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| USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) US Navy Photo |
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| USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) US Navy Photo |
USS Fitzgerald: Courts-martial proceedings/Article 32 hearings are being convened to review evidence supporting possible criminal charges against Fitzgerald members. The members' ranks include one Commander (the Commanding Officer), two Lieutenants, and one Lieutenant Junior Grade. The charges include dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel, and negligent homicide.In addition -
USS John S. McCain: Additionally, for John S. McCain, one court- martial proceeding/Article 32 hearing is being convened to review evidence supporting possible criminal charges against one Commander (the Commanding Officer). The charges include dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel, and negligent homicide. Also, one charge of dereliction of duty was preferred and is pending referral to a forum for a Chief Petty Officer. (Source)
Additional administrative actions are being conducted for members of both crews including non-judicial punishment for four Fitzgerald and four John S. McCain crewmembers. (Source)Serious charges, absolutely warranted in these two cases. Seventeen Americans lost their lives in these two incidents, seven aboard USS Fitzgerald, ten aboard USS John S. McCain. Seventeen Americans dead in mishaps which could have been avoided.
The full accident report for both ships is available here (see the links near the bottom of the article). I highly recommend you read through that. It isn't easy reading. Sailors exhibited considerable heroism during those moments after the collisions, when the ships went dark and the cold sea began to pour in. Mistakes were made. We cannot fully judge those people who are being held accountable, that is for a jury of their peers.
- GM3* Kyle Rigsby of Palmyra, Virginia, 19 years old.
- PSC* Xavier Alec Martin of Halethorpe, Maryland, 24 years old.
- YN2* Shingo Alexander Douglass, of San Diego, California, 25 years old.
- STG2* Ngoc Truong Huynh of Oakville, Connecticut, 25 years old.
- GM1* Noe Hernandez of Weslaco, Texas, 26 years old.
- FC1* Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan of Chula Vista, California, 23 years old.
- FCC* Gary Rehm, Jr., of Elyria, Ohio, 37 years old.
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| (Source) |
- ETC* Charles Nathan Findley of Amazonian, Missouri, 31 years old.
- ET2* Kenneth Aaron Smith of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, 22 years old.
- ET1* Jacob Daniel Drake of Cable, Ohio, 21 years old.
- IC2* Logan Stephen Palmer of Harristown, Illinois, 23 years old.
- ET2* Dustin Louis Doyon of Suffield, Connecticut, 26 years old.
- ICC* Abraham Lopez of El Paso, Texas, 39 years old.
- ET1* Kevin Sayer Bushell of Gaithersburg, Maryland, 26 years old.
- IT1* Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr. of Baltimore, Maryland, 23 years old.
- ET2* John Henry Hoagland III of Killeen, Texas, 20 years old.
- IT1* Corey George Ingram of Poughkeepsie, New York, 28 years old.
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| (Source) |
We send our young men and women forth to defend freedom. Those men and women often don't get to pick and choose where they go or who leads them. They deserve the very best training and equipment we can provide them.
They also deserve the best leadership.
Careers will end and lives will be destroyed by these impending legal proceedings. Will all of those ultimately responsible be punished?
No. Of course not.
Not unless we reach into the halls of government and punish those who would over commit our forces, who would stint on training and equipment. Those who believe we can make war "on the cheap." Those who would promote leaders based on anything other than the ability to lead. We must hold the nation's leaders accountable, regardless of party affiliation.
To those who died - may your memories be a blessing and may you never be forgotten.
God speed, may you have fair winds and following seas...
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
*Posthumous promotion
"Those who would promote leaders based on anything other than the ability to lead. "
ReplyDeleteThat statement is what torques my jaw so much about the post 9/11 era. Those poor sailors, and their surviving crew as well as the rest of the armed forces, may not have been given enough training to steer a ship, in this instance, but they damn sure had enough diversity training. I'm sure that training was extremely useful in guiding their post collision actions.
IMHO, the person(s) that put forth that requirement should be cashiered immediately. Wouldn't it be nice if the press spent as much time investigating that and similar issues as they have spent investigating "collusion"?
/rant
For now
Roger that.
DeleteAlthough I might opt for something a bit more harsh than cashiering. Involves hard time.
I would to, but I don't think stupid is against the law. I mean Hillary is still running free isn't she? Yet the sailor that took pictures in the sub's reactor bay is still in jail isn't he?
