Friday Fraternization Funnies
It's good that the Navy is open about announcing whenever someone in a ship's senior leadership -- CO/XO/CMC -- is detached for cause, but I bet this one is one they wish they could have kept quiet:
Lt. Cmdr. James Rushton, who commanded MCM Crew Constant aboard the ship Chief, was relieved of command “due to misconduct” following an investigation by his boss, Capt. Robert Hospodar, commodore of Mine Countermeasures Squadron 2 in San Diego, Naval Surface Forces spokesman Cmdr. Jason Salata said Thursday.I guess this gives new meaning to the phrase "The XO is sucking up to the Captain".
Rushton appeared at mast to face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice of violating a lawful general order and conduct unbecoming an officer. Hospodar found that Rushton “violated the Navy’s fraternization policy by engaging in an unduly familiar relationship with a subordinate female member of his crew,” Salata said.
Hospodar on Wednesday also fired that crew member, Lt. Cmdr. Anne Laird, who has been serving as the XO, for “misconduct.”
Hospodar made the decision to relieve both officers “as a result of an investigation into a violation of the Navy’s fraternization policy,” Salata said.
Bonus points for any comments that don't use bad words.
posted by Bubblehead at 5:45 PM
54 Comments:
Time for another breathalyzer XO.
What “laying down on the job” really means!
The XO really sucks!
Whole new meaning for “Captain’s Mast”.
Old Chief from the dark ages...
12/10/2010 6:28 PM
Overhead on the 1MC, "XO, lay to the Captain's stateroom."
12/10/2010 6:46 PM
Oh, I preferred the posting on the NAVTIMES comments from a close personal friend that they were the perfect couple, completing each others sentences. Sure beats the XO I had who would lock himself in his stateroom and scream for hours.
12/10/2010 6:49 PM
After the USNA, here is her NPS thesis.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to family in that thesis are very disappointing (paragraph 2 on page 15/67)
Let's not throw stones, however, before our underwater sideshow even gets started in 2012.
12/10/2010 6:53 PM
The thesis on the whole is not academic. Never read anything from NPS in an academic journal: guess I know why now. Might as well go to the university of Phoenix, if this is what our NPS calls a thesis.
12/10/2010 7:20 PM
XO adjust Trim and stand by for increase in depth!
Such instructions might take on a whole new meaning when we get our first female XO in 10 to 12 years from now.
12/10/2010 10:01 PM
The XO supported the CO's position.
12/10/2010 11:11 PM
CBDR, collision midships, CBIR. Repeat.
12/11/2010 12:49 AM
at least we know that the submarine force is too professional to have these types of problems
12/11/2010 3:53 AM
Discussion here and list of COs who've done the sword trick this year: http://navycaptain-therealnavy.blogspot.com/2010/12/co-and-xo-of-mcm-crew-constant-aboard.html
Note the 5th comment. Guess we know how his mast went.
12/11/2010 5:39 AM
XO... make your depth 3 feet and Prepare to Snorkel
12/11/2010 7:08 AM
XO, report to my stateroom for a drill brief.
12/11/2010 7:30 AM
"XO, I'll be in my stateroom preparing for your health and sanitation inspection."
12/11/2010 7:50 AM
@ Lou - How about: XO, report to my stateroom for a 'brief' drill?
12/11/2010 12:05 PM
What is Crew Constant?
12/11/2010 12:34 PM
Good question. My guess is that mine warfare crews rotate (like Blue and Gold crews):
"After six months of minesweeping and mine-hunting operations, Constant turned over USS Dextrous (MCM 13) to MCM Crew Exultant. Constant was the last crew to deploy out of Ingleside, Texas, and flew back to San Diego -- their new home."
Six-month rotations at sea: Could SSBN crews eventually do even 4 or 5 month rotations?
12/11/2010 1:17 PM
Come on - where's a picture of LCDR Laird? Need to see if this was worth it.
12/11/2010 3:22 PM
Yeah I've been looking too and only find news about her getting busted.
Can anyone else find a pic? I too would like to see what she looks like and wonder if it was worth it or not. If she looks like Cindy Crawford that's one thing, but if she looks like Holly Graf then obviously it was a badly conceived and drunken decision on the CO's part.
