Thu, Apr 24, 2014
Navy Official 'Inadvertently' Emailed Internal Document To The Washington Post
Details are emerging concerning the investigation of Capt. Gregory McWherter, the former commander of the Blue Angels jet demonstration team. Though no longer with the Blues, McWherter was recently relieved of his position as the Executive Officer (XO) of Naval Base Coronado.
But the investigation apparently does have to do with his time with the team. A document that was "inadvertently" emailed to a Washington Post editor by a Navy official says that a former member of the jet team has accused McWherter of tolerating sexual harassment and promoting a "hostile work environment." The Post reports that the complainant said that there was often sexually explicit speech, openly-displayed pornography, and jokes involving sexual orientation.
The five-page internal document was labeled "Official Use Only" and appears to be in part talking points prepared in anticipation of media coverage of the investigation.
The Navy's actions have led to the creation of a "Support Boss Greg McWherter" Facebook page, which so far has received 3,826 "Likes". Commenters on the page say they are suspicious of the "accidental" release of the talking points to the media, saying it looks like it was intentionally done for damage control.
The page also contains a comment from Capt. McWherter's wife Kim. "To everyone supporting my husband and my family, I cannot thank you enough!" she writes. "In light of the latest newspaper articles (good old PNJ [Pensacola News Journal, ed.] and Washington Post) it seems the writing is on the wall and my husband will be the sacrificial lamb in all of this!
"If you have had any interaction with CAPT Greg McWherter, even for a brief second, you know how wrong all of these accusations and reports are. I know there are risks involved when you take on any position of leadership but even this has gone beyond my wildest dreams!
"I ask for your continued support and prayers for our family as the "investigation" (AKA dog and pony show) continues!”
(U.S. Navy Image)
More News
Aero Linx: JAARS Nearly 1.5 billion people, using more than 5,500 languages, do not have a full Bible in their first language. Many of these people live in the most remote parts of>[...]
'Airplane Bounced Twice On The Grass Runway, Resulting In The Nose Wheel Separating From The Airplane...' Analysis: The pilot reported, “upon touchdown, the plane jumped back>[...]
"Burt is best known to the public for his historic designs of SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and GlobalFlyer, but for EAA members and aviation aficionados, his unique concepts began more t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]