And now from the we-all-saw-that-coming department, the USS George Washington’s Commanding Officer (CO) and Executive Officer (XO) have been relieved of their duties following the shipboard fire they had in May. The firing came at the direction of Admiral Willard, Commander Pacific Fleet, who cited the typical nondescript “lack of confidence” with an additional “failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards.” How did he fail at mission requirements and readiness standards you ask? A PACFLT investigation determined the initial cause of the fire to be unauthorized smoking. The fire was then intensified when it ignited 90 gallons of oil that were stowed in an unauthorized compartment. The end result of someone getting their nicotine fix? 70 million dollars! The official report will be released once disciplinary and administrative actions are complete. Admiral Wren, Commander CTF 70, has been tasked with doling out the punishment.
UPDATE: I was reading a forum where someone brought up a good point. Since the GW caught on fire, there have been a lot of protests and concern from the Japanese about the safety of having a nuke carrier here in Japan. So it might not be a stretch to see this as a possible example that US Navy is giving Japan about how serious it takes accidents on its nuke carriers, would it?
UPDATE..uh to the…uh UPDATE: Let me be a little more specific for the kids sitting in the back of the short bus. I wasn’t implying this fire was some conspiracy by the Navy to demonstrate how they deal with accidents. The accident itself was just that, I was saying I don’t think it would be a stretch to think the Navy’s firing of the CO and XO may have been influenced by the unease of a nuclear carrier accident by the Japanese population.
Read the NavyTimes story here: GW skipper, XO sacked following May fire, or the CNN story here: U.S. Navy boots captain after fire on carrier
Comments 35
There’s a fine Navy Tradition which I like. If something goes wrong in a big way aboard a ship, the CO ( in this case the XO to) gets hammered. “To those whom much is given, much is expected.” He doesn’t get to blame it all on some junior officer or enlisted guy. The buck stops with the CO. I like that system. I was on the USS Dubuque in ‘88. The CO got relieved and court martialed for the “Bolinao52″ incident.
Posted 30 Jul 2008 at 9:17 pm ¶For those of you wondering what “Bolinao 52″ is, as I did, here’s a synopsis from a documentary of the same name:
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 2:24 am ¶I have had the biggest shit eating grin on my face ever since hearing this news yesterday. Back when the fire happened, in the middle of my very inappropriate freak out moment blog entry, I made it pretty clear I was willing to bet money on the fact that the fire was caused by some complete idiot that made a very bad decision. However, most Navy people told me that was unlikely. Oh how I love being right. Since the fire, everything has been handled so poorly on the GW, and I am thrilled to know the top of the food chain is getting devoured. Now I can only hope things will actually change for the better.
Now, here’s my question for those of you actually in the Navy…
Since arriving in San Diego, a very large number of the sailors on the GW have been acting terribly irresponsible. In the first week there were five or so DUIs, and since then there have been even more. People my husband works with are going out and getting drunk on weeknights and then coming in the next day to work complaining of being hungover and tired. Essentially they’re worthless and their work falls into the hands of their coworkers to take care of. From my understanding, there have been no consequences for any of these people. There has been no captain’s mast, even for those people that got DUIs. Presumably this is due to the ship already being short staffed.
Now, what would you personally prefer? Would you rather have to do double the work because your division has less than half the people required, or would you rather have to do double the work because even though you’re division is fully staffed, at least half the people you work with are consistently hungover and slacking off and getting in the way?
I no longer feel guilty for acting in a way that was considered inappropriate for a Navy wife back when the fire happened. I also retract my insincere and forced apology. Now please excuse me while I go photoshop those two D-bags’ faces onto some gay porn.*
* Joke (maybe).
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 9:08 am ¶Sorry, I have to play grammar nazi on myself. Change that “you’re division” to “your division.”
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 10:17 am ¶Sailors getting drunk and acting unruly inport? I’m shocked! SHOCKED! Take a twenty-something guy and send him out to sea for weeks (maybe months). Work his ass off for eighteen hours a day. Give him living quarters that a convict in a penitentiary would complain about. Add to this an overabundance of leaders who are more concerned with polishing their service records for that next promotion and strict adherence to “Political Correctness” than seeing to the welfare of their people. Feed him bland unsavory food which has the only redeeming quality of sustaining life. We are surprised when they don’t always act like model citizens when they once again set foot ashore? What’s wrong with this picture?
