A panel of three flag officers agreed that Navy Captain Owen P. Honors, late CO of USS Enterprise, should be allowed to continue his service in his present grade rather than face mandatory retirement, potentially at a reduced rank. One intuits that NPR’s online blog finds the panel’s result inexplicable, but notes that testimony from a retired Chief Warrant Officer about Honors’ effectiveness as executive officer of the ship may have played a role:
Chief Warrant Officer John Gilbert, who served as maintenance officer on the Enterprise, said he often asked Honors to convey messages to the crew, and that whenever he did, it solved the problem at hand.
For example, after a string of bad plumbing backups, he asked Honors to make a video explaining what shouldn’t be flushed down shipboard toilets.
“We’d do a video on it and bam, it’s taken care of,” Gilbert said, adding that sailors “ran to the TVs” to watch the Saturday night videos.
“I’ve never seen morale so high,” he said.
There was apparently insufficient server space at NPR for the news outlet to reveal a bit of interesting background on CWO Gilbert’s testimony:
He suffers from pancreatic cancer. Every day he lives is a gift. On Tuesday, he missed a day of chemotherapy and walked into the courtroom — with some difficulty — and testified with great conviction about the challenge of keeping the Enterprise seaworthy, how much he enjoyed doing it, and the degree of interest and engagement that Honors showed in maintenance issues.
“I love the Navy,” Gilbert blurted out at one point. “I’m retired. I pressed my uniform this morning to come down here and see y’all.”
And of Captain Honors?
“He’s an American hero,” he said, pointing at the captain.
The political zeitgeist surrounding the issue of CAPT Honor’s videos was unmistakable, but so was the support that he received on the deck plates. It probably helped that the board was comprised of junior flag officers, all of them aviators, all of whom understand the naval aviation culture and all of whom resisted applying the fashionable situational ethics of Manhattan and Georgetown to an arduous deployment to a combat zone in the uttermost parts of the sea. Their findings were common sense, and I dearly hope that they don’t pay for it.
They had a little top cover: Also dialing in was a senior flag officer of my casual acquaintance:
One high-profile witness had been scheduled to testify from the Pentagon, but it was unclear if a telephone connection coul be established.
As it turned out, Vice Adm. William Gortney, director of the Joint Staff, was just bit late getting on the phone.
His testimony concerning Honors was typical of those defended his character: A glowing assessment of his career and his demeanor, disappointment in the video episode, but urging the board to keep Honors in the Navy.
Warriors still.
BZ.
Damn. This restores my faith in an organization I have given so much to.
+100
Nice to see that PC hasn’t removed everybody’s testicles. I remember when videos like this were the norm. Ever see the “Man from LOX”? I’d still like to know who that blonde was.
Have your A$$. One of the best training films ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob98v2dEL_s From the way back but remember it like it was yesterday.
ADM Harvey could not be reached for comment.
Shortney’s now a terminal O9. Not nice to fool Mother Unnatural.
I’d say Harvey doesn’t want to be reached for comment either. The man is unworthy of his shoulder boards, to say the least.
Boston Maggie wanted Harvey for CNO. That was a serious bullet dodged. Hopefully he goes soon.
I’d say Harvey doesn’t want to be reached for comment either. The man is unworthy of his shoulder boards, to say the least.
Boston Maggie wanted Harvey for CNO. That was a serious bullet dodged. Hopefully he goes soon.
Either the group of flags (not sure about that “L”) that put Honors in command needs to resign, or the group of flags that removed him from command does. One of those groups flew the helo into the sewage plant.
That statement means now we’ll have to have you dragged out into the nearest open field and shot–can’t have logical thinkers poisoning the atmosphere and confusing the CNO, et al–especially as it’s the CNO, et al who should be the first to go. He/they ultimately signed off on initiating this legal cluster-f^%$ didn’t he?
I am prepared to accept Capt. Honors’ behavior as unacceptable for command. It isn’t an opinion I share, but it is justifiable. However, this wasn’t a secret. If the behavior is unacceptable those who signed off on giving him command were negligent. If the behavior wasn’t unacceptable those who removed him from command are corrupt. Neither is acceptable for flag officers.