12/11/2010 4:04 PM
Digging around on a skimmer blog with 7 pages of comments on this firing (including two by the CO himself) and reading carefully the Navy Times news item, it looks pretty clear that the CO and XO were not playing house (CO denies this strongly while fessing up to 'a terrible error,' in his words).
'Violation of Navy fraternization policy,' yes. 'Misconduct' by both officers, yes. But the two of them bumping uglies? Best guess is no.
12/11/2010 4:25 PM
@Rubber Ducky 1645 - And your point is?
12/11/2010 6:52 PM
Quick: what are the top 5 ways a CO is prohibited from fraternizing with the command's XO?
Does the "prohibition listing" change if either is female?
If no, the academy's honor code must be intact; if yes, perhaps it is out-of-synch with perception.
Who reported the operative perception in this case, and what did he/she have to gain?
BostonMaggotie
12/11/2010 7:58 PM
Is this the sam Jim Rushton that was an STSC(SS) on the Chicago in the early 90's when he received his LDO commission?
Great guy to party with!
Yep, saw this coming!
12/11/2010 8:51 PM
Sorry, wrong boat...it was Alabama Gold, in 1999. Found some pictures online.
12/11/2010 9:03 PM
etcs (ss/sw): just trying to introduce some outside info into this round of towel snapping. But as Ronald Rteagan said, 'facts are stupid things.'
Old Shipmate: Rushton is a former ST. His bio was pulled from Navy websites but probably same guy. The posts at the skimmer blog pretty much all say that both Rushton and XO Laird were topnotch.
12/12/2010 4:46 AM
What is the skimmer blog the CO posted on? My Google skills have failed me.
12/12/2010 7:13 AM
Glad to hear he was a submariner. At least we get to keep the title:
"Submariners do it deeper"
Hooyah Countermeasures Navy!
12/12/2010 8:51 AM
Rushton Commissioning Ceremony:
http://www.snowcrest.net/wendy/Jim/gallery.htm
12/12/2010 8:55 AM
12/12/2010 7:13 AM: SailorBob>Scuttlebutt. You have to be a SWO to register. Not sure how they check that but it takes a couple days to get in.
12/12/2010 10:07 AM
Interesting that she was considered a hard charger but was fleeting up on a MCM where the CO was LDO and she was USNA.
Doesn’t sound like a super star career track?
12/12/2010 12:07 PM
Now that the XO's cabin is freed-up, we can store more supplies for the deployment.
12/12/2010 1:05 PM
This appears to be a picture of her - about midway through the pdf, left column.
http://www.wisnapa.org/YardTales/Yardtales_Summer_2006.pdf
Old Chief from the dark ages...
12/12/2010 3:34 PM
This page was really funny..well, most of it anyway.
Going Deep!
12/12/2010 3:44 PM
Here's another picture:
http://1ff8www.classmates.com/directory/public/memberprofile/list.htm?regId=150109901
Ouch!
12/12/2010 3:49 PM
Well no doubt, not worth it indeed!
I don't think I'd want to do her either, unless I'm piss drunk. Is turning gay for a few minutes an option here? As long as our girl friends don't find out we should be okay.
12/12/2010 4:32 PM
Anon @7:13 - Might be the skimmer blog RD is referring to: http://navycaptain-therealnavy.blogspot.com/2010/12/co-and-xo-of-mcm-crew-constant-aboard.html
12/12/2010 9:36 PM
12/12/2010 9:36 PM: No, this is it (but you have to be registered to get in and you have to be a SWO to get registered): http://www.sailorbob.com/phpBB2/index.php
12/13/2010 4:43 AM
There's the problem, he's a boomer Sailor.
12/13/2010 6:43 AM
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down!
To me way-aye, blow the man down.
Oh, Blow the man down, bullies, blow him right down!
Give me some time to blow the man down!
As I was a-walking down Paradise Street,
To me way-aye, blow the man down.
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,
So I took in all sail and cried "Way enough now."
I hailed her in English, she answered me clear,
"I'm from the Black Arrow bound to the Shakespeare."
So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow,
And yardarm to yardarm away we did go.
But as we were going she said unto me,
"There's a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea."