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 11:37 am ¶Lynn: John pretty much summed it up. Their excessive drinking is expected, as it’s the norm for many people out here in the FDNF. We don’t get a lot of DUIs, at least I don’t hear about them, and I think that’s because the Japanese are pretty hard on people driving with any amount of alcohol in their system. If the GW had 5 DUIs in one week, I think that would have made the news. Did it make the local news, and can you link them? I’d gladly do a post on the GW.
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 12:41 pm ¶John, I do not disagree one bit with anything you have said. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: I do not know how the hell anyone in the Navy puts up with that shit. I personally am not a strong enough person to cope with those conditions, and for those that do manage, I have all the respect in the world.
I understand people wanting to get the hell off the ship every day, and because they don’t have homes in San Diego to go to when they get off work, it makes sense that they’re going out and drinking. However, I think there’s a big difference between having a few drinks to blow off some steam and going out and getting completely hammered when you have to work the next morning. This isn’t a situation where they have a few days in San Diego before being stuck back on the ship 24/7 until the next port. They have been there for over two months. If people want to get wasted, they should save it for the weekends.
However, bringing up the subject of binge drinking wasn’t necessarily to question if it’s justifiable or not. I was using it as an example of how no one is being held accountable for their actions since arriving in San Diego. And, with Japan already not too keen on the ship’s arrival after the fire, I would expect the GW to be cracking down on bad behavior more so than ever rather than letting everyone get away with nothing more than a mere slap on the wrist. People are already overworked and lacking sufficient sleep. Do you really want the people in reactor hungover and/or still drunk from the night before, too?
That being said, my question still stands. My personal opinion, and that of a few other enlisted people I have spoken with, is that I would rather have to do double the work as a result of being short staffed.
Jim, I’ll see what I can do to find some more official information about the DUIs. Right now I can really only comment factually on the behavior of those that work with my husband. Everything relating to the actions of those outside of his department is basically a bunch of rumors, but just like my assumptions about the cause of the fire, I’m willing to bet the rumors are true. :\
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 1:52 pm ¶Does the Navy still employ a process called “Overseas Sceening” whereby individuals who are scheduled to be pcs’d overseas are vetted and have their records reviewed for potential or anticipated “behavior problems”? Those deemed to be a risk are reassigned to a different command remaining stateside.
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 3:45 pm ¶I remember when the Midway came to Yokosuka in ‘73. There were frequent demonstrations and Japanese Riot Police camped out on the base for weeks. Demonstrations in Japan are not like other places. Most of the demonstrators have received monetary inducements to participate including transportation. There are normally many more riot police than demonstrators. This is because back in the ’60’s when the ‘Japanese Red Army SEKIGUNHAN” was active, there were some Japanese police fatalities in Tokyo. The Japanese Riot Police “KIDOTAI” don’t mess around. If you misbehave as a demonstrator, you get your ass kicked. The Midway went through a period of adjustment but eventually settled down and got into the routine of being a Yokosuka homeporter. So it will also be with the GW. Back to those sailors we all love. When these guys walk on the ship every morning, it’s with the notion that they might not get to leave again that day or for a long time. You can literally wake up in the morning thinking you have so many weeks left in homeport only to find out that because of a news headline, your leaving for awhile. Best to keep a full seabag onboard. Every single day of liberty is cherished. Better enjoy yourself tonite because it might be your last opportunity for awhile. When a sailor leaves the ship for liberty, he’s got two things on his mind and he wants lots of both. It’s been that way for thousands of years and as long as men go to sea on ships, it will remain so. The Navy used to have the greatest motivation tool possible. It was called SUBIC. My sailors would cheerfully endure all the hardships of sea duty because they knew that when we pulled into SUBIC, I would tell them “Get out of here and I don’t want to see you back onboard unless you have the duty” (as if I was going to be there LOL). Nowadays, I get a sense that the Navy just isn’t fun anymore, at least not like it was. We worked hard but we were allowed and encouraged to play hard. Given this quantum leap from a rough and tumble atmosphere of the past with the current culture of New Agism/ Political correctness, I am not surprised to hear that sailors are now increasingly seeking solice in overindulgence in whatever hedonistic activities they can avail themselves of.