Justice for CAPT Honors, sort of. Nice to have a job and rank and pay, but it is a huge loss when your command has been terminated, your reputation trashed, and context totally disregarded.
However, this incident of uber-PC retroactive persecution out of context has done irreparable harm to our Navy.
And, what of the rumored misconduct of the individual(s) who sprung this carefully orchestrated plot to get rid of the CO before their own misdeeds were punished? That needs to be investigated and punished with zeal equal to that of the zampolits who hectored CAPT Honors.
I expect Capt. Honors feels vindicated in a way. He was XO of an old carrier where crap was broken all the time (son-in-law did two deployments on her with VS-32). He did what he had to do to keep moral up and people all moving in the right direction. Maybe he chose the wrong way…but proof is in the pudding, and today, the pudding told the admirals that this was a hell of a captain and a warrior to lead warriors. Nowadays warriors aren’t much in style; if they were, our host would be a two star right now and his blogging time severely restricted. But that’s the way it is for all militaries, that the warriors are kept out of sight and sound until the fecal matter hit’s the rotary impeller…and then you get your Nimitz’s, Halsey’s and Pattons. Sorry, Captain Honors, it just isn’t your time…but your crew just gave you the highest accolade any leader will ever want to hear.
What great good news. Morale must have improved coz the beatings apparently stopped. And just in time, too.
after reading the NPR blog comments does anyone have any spare brainwash to cleanse my mind?
I’m going to pass on reading the NPR online blog. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t read article comments in even the Indianapolis Star – no use getting myself all spun up over comments from the ignorant, especially on military matters.
I was able to read about 5 comments on the NPR rag before I left. Bizarre world those readers live in. . .
Justice? Well, they tried. Capt Honors has a hurdle or two ahead of him.
The loyalty of the CWO, and the Enterprise crew, is both touching and telling.
So as a leader in the aviation community “do as I say, not as I do” is an acceptable leadership style? How would Honors deal with complaints from female Sailors regarding the behavior of a male Sailor who repeatedly feigns masturbation in the chow line despite being asked to stop? It’s ok for the XO to make a movie of himself doing it and broadcast it to the entire crew so why isn’t it acceptable for the Sailor? Leadership by example is a core tenant of leadership. Something that is either excused under the umbrella of “community culture” or just selectively applied.
You consider prison or penury an appropriate punishment? CAPT Honors’ career is almost certainly dead. He’ll either retire by the end of the year or be SERB’d.
Which is sad. There’s a teachable moment in all this, but it’s gotten lost. Humor at someone else’s expense is something you can indulge in only among peers. Because one of the basic rules is that turn about is fair play – if you make a joke, the target gets to reply in kind. When a superior officer makes a joke, turn about is NOT fair play, it’s insubordination. Which means that senior officers need to save the friendly knife-in-the-ribs humor for private conferences. To the junior personnel, you’re The Captain. Grim of visage and dread of wrath.
The correct response to your hypothetical boat goat: “some guys are crass, crude, and immature. You cannot control them, they aren’t harming you, suck it up”
Still amazing that OP couldn’t see that what he was doing was inappropriate…making crude comments about a DH in front of the entire crew, advising the crew to bypass the Navy’s complaint hierarchy with “If you’ve got a problem with these videos, bring them directly to me”. Yeah, right. Strikes me as someone a bit out of control, even for all the right reasons. Even so, losing his CO-ride should have been enough.
Rumor has it the Strike Group Commander and both COs at the time he was XO have their walking papers.
It is nice to see someone having the balls to actually look at the entire situation and then tell the civilians and the rest of the world that whether or not they understand the situation, their opinions really don’t count. They did what was right for the Navy and that officer, and his people. And that is what matters. The good graces of a bunch of scumbag self absorbed civilians should not, and does not, make sailors better warfighters. Knowing the chain of command does not just screw them over for the sake of PC does.
The people who matter, the troops, the folks in the RRs, and the few in high places who haven’t lost touch, always knew what was right. Today was small vindication/affirmation; not much more, unfortunately.
