News From Great Mistakes
Sometimes, no news is good news, and today’s news edition is no exception. The current CO of the Training Support Center at Great Mistakes has been relieved of his watch – er, duty. There are no details yet, just the linked article at military dot com below.
This guy (Meskimen) did not replace CAPT Jim Hawkins just a few months ago. (No Treasure Island jokes, please.)
That gentleman was CAPT Raymond Leung, with the change of command ceremony being held in May 2018 after a three year stint for CAPT Hawkins.
No, this fella is was the CO of what used to be called the Service Schools Command in the 1970s. Now it’s the Training Support Center.
Whatever Meskimen did, now he’s being shitcanned for being naughty, details as yet undisclosed. Story below:
A prior-enlisted sailor who oversaw the training and supervision of more than 10,000 of the Navy’s newest personnel has been removed from his job.
Capt. Mark Meskimen, who served as commanding officer of the Training Support Center at NS Great Lakes, Illinois, was relieved of command Friday “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” said Cmdr. James Stockman, a spokesman for Naval Education and Training Command. The decision was made by Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, head of Naval Education and Training Command. – Article.
No details are available yet, but I’m sure they will be forthcoming. Anyone on the inside who has some “stuff” to pass along is welcome to do so.
My comment: Idiot (until informed otherwise)
Category: "Teh Stoopid", "Your Tax Dollars At Work"
I noticed the article in this morning’s online Mil Times. I went through the Lakes in Oct. of 63 and was still there when JFK was shot. Things were different back then, but then again, we didn’t have access to anything that was going on unlike in todays world.
That place is enormous now. The old main entrance on Buckley Road is gone because some drunk being chased by the (North Chicago?) cops tried to crash the main gate and nearly ran over one of the guards while he was at it. Happened about four years ago. There’s also a brand new Museum of Navy history nearby.
Money or sex? Got to be one of those two.
My bet is on sex. He was sticking it where he oughtn’t have. 😉
> He was sticking it where he oughtn’t have.
Actually, you can say the same thing regarding money….
He was probably sticking it into an socially acceptable orifice but the orifice was attached to someone inappropriate. With a name like his, the poor guy had to be screwed from the git go.
I am going to day that a man that ugly suddenly became quite handsome once he pinned on O6 and assumed the burden of command. Because he was suddenly so attractive, he then immediately stuck his hand in the nearest cherry pie (or chocolate), got it covered in pie filling and then smeared it everywhere making a huge mess. He then failed to clean up after.
At least that is what it is nine times out of ten.
Hillary Clinton says that as long as it was “consensual”, it is not inappropriate. At least that is her theory with senior politicians and 22 year old interns.
Hmmm..Navy Times questions if the death or the investigation surrounding the death of a Recruit on 8 Oct 2018 had anything to do with Captain Mark Meskimen being fired:
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/10/26/navy-fires-commanding-officer-of-training-support-center-great-lakes/
“On the morning of Oct. 8, sailors discovered the dead body of Fire Controlman Seaman Recruit Joshua F. Edge, 24, in his barracks at Training Support Center Great Lakes, triggering an ongoing probe by Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents.”
“Foul play is not suspected.”
“Officials refused to say if there was any connection between the death and Meskimen’s relief.”
“Meskimen was relieved due to loss of confidence in his ability to command. Due to privacy of those involved we cannot comment on the details of the investigation,” said Stockman.”
“Navy Times reached Meskimen on his cellphone to try to ask him if his firing had anything to do with the death investigation.”
“I ain’t gonna talk to you,” he said before quickly hanging up.”
Ah. Now there’s something besides the usual post-adolescent nonsense going on here.
If there was no foul play involved in the trainee’s death, then there are only about 4 things I can think of that are left which could cause same:
1. unknown and/or undisclosed medical condition;
2. trainee abuse (should be in the category foul play, but maybe that’s considered something else);
3. fatal accident; or
4. suicide.
I’d guess the latter three happening to a trainee are generally not career-enhancing for the training chain-of-command. Given the timing, my bet’s on one of those.