I can’t really comment on a lot of that, not actually being in the Navy myself, but I can say I feel the situation with the GW is different. After the first couple weeks in San Diego, those sailors knew they weren’t going to be going anywhere for quite a while, and many people (up until these last couple days) were saying they doubted the ship would even pull out of San Diego when scheduled.
When I mentioned that people are going out and getting trashed and then coming into work the next day hungover, what I should have said is that it’s the same people over and over. If one person does it once in a blue moon with no punishment, I see no harm there. However, when one person is getting trashed night after night, coming into work the next morning hungover or still drunk and not doing their work, I believe that is when there should be some form of consequence. Now imagine nearly half the division behaving that way. They get sent to the substance abuse people, but nothing happens after that. Instead, they continue with their poor work ethic and irresponsible ways.
When I talk to my husband every night on the phone, I get to hear about all the extra work he’s having to do and how he’s getting screwed over left and right because all but maybe two or three other people in his division are completely worthless. I feel like my husband is being disrespected and there’s nothing I can do about it.
I’m all for playing hard, but I’m a firm believer in working hard, being considerate and respecting others too. I’m guessing back when you were in the Navy, more people actually had pride in their job. They worked hard because they wanted to, thus resulting in the encouragement to play hard. They earned it.
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 5:44 pm ¶because of this fire, we, shitty kitty sailors are still stuck on-board still doing this rim-job(RIMPAC), our cola has ceased while G dub sailors are getting our money. i just can’t wait till G-dub gets to yoko so that they can realize how shitty 7th fleet is. “welcome aboard, here’s your white card, please fill out your liberty plan shipmate…” best of luck to you guys, there is going to be two roads to take when you get there; the alcoholic or the 3rd deck warrior.
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 8:14 pm ¶However, sometimes the CO doesn’t always get relieved. In the following case, I think it was the correct choice. An onboard fire has occurred before on a carrier homeported in Yokosuka. Although to some this may not seem currently relevent since it occured in the distant past when the Navy was populated by hairy neanderthals who drug their knuckles across the deck and ate red meat, I present it for its own merit. http://www.midwaysailor.com/cassiuscallender/fire-001b.jpg . In 1990 there was an at sea fire on the USS Midway just off the coast of Japan. We had Japanese news helos hovering close by. There were fatalities and injuries. The fire marshal who had the bunk below me got burned pretty bad and had to be medevac’d to San Antonio for several months. He eventually returned wearing a body suit. But I digress. The CO was not disciplined and the Japanese public evidenced no over reaction. Of course the real issue with the GW is that it is a NUC. It is the first NUC that the Japanese have agreed to allow be homeported in Japan. That is big because if you’ve ever spent time in Japan you’ll know that the mention of anything with NUC in it will result in a negative reaction. Yep, Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened 63 years ago and they still haven’t got over it. Go figure. But, I predict that as time passes, they will get used to the idea of the GW at Yoko and not constantly envision mushroom clouds over Yokosuka. Just one word of advice for the new administration on the GW, start having “Zone Inspections”. They still have those don’t they? I don’t know who was the division officer cognizant over the space where the combustibles were improperly stored but whoever he is, I hope he’s dusting off and updating his resume because his future in the Navy is probably looking pretty bleak at the moment.
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 8:18 pm ¶Well, I have a son on the GW (Nuke ET) and he hasn’t got a DUI. He knows I’d kill him, bring him back to life and kill him a second time.
He is really looking forward to getting to Japan, he and the rest of the crew are working very hard to make that happen as soon a possible.
Posted 02 Aug 2008 at 4:48 am ¶As far as I know, no one from RL has received a DUI, thankfully. I’ve been asking around, though, and now all the stories have changed. Ahh, that pesky Navy rumor mill. I’ve now heard there were three DUIs within the first two nights; there was one DUI and four or five ‘alcohol related incidents’ (such as fights) in the first three nights, and again someone telling me five DUIs in the first week. Deduce what you will.
NCCM USN(ret), your son and my husband work together.