Mike M & Trapper: I do NOT agree a superior cannot have sport with those under his command. A leader confident in his people, sure of himself and certain his authority is the end-all when it matters can have this rapport. Through the testimony throughout this mess, and from personal experience, CAPT Honors has all the above. Not every leader does. He uniquely could approach his people this way and still maintain their respect, obedience and outright adulation.
So he made some good-natured (but crude) jokes involving folks on his boat… even without such rapport, even if CAPT Honors was the personification of poor leadership, a bad guy, the devil incarnate, he was still the XO of the boat. Last time I checked, my XO goofs on me, that was his perogative. Making a joke at someone’s expense, even if mean-spirited, is not in and of itself a good reason to tear a guy down. If the Command Climate of CVN-65 was a wreck, then I’d see it. It clearly wasn’t. CAPT Honors’ methods were effective, and lauded by his people. It was a good boat, and a happy crew. That’s a BAD thing? Missing the forest for the trees here, are we?
The video embarrassed the Admirals in his chain of command. Nothing else mattered.
I used to joke with my office staff what I was going to do to them just before I fired them. They’d get there “pound of flesh” while it was going round and round. We worked well together and I deeply appreciated their efforts, and I saw that to it that they knew it.
I don’t think I could have done that just anywhere. It takes the right combination of personalities to make those things work.
Getting up off of your deathbed to go and testify amounts to something, methinks. Like you are Really Telling the Truth?
Oh, and further: When I think of Mr. Gilbert, I think of that Destroyer Captain who was dowsed with flaming gasoline when his ship was hit by a Kamikaze. He had presence of mind enough to shut his eyes and hold his breath until the other people on the bridge plied the fire extinguishers and put him out, but he knew he couldn’t live long, being horribly burned on 100% of his body.
He used his remaining minutes of useful consciousness to do the right thing and give orders to those who would still be alive after he died.
Sorry about the purple prose; I can get kinda romantic and weepy at times.
Salute. Carry on.
Speaking of promotion and retention some guy over at Ace just pointed out how disturbing it is that Gaddafi is still a Colonel after all these years.
How many years in grade does that m.f’er HAVE???
And on a serious note I insist in the most locked-away piece of my hidden-away heart that there is a small fraction of this world where effectiveness at the job you were supposed to actually be focussed on is rewarded by, if not rank and privilege and riches, at least the admiration of the admirable like the testimony Capt. Honors just received from his noncom. I like to believe that, and by God even if it’s not true I see no point in a life where I couldn’t.
Concur. Absolutely.
Dave – when I left my first squadron, one of my peers said “Callsign which shall never be shared, there is no doubt you are an obnoxious shit. There is also no doubt that when the bb’s start flying, there isn’t a person in the squadron that doesn’t want to go with you.” I told Knucklehead Two as he embarked on his martial career that story, and that at some point you have to make a choice – admiration of your fellow warriors, or admiration of the bureaucracy. I made my choice, like CAPT Honor, and for me, that made all the difference.
“Obnoxious shit?” I thought *I* was the only one with THAT call-sign, Scott!
I believe Col. Boyd called it his “do or be” speech…
Virgil, your permanent call sign is “Morswill.”
Now admit it, iddin it so?
…I for one am glad the review board made the right call, but I hope those fine officers don’t have to keep an eye on their own backs now.
Mike
Ok, not having served perhaps I don’t understand. According to the Navy Times article: “The three-admiral board unanimously agreed that Capt. Owen Honors committed misconduct, failed to demonstrate acceptable qualities of leadership required of an officer in his grade and failed to conform to prescribed standards of military deportment.”
Where I work, being convicted of misconduct, failing to show the leadership required for your position, and failing to conform to prescribed standards of conduct would get you fired, no matter what your position in the company or past performance. In fact, this has happened at senior levels in the firm.
Then the article says: “But it also voted 3-0 that Honors “be retained in the naval service.”
How can the Navy justify retaining him? I don’t understand.
Tom, the Navy has very high standards for officers actually in command. Honors was relieved from command for “misconduct” that occurred during a previous, non-command tour. Commander Fleet Forces Command found that previous behavior – well known to his chain of command at the time – as disqualifying for his current position. That’s punishment in and of itself, and effectively the end of his career. What was at dispute before this board was whether Honors ought to be forced to retire immediately, potentially at a lower grade. That decision could have cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement benefits over the rest of his life, while also casting a pall over his entire service.