DeleteI know that you are as tired as I of the double and triple standards we have.
DeleteStupid is not against the law, willful ignorance should be.
Somber post, but spot on, especially the part about who is responsible. I think those folks are more culpable, but believe the CO is ultimately responsible. Look out the window and turn your ship. Overtaxed crews still have to follow that rule. The homicide charges are political in my belief though and will not stick. The McCain Article 32 will be interesting though because the CO was on the bridge and if you read the investigation report, he was confused by throttle and helm control setup. That shouldn't happen. Ever.
ReplyDeleteI paid particular attention to the sections of the report dealing with who was on the bridge and what they did.
DeleteSounds to me like the CO of the McCain had NO BUSINESS commanding a warship.
"ot unless we reach into the halls of government and punish those who would over commit our forces, who would stint on training and equipment. Those who believe we can make war "on the cheap." Those who would promote leaders based on anything other than the ability to lead. We must hold the nation's leaders accountable, regardless of party affiliation."
ReplyDeleteAmen. Amen!
Thanks Cap'n.
DeleteThe officer corps in all the military branches is so politically-oriented, over the last decades... It could be argued that none deserve command, but the true blame - with Congress and the Administration - will never be prosecuted. And, as always, it's the rank & file sailors, airmen, and soldiers who pay the price.
ReplyDeleteRoger that.
DeleteThe late Col. David Hackworth's "perfumed prince" moniker is more valid than ever, IMO. Combine them with civilian SJWs and the result is what passes for much of the leadership of all branches. The potential is there to get all of us killed.
ReplyDeleteSomething I found interesting.
https://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/organizational-change/columns/the-8-laws-of-leadership-a-perfumed-prince-will-ne
Yup, Hack knew the type.
DeleteNice article. Col. Hackworth is another guy I miss a great deal.
Oh, it was NEVER difficult to pick out the "perfumed princesses". They self-identified. They would be the flight lead that spent most of the briefing on start, taxi and takeoff and little on tactics and mission objectives. Debrief would concentrate on why you were out of formation and NEVER, EVER on why you were able to put the pipper on his cockpit for several seconds.
DeleteThat having been said, those 8 rules have served me well, or at least pointed me in the right direction when trying to be a good leader.
Wow. Betcha most of those pukes made general too.
DeleteLeaders like Juvat is why the armed forces still work in spite of the craven ass crawlers, IMO. Thank the Lord they still exist.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article.
Drucker wrote: "They (followers) may forgive a man a great deal: incompetence, ignorance, insecurity or bad manners. But they will not forgive him lack of integrity."
Lack of integrity is a killer.
DeleteWords fail me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
Same here Paul.
DeleteFor those responsible, indeed.
ReplyDeleteBring them aboard the USS Constitution, and keelhaul them. From bow to stern. While underway.
For those who have not seen this---
http://ads.fsonline.com/images/aiu/004/TheseAreMyCredentials-MasterCopy.pdf
Wow!
DeleteWow indeed.
DeletePaul
Roger that.
DeleteVery good!
DeleteHi Cap'n.
DeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteThat it is!
DeleteWhy is it, in WWII, when we covered the sea with ship as numerous as fish in a school, did we have less feckless and ill-trained ship's captains than now?
ReplyDeleteThat is the question that should be asked, and answered truthfully, throughout Congress, throughout the Pentagon, throughout all the schools, all the fleets, all the bases and ports and stations, and by all the civilians that the great Navy serves.
This, this sickens me.
I, who have never gone to sea in anything larger than a pleasure craft, know that in crowded waters a 360 degree bridge watch and weather watch is required? How much more simple can it be? I mean, we all know we shouldn't read or text or do anything but drive when on the road, how more different is it to see that a skyscraper is moving towards you?
And, yes, the criminal charges should go up the chain, heading to all those who reduced training and manning and funding. Those bastards and the female forms need to truly be hung.
God forgive us what we have done and allowed to have done to our Navy. Hold our lost sailors in your safety.
Amen to that.
DeleteI belong to the Carriers! group on Facebook and an instructor at the Naval War College noted that these incidents happened right about the time that the ships got into cell phone range of the destination port. Perhaps our technology caused the lookouts (and radar operators, perhaps) to be looking out for what was on their phones rather than what they were SUPPOSED to be looking for.
ReplyDeleteIf that's true, then shame on the OOD for not noticing that.
Delete