Captain Brian K. Sorenson, former USS ANZIO commander fired
Mick sends us a link to the Virginian-Pilot which reports that the Navy has sunk another commander’s career. This time it’s Captain Brian K. Sorenson the commander of the USS ANZIO, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser guided missile cruiser. The ANZIO was most recently deployed to recover the 10 sailors who were imprisoned by Iran last month.
Sorenson wasn’t there, though – he hadn’t been on her decks since September. He was answering to a board for his misconduct while ANZIO was recovering sailors;
A command investigation obtained by The Virginian-Pilot through the Freedom of Information Act says Sorenson also committed public drunkeness, used alcohol aboard the Anzio, possessed personal firearms aboard the ship, sexually harassed female officers, used indecent language and misused government vehicles. Batchelder wrote that he concurred with all of the investigation’s findings.
Most of the charges stem from one night of debauchery, I guess. One night in 25 years of service. How’s that song go? “I know what I was doing, but what was I thinking?”
Category: Navy
I don’t think the Navy sunk his career, it appears HE sunk his career.
Long gone are the days where rank and a decent career make one bullet-proof….
No…it obama sinking careers, iz gots to git it all reddy fer my mooslime frens!!
One night? Probably one night he got caught…being a drunken fuckstick asshole doesn’t occur on a single night from a vacuum. That’s a carefully orchestrated descent in debauchery that evolves over a decade or two.
My guess is there are many nights and days of being a turd, but those were unable to be substantiated. Consequently when the one night it was obvious what a flaming asshole this guy really was, well lights out time to go home shithead.
Give me a break. Someone (I forget who) wondered yesterday whether a purge was occurring. I didn’t pay it much attention–until now. This careerist “committed public drunkeness [sic], used alcohol aboard the Anzio, possessed personal firearms aboard the ship, sexually harassed female officers, used indecent language and misused government vehicles.” So, a sailor was drunk. Okay. Did he wear a lampshade and get naked? God forbid, but did he start a fracas? And he used alcohol aboard ship. Okay. Was it hair-of-the-dog from a bottle in his desk or locker after his crazy night or is he an alcoholic that stays half lit? Firearms aboard ship? This one is a hoot, regs aside. It just strikes me as odd that he ended up in the shit for having a firearm while in the military, even if it is the Navy. Now, on to the BIGGIES. He is said to have sexually harassed female officers. Nowadays, that could be anything but DOES NOT include touching or other acts of battery. assault. And he used INDECENT LANGUAGE! Are you kidding me? Nuff said about that. Lastly, he misused a gov’t vehicle. How so? Did he stop for a six pack, boink Crazy Sally in the back seat? This seems to me to be a pile of petty bullshit, but maybe the Navy needed his slot for the first transgender something or other.
Did you read the entire linked article? Sure, it seems like there have been a few questionable firings lately, often citing nothing more than the dreaded “loss of confidence” – but this guy deserved it. The Navy has a right to expect better behavior of its commanders.
Agreed. Public drunkenness for ANY O6, let alone a ship’s CO? BIG no-no.
Possession of alcohol shipboard? Also to my understanding a major no-no – particularly in the CENTCOM AOR. Ditto possession of personal weapons – both a violation of CENTCOM regs.
Sexual harrassment? Today, a career killer – whether it involves subordinates or not, which it did in this case (and which makes it truly abhorrent behavior). Indecent language? In public, highly frowned upon for any officer.
And don’t get me started on misuse of govt vehicles. Sounds like he took an govt vehicle out when he went to party. Big no-no.
Yeah, this guy effed himself. He’s lucky to avoid a court-martial, and he’ll be even luckier if he ends up retiring as an O6.
Mine is the dinosaur view. I never served in the Navy and, admittedly, I have this image of the American sailor, officer or EM, that more conjures the image of Wallace Beery growling than it does Bruce-Caitlyn Jenner giggling.
Read the linked article, 2/17 Air Cav. This guy’s misconduct went well beyond having a bit too much to drink. He apparently also exhibited a pattern of past bad behavior and/or disregard for established regs.