That spanking full-rigger to New York was bound;
She was very well manned and very well found.
But soon as that packet was clear of the bar,
The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar,
And as soon as that packet was out on the sea,
`Twas devilish hard treatment of every degree.
So I give you fair warning before we belay;
Don't never take heed of what pretty girls say.
12/13/2010 4:07 PM
@nhsparky: Indeed.
12/13/2010 4:36 PM
So did he fuck her in the ass?
Minus 2 on the bonus points....
12/14/2010 3:36 PM
Yeah, minus points, but after seeing her picture, I'm pretty sure "doggie-style" was involved in there somehow...
12/14/2010 4:24 PM
I hate following those last two posts, but anyway - here's a surprisingly thorough and thoughtful piece on this from Time.com. It does seem more likely that the furthest extent of any "sexual" activity was a kiss, perhaps more likely a hug.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2036958,00.html
12/14/2010 5:56 PM
"It does seem more likely that the furthest extent of any "sexual" activity was a kiss, perhaps more likely a hug."
Agree with that, but after seeing her picture, there has to be alcohol involved...copius amounts.
Oh well, two new job openings. Sucks for the two involved. Sucks for their owners (the taxpayer). But an opportunity for two hot runners.
Think about it: the worst thing a new CO/XO can do is get it on with each other and get fired...then you are just average.
12/14/2010 8:34 PM
Regarding your second comment - Roger that! Best comment on the thread yet...
12/14/2010 10:55 PM
New CO/XO = strain on the crew that NOBODY deserved.
12/15/2010 7:02 AM
If this is just about a drunken kiss, why the heck couldn't they just transfer one of them far away?
12/15/2010 11:10 AM
BH, quite a bit of today's thread has been truncated. Were you aware, or somehow responsible?
As you know, I am a steady reader.
this seems a first.
12/15/2010 5:18 PM
As a retired mustang who started out as a SSN A-ganger, I am disappointed (AND a wiseguy). NOT ONE DAMNED "SONAR GIRL" JOKE ABOUT THE CO!
And I used to bitch about getting regularly screwed (over) by a ring-knocking XO as a Department Head!
But seriously, shippies, we don't know many of the facts. Two careers, by otherwise highly competent officers from every account I read, down the TDU. One "ah, shit" easily undoes all the "atta boys/girls." Nature of the trade. Remember the old recruiting line: "Navy. Not just a job..." There's a lot of "road kill" on the road between the Pentagon and the Navy Annex.
They can't all be pegged-needle bitchy psycho head-cases as we had with the ring-knocking Holly "Throw me a coffee cup, Captain" Graf. At least in WWII, the Germans scuttled their Graf (Spee). No "ruffles and flourishes" from the band at that bimbo's retirement.
This retired guy has to get back to being a political columnist writing on deadline. Lots of real, known leg-humpers on the Hill, who never get to actually fall on their swords. "Big sins" with 'Hos. Ex-veterinarians who didn't leave the leg-humping to the dogs. Congress makes co-ed ships look like a Mormon prom.
Come to think of it, life was a lot of fun as a MM2(SS)! Yes, I still have a liver.
12/15/2010 11:15 PM
For a photo of LCDR Laird, go to http://www.wisnapa.org/YardTales/Yardtales_Summer_2006.pdf
12/16/2010 7:30 AM
BOHICA, XO. Bend over here I come again.
12/17/2010 9:05 PM
James was my EMO on the USS Princeton. It was his first surface ship after putting on the butter bars. The guy was a hard charger. Didn't see this one coming. He use to tell us to "get rid of the fluff in our lives" looks like he should have followed his own advice. Too bad... He was a good sailor.
12/23/2010 3:22 PM
Both did have outstanding careers and both were taken down by a weasel ensign who was the only one that fraudulently reported suspicions of bad behavior between the two. The rest of the crew were not suspicious and I reckon will be torturing that Ensign till he leaves. SURFOR was too busy to do the work reviewing past records and why this jackass had an ax to grind.
2/05/2011 11:25 AM
Really helpful data, lots of thanks for your post.
9/04/2012 2:26 AM
Really helpful data, lots of thanks for the post.
9/24/2012 5:49 AM
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