Hondo, good list.
Something triggered the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to get involve in the Recruit’s death. Don’t know if the family was involved. Read the Recruits Obituary which stated he died suddenly and asked that folks contribute to the Donate for Life cause.
We may never know the outcome of what caused the Recruit’s death or why the Captain was relieved…but I speculate the two incidents may be involved.
Last sentence should read “two incidents may be RELATED”, not “two incidents may be involved”.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the ongoing Fat Leonard investigations? Wonder if he was a Loggy?
But it also could be a dead girl or a live boy. We shall see.
> I wonder if it has anything to do with the ongoing Fat Leonard investigations?
In that case, it would involve money AND sex….
“Meskimen was relieved due to loss of confidence in his ability to command. Due to privacy of those involved we cannot comment on the details of the investigation,”…
Privacy of those involved smells like Meskimen was touching someone else’s naughty bits, or, bumping ugly parts with someone in his command. Just my opinion and I could be all wrong.
Loss of confidence could be no more than he didn’t put his X in Block 79 as required.
Gillette razors, perhaps?
If he screwed up and sunk his own career; DUMBASS! If he is being railroaded over some politically correct/butt hurt snowflake BS he has my sympathy. You Ex, or someone, will keep us updated? Thanks!
Sometimes it’s neither, 5/77. While a commander is responsible “for everything the unit does or fails to do”, some incidents just aren’t reasonably foreseeable. If the incident is serious, the guy/gal in charge when one of those happens often takes the fall whether they could reasonably have foreseen (and prevented) the incident or not.
Or, in other words: sometimes it’s simply, “Right place, wrong time, sucks to be you. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.”
Ex-PH2:
Thank you for holding down the fort today.
Great topics.
You’re quite welcome, Pat. Nothing will stop us from moving forward.
Hallowe’en is day after tomorrow. I found something that may interest everyone. (No, it is not in shrillary’s handbag.)
And now this:
“Fired Air Force One Star Made innappropriate Comments About Women; Failed to Report Suicide Attempts:
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/10/29/fired-air-force-one-star-made-inappropriate-comments-about-women-failed-to-report-suicide-attempts/
He is BG Paul Tibbets IV, a bomber pilot who graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1989. He is also the grandson of Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets Jr., who piloted the Enola Gay when it dropped a uranium bomb over Hiroshima.
With a legendary pedigree, I’m guessing he rode it all the way up. Thought his good looks and charm got him there, but it was just the name. Commanding the B-2 wing should have set him up for the fast track to a 4-star billet.
I was with him for calling his airman “such a beautiful young lady”, which we shouldn’t have gotten to the point that a compliment is a crime. Also didn’t think getting loud after a few beers should ruin a career. I thought it was a prerequisite for service to be honest. 😉 His comments at the Chief’s game, while untoward, sound like he was trying too hard to still be one of the guys.
Then he ruined it by outing his airman for being an adulterer, had an oddly close relationship with her, and as for not reporting the suicide attempts, that’s just plain stupid. Probably thought it’d make him look bad. What looks bad is the terrible morale of your unit, sir. Especially if people are literally dying (or attempting) to get out.
Well just damn! Dumbassery and snowflakery is not a good mix. Did senior NCOs and Officers lose all their good sense and morals over the years, or is it just more reported now? What dahell happened to the Code of Conduct?
No, if you are a senior NCO or Officer, you are guilty. Period.
Why anyone would seek senior rank in the armed forces right now is hard to fathom.
You are screwed whatever you do. Which is why so many of them follow carefully scripted narratives and managed schedules.
It is also why so many are completely risk averse and avoid any decision that could be interpreted by anyone with an ax to grind and used to make you fodder for the big machine.
Just a thought…if the death of a Seaman is part of the loss of confidence, I’d hope there would be no comment at least until the family has all the answers.
The only thing worse than losing a child is not knowing why. I’ve sat with too many parents who are destroyed by this question. An investigation of an active duty death from causes other than combat or an obvious accident can take a very long time, time in which consideration for the family must be paramount and second only to ferreting out the truth.