Posted 03 Aug 2008 at 3:04 pm ¶Lynn,
Posted 04 Aug 2008 at 8:24 pm ¶You said nothing is being done about the guys that have messed up, made poor decisions, etc. about drinking. Well there is, see in the Navy when you mess up your lowest form of NJP (non-judicial punishment) is restriction. Think of is as being on lock down, you cant leave the ship, your ID is taken from you, you are required to muster many times during the day for accountability purposes. You are usually given extra duties in addition to restriction, if you ever hear a sailor say, ” he just got 45/45 and 1/2 months pay times two” what has happened is the person has been confined, or restricted to the ship for 45 days, in addition they are given 45 days extra duty. The 1/2 months pay times two referrs to the fine of half of your base pay for two months, even though it is usually taken all at once and not over a two month period. Oh I forgot to mention reduction in rate. Based on the severity of the infracton the sailor who say is an E-5 may find themselves an E-3 after NJP. By the way, the fine is taken based on the higher paygrade eventhough the person will now get paid at a lower pay grade. I am not speaking from experience but from observation. Every sailor knows this, the results of NJP are posted and made known to the whole crew. They all know the financial pain they can put themselves and thier families in by making poor choices when it comes to alcohol but there are some sailors that have the intelligence of a rock and it frustrates me as I am sure it frustrates your husband too. I hope that wish the new leadership there is a lot of change that takes place for the better. I wish the GW crew good luck as they integrate with new crew members from the USS Kitty Hawk and as a part of FDNF Japan. I will not get the full experience of Japan as I am scheduled to transfer very soon. I hope someday some of these “kids” will pull thier head out and see why everyone is so upset and stop giving us “good guys” black eyes and re-occuring headaches.
Yeah if I was japan I would be worried too. My husband is on the GW and this is the worst command we have been attached to. This move to japan is so incredibly unorganized. And they have 3 ombudsman’s..yeah good luck in trying to reach any of them.
Can’t get my tickets to move because the ship hasn’t sent over paperwork I turned in , in march and I am due to leave in 15 days. Yeah this is the worst command ever. I’m not surprised those idiots started that fire from unauthorized smoking onboard. Not the brightest crayons in the box on this ship.
I really was not looking forward to going to japan in the first place and then to make matters worse we are attached to this horrible command. I am almost to the point of saying honey see ya in 3 years when you are done with your japan tour, but I’m going back home.
I think they need to screen these people before letting the tax payers pay these idiots checks. I think the captain had to go. It’s the same as if a child behaves badly you always look at the parent like get a hold of them…same thing with the ship….the captain needs to lay down the law onboard the ship..hell I’m sure he gets paid very well to handle all this crap.
Just my thoughts of dealing with this horrible command.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 8:05 am ¶Paul - well said. Not everyone in the navy acts out. Granted there are many and it seems we always hear about the bad ones and never the good ones. It’s just really sad that grown men…and yes if they are 18 old enough to sign on the dotted line, they are grown men..or should be anyways, can’t make the right decisions even knowing the severe consequences.
It’s really sad to see the ones with families screw up like that. My neighbors husband went out to sea and got in trouble while they were out…came home and his restriction started the day they got back. So while all the other sailors went home to their wives and kids he had to stay onboard and she didn’t even find out til she saw him that day they arrived. They need to think about the consequences this has not only on themselves but their families too. Okay the wife is grown but their small children have not seen them for months and they see everyone else’s daddy’s/mommy’s going home..plus it’s a really bad example to set for your children. And everyone wonders why so many military children act up the way they do..they learn from their parent’s.
Lynn- I am with you on that one. It sometimes makes life at home hell for me too. My husband gets home late, or is so tired, and just pissed off about his job and in a bad mood because of some of the people he has to work with. Everyone needs to pull their weight. The way some of them act if it was a regular job would have been fired eons ago.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 8:20 am ¶Paul, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though any of those punishments are being handed out to the individuals repeatedly getting wasted on work nights and then coming in the next day and not doing their jobs. As much as I am looking forward to the experience of living in Japan, I am now beginning to wish my husband was scheduled to transfer very soon, too. If you’ll at least get to be in Japan a short while, consider yourself lucky to be removed from this mess as soon as possible.
