapon without inspecting it, it can be assumed you do that with all things. this is just not embarrassing, it goes to show what this man is able to miss, and naval command doesn't want someone like that at the helm of one of their destroyers. it's an easy call.
You think they shoot rifles off that thing? Not even a little bit.
He's not in a role that would ever wield a rifle in a realistic scenario. It's not part of the Navys standard training for sailors or officers either. If you ever have to fire a gun in the Navy, you're already deeply fucked. You tend to shoot things with lot more range off a ship, and most aren't something you can sling over your shoulder.
It's no different than a marine commander standing at the helm backwards or a high ranking army officer having a life jacket on backwards. Its a simple error borne from inexperience, not incompetence.
I mean, I don't disagree with the broad point that it's unusual, but...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Buckley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Borie_(DD-215)
There are also cases where Navy personnel have had to fight on land, like at Wake Island:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wake_Island
Not the US Navy, but one important battle the US fought in the War of 1812 that I can think of off the top of my head had British forces at the Battle of New Orleans. This had a a significant set of unusual combatants on each side; the Americans had a bunch of militia and volunteers from the town who showed up, as well as a pirate and his forces, and the British made use of some Royal Navy sailors:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_British_order_of_battle
Nothing wrong with the history lesson, but to be clear most of that was 80+ years ago, or in some examples 200+ years ago. Y'all talking about uboats and the war of 1812.
Modern naval war is fought at the 10 to 100s of miles range, if not thousands in the case of some terrible, terrible armaments in some of the boomers. Hand gun battles are just not realistic instances in the modern world of naval warfare.
It's a bit akin to why the Navy also barely teaches you how to swim. You get one 30 min class in boot camp, and literally no refresher courses or further training ever. If you have to swim in the modern Navy, you are already dead.
High effort post. Excellent read.
It happens.
Big ships will set up ranges where the backstop is the ocean, little ones throw buoy targets off the side and shoot them.
Like, it's not a daily thing, but if you're out to sea long enough it'll happen
Firearms are a responsibility not a joke.
He didn't point it at anyone, or act irresponsibly. He had the scope on backwards and didn't realize it. He wasn't joking around or mocking weapon safety.
If anyone is, it's the Marines and other detractors making fun at his expense that are treating firearm safety as a joke. Should they be relieved of duty?
His finger is in the trigger guard and there are casings from the gun.
One of the four rules of gun safety is be sure of your target and what’s beyond it. Having a backwards scope neglects that rule.
Sure, he is probably shooting into the ocean. But he doesn’t have a clear picture of an unlikely whale or human who might end up in his “crosshairs” (IIRC target would be smaller and he might not see) Because that violates one of the four pillars, it is acting irresponsibly.
Also, this was posted on the internet. So other people may try to do duplicate this
He picked up a rifle and fired it with a scope that would show everything very tiny. If he didn’t notice then he shouldn’t be in command of a naval vessel since he doesn't notice small details. If he did notice and didn't say anything that shows that he isn't confident in his own knowledge. That is the reason the navy lost confidence in him.