That’s not acceptable behavior in any officer. And it’s damn not acceptable for a ship’s/unit’s CO – part of whose job is to set the example for and enforce regulations and discipline within his/her unit.
I hadn’t read it and was shootin’ from the hip, as they say. I will.
I do agree fully that substandards need to be removed.
Where I think I might be sideways to everyone else is that I honestly do not trust the reporting. Not. At. All.
I do *not* find there to be any reason to believe any word out of the mouth of any journalist, nor out of our political masters, nor out of the senior military command.
All the above have shown nothing but constant indicators of compromised integrity for a decade now, at the very least.
As far as the firearm goes… he’s the Captain of the ship, which if I am not mistaken has several firearms on it.
Anytime he wanted to I’m sure he could have some training done and fired anything from a Pistol to one of the 20MM.
Not to mention if he really wanted to have his hogleg on the ship he could have had it stored in the ships armory.
I was on the USS Enterprise and our ready room was down from the Admirals state room, wasn’t nothing for him to be in the P-way drinking a beer, I’m talking Budweiser, Miller or what else he had the mind to drink.
“So, a sailor was drunk.”
No, the CAPTAIN was drunk. And armed. And this was not a one-time event. As MrBill suggests, read the article.
You had to have been on the ship to know what this asshole was like. The Navy got this one right by sacking this piece of shit!
Meanwhile, over in Russia –
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/02/05/russia-ramping-up-military-drills-to-cold-war-levels-nato-says.html?intcmp=hpbt2
Buh bye now!
Drunken sailor pinching women and using foul language? Oh, that is SO 1960s. What is he? A bosun’s mate?
Not wanting to be uninformed, I read that article and it appears that the captain has a history of misbehaving in various ways. And they sent him to mast instead of taking the other route. So he gets busted and the Navy says ‘buh bye!’
What’s the big deal? He’s a throwback to the ’60s. I think the women on that ship should have had a chance to pipe his sorry ass overboard in a most unpleasant way.
The ’60’s? Oh, you mean the good old days.
Heh…
We were discussing equality on the other thread. My question is simple: why is he still able to walk, if he ‘harassed’ female officers? I have a permanent personal rule: NO. TOUCHY. YOU TOUCHY, I BREAK OFF BODY PART THAT USED FOR TOUCHY. IT BECOME EVIDENCE AFTER I PUT YOU IN HOSPITAL WITH IT.
Never had a problem.
I also think he just gracefully fucked himself by doing as he pleased thinking that his rank made him bulletproof.
In other news: U.S. Forces Afghanistan commander GEN John Campbell is vacating his post well ahead of the normal 3 year rotation. He is not being offered another 4 star posting, and is expected to retire. LTG John Nicholson has been nominated to replace GEN Campbell.
GEN Campbell has been vigorously resisting troop drawdowns in A’stan…I’m just guessing the Prez & SECDEF weren’t too thrilled.
“At one point in the night, the investigation found, Sorenson was sitting alone with a female crew member outside the pub and asked her to perform a sex act on him. The sailor told investigators she thought he was joking, and replied she would if he would award her a surface warfare officer pin she was under a time crunch to secure. Sorenson said he wouldn’t do that, but he persisted in asking if she would have sex with him and then if she would let him perform another sex act on her.”
hahahahahahahaha
Did she get kicked out or does claiming you’re joking while attempting to bribe shit a get out of jail free card in Obama’s military?
I can’t take any of that shit seriously after she admits something like that. I bet she would have played ball if he did.
Why do Navy folks wear hats (ok, covers) in their official pictures? Marines do too, I think. Must be a nautical thing.
It’s a service related thing; to see if they can put their cover (USN/USMC term for hat) on properly, device centered over the nose. Correct me if I’m wrong, ex-ph2, the photo lab had a check list for official shots, y’know, hands folded to show or not show the ring, ribbons in proper sequence, etc. If one ever saw a flawed picture, it was because the subject gave the pro a hard time.
Most enlisted in the Navy don’t wear covers when taking a picture. I know I never did.