Yoko here we come, I just want to hug you right now! Not that I would wish this crap on anyone, but I am so glad to hear someone else is having nothing but problems regarding the move as well. I just don’t understand why paperwork is always getting lost on that damn ship. Does the GW have some sort of secret program where they give people with “special needs” jobs or something? It sure seems like it.
I was lucky enough that one of the ombudsmen was married to a guy that worked with my husband, but I never bothered trying to call her or the other two for advice. She did just comment on my blog the other day, though, and that’s when I took the opportunity to ask her a couple questions. Sometimes I think they should have one ombudsman per department or something, but I’m sure there are plenty of reasons that would never work out.
I wish you the best of luck; we both definitely need it!
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 1:03 pm ¶I hope to get the hell out of here before this fun bag of GW drunks comes here to cause international incidents of monumental proportions. These guys can’t even police themselves… I’m enjoying the crowd-free commissary and the NEX that you can maneuver through without hearing cuss words sprinkled generously throughout a simple sentence that didn’t need the enhancement. I feel really sorry for the Japanese though, it’s going to be Kitty Hawk on Mach 10 Retarded. I am not looking forward to any of this. You can bet your ass though, no one in the Japanese community will say anything about the good sailors, only the dumbasses get to wear the crown and be our spokesmodel for the US. Not one single Japanese person could say “hey, the KH came in three times in a row over a period of two years and not one single incident occurred,” but they sure can tell you when that cabbie got stabbed or when houses started getting broken into. This is the stigma those of us who are here now are living in.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 8:37 pm ¶For the record, I meant the actual drunks, not every single one of those GW S’s. There have to be some guys who are happy enough not to drink just to get drunk for something to do.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 10:25 pm ¶Oh crap. You’ve just reminded me that I will have to shop at the commissary and NEX. I can’t even stand shopping at the ones here on Norfolk. After the GW arrives, if you’re ever grocery shopping and see a 6ft tall chick screaming obscenities and complaining about everything while threatening to break people’s knees with her shopping cart, just tell me to shut up.
Posted 06 Aug 2008 at 9:54 am ¶So… basically all I got out of that was that maybe I should stop smoking around gas cans and fuel… hmm.
Posted 07 Aug 2008 at 12:48 pm ¶I just hope the douche bag that started all this mess is getting everything he deserves, like a drop kick to the nuts and hopefully he’ll be seeing a court martial soon with brig time.
Glad to see that the CO and XO got fired because you can’t tell me they didn’t know that enormous amount of oil was being improperly stored.
And I have to hope smokers that smoke where they aren’t suppose to, learn from this (which I highly doubt, but hey, you always have to have hope that people will do the right thing).
Posted 12 Aug 2008 at 10:53 pm ¶Unfortunately, I don’t think they’ll ever know exactly who was the one that smoked the cigarette that started the fire. Hopefully, though, they should already know who was turning a blind eye to the smoking, and I hope that person (or those people) get what they deserve.
As for the “enormous amount of oil,” is that what they have officially claimed the hazardous material was? When the fire first happened, the rumor was that it was paint and rags covered in paint thinner. At least that was the rumor I first heard.
I really hope nothing else goes wrong between now and them arriving in Japan. I won’t hold my breath, though.
Posted 14 Aug 2008 at 9:52 am ¶According to the Navy Times “Specifically, the storage of 90 gallons of refrigerant compressor oil in an unauthorized space contributed to the intensity of the fire.” I think rags and paint were the initial cause then the oil added fuel to the fire.
Just need to see the what the final report says about what exactly caused the fire and hopefully find out if any of the crew received punishment for this. If not, maybe some scuttlebutt from the GW crew that are coming to Japan.
Posted 14 Aug 2008 at 6:07 pm ¶to yoko here we come and Lynn, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who is COMPLETELY fed up with this move. We did not get our family waiver(he’s a nuk) till last month because they had it filed under the wrong freakin! name on the boat! So now it’s down to crunch time and I don’t even know if it’s worth going. I have done NOTHING to prepare for a move. I don’t even know where to start! I’m really only going because we have a new baby. But really, how much time will the guys even spend in port?! Does anyone know??? My husband gets out in Oct. of 09(thanks to this command, he now HATES the navy and would never even consider staying in). Should I even go?
