Naked Photos In Aircraft Cited In Navy Blue Angels Probe
SAN DIEGO (KDKA/AP) - A former Blue Angels commander tolerated inappropriate sexual comments and pornographic images in the workplace - including photos of naked women in the cockpits of the precision flying team's planes, the Navy said Tuesday.
Capt. Gregory McWherter was found guilty of violating two articles under the military's code of justice during nonjudicial proceedings convened Monday in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The articles were failure to obey an order or regulation and conduct unbecoming of an officer by fostering a hostile command climate and failing to stop "obvious and repeated instances of sexual harassment, condoning widespread lewd practices within the squadron and engaging in inappropriate and unprofessional discussions with his junior officers," the Navy said in a statement.
He will be given a letter of reprimand that will go in McWherter's permanent file and is widely seen as a career-ender in the service. McWherter told Navy officials he did not wish to speak to the media, said Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman at Naval Air Forces.
Under McWherter's command, pilots had explicit pornography, including photos of naked women, in aircraft cockpits, according to the investigation.
Rear Admiral Cindy Jaynes joined "The KDKA Morning News" with Larry Richert and John Shumway to talk about Navy Week in Pittsburgh.
While talking about the events around town, she took a moment to share her thoughts following these allegations. One report said male genitalia was painted on an airplane hangar so large that it could be seen from satellites.
Rear Admiral Jaynes said the alleged actions took place under the command of Capt. McWherter. She adds the Blue Angels that are in town this week are not those involved in the report.
You can hear her comments here.
Navy Rear Admiral Comments on Blue Angels Controversy
(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The Navy probe also found "sexually charged, raunchy, and homophobic humor" on maps and itineraries.
McWherter was relieved in April from his duty as executive officer of Naval Base Coronado in California amid the allegations during his second stint as the Blue Angels' leader from May 2011 to November 2012. The Navy said it did not find problems during his first stint as the flying team's commanding officer from 2008 to 2010.
"The investigation concluded that McWherter witnessed, condoned, and encouraged behavior that, while juvenile and sophomoric in the beginning, ultimately and in the aggregate, became destructive, toxic and hostile," the Navy said in a statement.
The Navy said investigators found no evidence the behavior led to sexual assault.
Harry Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, ordered the investigation after a service member filed an official complaint with the Navy on March 24.
The Blue Angels' mission is to publicly represent the best of Naval Aviation, and Harris said "the actions of Capt. McWherter jeopardized that mission."
"Commanding officers have an enduring obligation to maintain a proper work environment at all times and in all places and spaces, and they will be held accountable as appropriate when they fail," Harris said.
Several junior personnel who served under McWherter received formal written counseling for their behavior, but McWherter was held accountable for the actions of those in his command, the Navy said.
The Blue Angels are reviewing procedures, said Vice Adm. David Buss, commander, Naval Air Force Pacific, and its new commanding officer, Thomas Frosch, started implementing measures to clean up the workplace.
McWherter also was president of the Tailhook Association for about eight months before he resigned amid the probe.
The San Diego-based nonprofit aviator fraternity said it knew nothing of the allegations against McWherter. The group dealt with its own scandal in 1991 when Navy pilots at its Las Vegas convention were accused of sexually abusing female officers.
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(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