The board looked at the whole of his three decades service, and found that this misconduct was not sufficiently grave to punitively retire him, and that he may still be able to provide useful service in his current grade.
I think the board was throwing a bone to the PC “Harveys” of the world. That’s all it boils down to.
They realized that such things go on all the time, that it had good effects, but the PC climate has so degraded the command climate that there was no way anyone could win this battle.
While it doesn’t help his career, other than preventing the sudden “disgraceful” end of it in punitive dismissal, the accolades of those that served is the most telling form of praise. It doesn’t matter how big your “salad bar” is, or what is on your shoulder boards when you finally hang up your guns. Any man that leaves behind a string of billets where he was hated and feared, instead of respected, or even loved, failed in his career. he might have pleased those over him, but all he would have done is use up those people that were given to him.
In relieving Honors, Harvey showed how little he knows, or understands, what command means.
I have to disagree with Lex on this one. The navy should have high standards, but Harvey doesn’t have them. he has PC standards, and that is something entirely different, and is an indication of how far the corruption goes in him. Harvey is utterly unworthy of his shoulder boards, and shouldn’t be in command of anything more complex than a dumpster truck.
This was good to hear. It’s great when real help can be at hand for a deserving case. I was once asked to speak in a court of law as a character witness for a junior officer who was facing a serious allegation he utterly refuted, with good cause and good evidence. His former CO and myself (his `XO`) were warned off by the bureaucracy and a couple of spineless wonders because of `possible bad publicity fallout catching us`. We spoke up, truth told, he was rightly acquitted, job done, no big deal, `nuff said. I cannot find the words to explain my disgust at those who would turn their back on speaking the truth for a colleague in need, merely to avoid a little heat. I’ve always found that facing down a problem is far easier than side-stepping a problem, yet I’ve seen others make a career out of the latter. Clearly a `human condition`.
A duty to show up and to speak up. Every time I went to XOI I was grateful for those that did. God knows I always did.
Here’s the downside of the Board’s findings: The Board of Inquiry simply offers a recommendation to BuPers that he be retained on active duty, it is not binding and BuPers can do as they like, because the board’s finding of misconduct is binding and leaves the door open for BuPers to chuck him out. A finding of no misconduct would have also been binding and would have prevented BuPers from discharging him. Given the body of evidence against the good Captain I think the Board had no choice but to find misconduct. At this point, recommending that he be retained on active duty is kind of like getting the number 1 fitrep when you are checking out of your command. Nice, but it doesn’t mean anything.
Hey, I went to Tailhook ’91, I know how all of this works.
Alas, I have to agree with your assessment, although i don’t think his actions was “misconduct” to anyone other than the corrupt PCphiles running the Navy these days.
He would be wise to start his retirement papers.
This is the purpose of the concept of a “jury of your peers.” Emphasis on ‘peers’.
Something that is now nearly impossible to get anywhere but in a military court, more’s the pity.
I personally have no doubts that if I had served under the CAPT I would have both been treated well and also have learned some things to take on for my own. “Seinfeld” can’t be a top-rated show for a decade and us not think that it might reflect some kind of cultural shift in American thought. Thus, the entire issue of the videos should be addressed as a larger socio-cultural one, not individualistic.
So, they screwed over what seems to be a pretty good officer because some people have no sense of humor? I mean, that’s what it looks like to me.
P.s. As someone who has been the butt of jokes since he was a little kid, being one of those “excessively earnest and socially awkward” folks, I have learned to grin and bear it, when it’s not actually physically violent. I have learned to laugh at myself, and my own weird quirks, while being mildly amused by the antics of the “normals.”
Some people these days do not seem to understand the difference between lighthearted teasing and satire, and vindictive physical violence.
I still feel he was punished MUCH too harshly and it’s a shame that a good man’s career is at an end but I AM grateful that they aren’t utterly grounding him into the dirt over it. I guess. Just hate that it got to the extent that it did. It’s just…wrong. UGH.