Posted 15 Aug 2008 at 6:59 am ¶Rachel, when the fire happened, did you get a phone call from some random girl letting you know? If so, that was me. I only ask because I remember my husband telling me that one of the wives I had called was going through a bunch of crap with the move too and also had a new baby.
Don’t feel too bad about having done absolutely NOTHING, because either have I for very similar reasons. Now I’m planning to move over there around Thanksgiving which gives me more time to arrange everything. If I were you, I’d go just for the experience. Plus, if you guys stay apart until he’s out of the Navy, that’s a whole lot of growing up he’s going to miss out on for your baby. Trust me, though, I have been considering not moving at all, too. I’m just fed up with how many times our paperwork has been lost and all the things that have gone wrong.
Posted 15 Aug 2008 at 9:33 am ¶Thanks Lynn.
Posted 25 Aug 2008 at 4:00 am ¶Yeah, I’m planning on going for sure if I can sell our house. It’s a bad market for that though. Do you already have a housing assaignment? Are they holding it for you that long(till Thanksgiving)?
We were told if we don’t claim our house by the 31st of this month they are going to give it away. Sucks.
My son on on the GW. its hard to understand whats going on on that ship. And always looking for information but reading this is just too scary. I just hope they clean things up and stay safe. is there a blog for parents of GW sailors?
Posted 26 Aug 2008 at 3:52 pm ¶As someone currently on the GW, I can say that most of the above comments from Lynn are without merit
or basis
in fact. There were a few problems with DUI, and they were dealt with quickly, without publicity. Those dumb enough to endanger others’ lives like that were descreened for overseas duty and will not be going to Japan. Several were disciplined and won’t have a very long career. There was at least one enlisted khaki forced into retirement.
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Regarding the fire and the RLO specifically: the oil had been discovered hidden in the bilges some time before the fire and the Sailors had been ordered to store it properly. They chose instead to hide a large quantity of it illegally in their illegal smoke pit. This was an active decision they made, contrary to the direction given by their officers.
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To date, three officers’ careers have been ruined by the Sailors traitorous acts. Yes, three, not just the CO and XO. More will probably follow. For them? I doubt you will see prison time. Watch for the JAGMan report; a redacted version will probably be available via FOIA shortly.
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As to the CO and XO: they are some of the finest officers I have had the honor of serving with in my two decades of duty. They have well over fifty years of service between them (and over twenty for the third person) and had many more to go. That is, until the acts of a few cowards destroyed my ship. The GW would not be at sea now if it were not for the absolutely relentless work that they did to drive the shipyard and contract workers’ schedules. Their efforts shaved over two months off the original plans and GW is fully ready to sail and fight, like nothing ever happened. For that, they were fired by ADM Willard. You won’t see him on my xmas card list anytime soon.
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Finally, for Lynn. Quit your bitching. You complain that your paperwork isn’t complete, yet, “
“. I guarantee that your hubby works within 500 feet of the personnel office. Tell him to get his butt moving.
Posted 31 Aug 2008 at 7:15 pm ¶-
For Jim, the site owner. Good job. Keep writing.
JB
Well, I do hope the men and womean of the GW make it safe. I know it will be very hard for them with all that has happen. I am sure crap will roll down hill. I think the new CO will make sure drinking will be under control. I know friends who have served with this CO. Trust me when I say he won’t tolerate incidents occuring with wreckless sailors. Those sailors have a very rude awakening. On the other hand I have heard he does take care of his people. I think the navy should just band drinking and smoking on deployments and fwd deployments.>>yes speaking as a sailor myself<< We are here represent the United States and do a job. For all of you that will cry and get all upset. When you went to boot camp you couldn’t smoke or drink. To prepare you for the fleet. If you can go 12 weeks then you can go six months or more. I am just tired of hearing sailors getting drunk and careless. For the smoking can we say GW. Ships are dangerous all of us who have been on them know this. Navy tries to take great steps to train sailors. I can understand the people on the kitty hawk being upset. To be honest the old CO should have worked those people from 0600-1900 six days aweek. Remember in the Navy we are a team if the ship looks bad we all look bad. Instead of lets say going to bars and sea world, the zoo, oh yeah ball games etc. ( if they where out to sea they would be working longer ). Hey GW you are going to Japan being the first nuclear ship the world is watching you what do you expect?!! I hope the navy make the GW sailors pay back that money. If you believing in taking care of your sailors. I think the Kitty sailors deserve that. They did the work what the GW was suppose to have done. Oh yeah someone needed to smoke while the smoking lamp was out. And lazy shipmates caused heads to rolls. Hopefully the new CO and XO will make proud sailors. Give these sailors awake up HEY YOU ARE REPRESENTING THE US!! Now stop it and act like real sailors for the people back home and your country to be proud of you.
Posted 12 Sep 2008 at 6:57 pm ¶Okay, I stumbled upon this website by accident. I have to say I am very upset, being a Navy wife of 14 years, you all ever heard of “It is what you make of it”. If you married your man or woman and he was in the navy before….. this is life, make the most of it. If you where married when he enlisted…….. you made the decision together! Either way it was your decision to make this your life. Seems to be a lot of negative, ever think of the positive; believe me we have played out both in our minds. Don’t focus on the negative, deal with it and move on. Also you all do realize that there is the option of unaccompanied orders with less time not to take family members…. HELLO….. take those orders instead! Transfers are part of life; each place offers its challenges. Either they drag you down or you jump over them, either way get past them. Life is to short to not take each day as a wonderful opportunity. Now in regards to the Ombudsman issue, you all having issues - Have you ever been one? It is a volunteer position; ever think that maybe the spouses aren’t stepping up to the plate. Also when is the last time you heard something positive about one? Something bad happens and you tell five people, something good and you write it in your journal. Also Ombudsman are not there to solve your problems; they provide support, reference and referral information to provide you with the tools to solve your issues…. and believe it or not with out single thank you a majority of the time. Now on to the drinking issue…… a majority of sailors drink, but how many when they notice a fellow sailor in trouble step up and try to help. If not directly bring it up to the Chief if it is the Chief find another one! Many fellow sailors will help those that want to be helped; no one wants to see a shipmate throw his career away because of a bottle. Grammar Nazi – please don’t hit me too hard, I get on a soapbox and its stream of consciousness writing. In closing, those there and miserable maybe re-evaluate your state of mind, those not there yet – take a moment to soul search and be honest with your spouse on the issue.
Posted 02 Oct 2008 at 4:46 am ¶I just got word from my husband that a redacted version of the JAGMAN fire investigation was released from PACFLT because of FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requested by the news media.
I haven’t had the opportunity to see it since it was on the ship’s intranet. So I guess well have to see it in the news or fwd emails with it.
Posted 04 Oct 2008 at 3:12 am ¶I also got an email from my son who is currently on the GW. He sent me a link to the file but I could not open it. Here is the link he sent - but I guess it is only available to those on the GW network. If someone knows how to access it please let me know.
http://www/FireInvestigation/FireInvestigation.htm
I also had the opportunity to visit him in San Diego on June 1st. Not long after the fire! I got a tour of the ship and was quite surprised to see the damage the fire caused. Especially since my son is a “nuke” - I was very concerned about the location and the amount of heat it took to melt the metal. All that being said — I am very glad the ship has been “fixed” ! Again as a parent I am not concerned about the politics involved, who should or should not have gotten relieved of duty, what the Japanese people think, I am want to make sure that a fire like this never happens again because we were all lucky no one got seriously injured, burned, or died!!!
Posted 04 Oct 2008 at 5:21 am ¶To access the FOIA here it is. http://www.cpf.navy.mil/foia_rr.shtml
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 6:19 am ¶Let me tell you Joe Beaux is absolutely correct. They are great officers and I would work for them anytime. Military or Civilian. They are great Americans. That ship has some of the hardest working guys I have ever had the pleasure to work with. If it wasn’t for the cowardice and stupidity of a few sailors. I was choked up for the first time in my 19 years leaving a command. I understand what the Navy did. I wish them the very best.
I have to admit that I never read the comments on this story until literally minutes ago. Thank you to those of you that posted something of substance that wasn’t a rumor, but based on first hand experience. I’ve taken two things from the comments on this story. 1) The GW isn’t as bad as it’s been made out to be and 2) dependent Navy wives should have muzzles. I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking “great, more bitching wives with outstanding attitudes.” Can’t wait to meet you guys!
Posted 01 Nov 2008 at 10:13 pm ¶Post a Comment
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