Top Navy Admiral to Retire vs. Accept Top Post

| July 8, 2019

A top Navy Admiral who was destined for the nations top officer is retiring instead according to Yahoo News.

Confirmed by the Senate on May 23, Moran, a four-star admiral, was highly regarded and already serving as the deputy chief of naval operations, the Navy’s No. 2 admiral. He was slated to become the next chief of naval operations on Aug. 1.

“Adm. Bill Moran recently brought to my attention that over the past two years he maintained a professional relationship with an individual who was held accountable and counseled for failing to meet the values and standards of the Naval profession,” said Spencer in a statement.

“While I admire his faithful service and commitment to the Navy, this decision on his part to maintain that relationship has caused me to call his judgment into question,” he added. “Therefore, today I accepted Adm. Moran’s request to retire.”

Moran admitted to continuing the relationship with the investigated officer, but said he didn’t approve of his actions.

To be frank, I’m not sure what all of the above refers to.   But I a few minutes later, my joy was made full by finding the missing piece of the puzzle.

Servello was investigated by the Department of Defense’s inspector general for his actions during and after a 2016 Navy Christmas party, where dressed in a Santa suit, he slapped a woman’s backside and later made sexual advances on female junior officers. At the time of the incident, Servello was serving as the top spokesman for Adm. John Richardson, the Navy’s chief of Naval Operations.

I’m guessing it was the sexual transgressions and not the fact that he was dressed as Santa Claus, but it could have been both.

Years ago, the thing was photocopying one’s private parts on the office copier.  Although I don’t condone this, I never heard of any top officers being tossed over associating with someone that did this.  I think I’m qualified to be on the board to decide where the line is drawn.

“OK, here is a case where he photocopied his genitals on the office copier.”

“Did he mail or otherwise provide those images to coworkers?”

“No, not that we know of.”

“Next case.”

“St. Patrick’s Day office party.  Someone dancing around in a Leprechaun suit asking women if they’d like to try his Lucky Charms.”

“Suggest he retire so he can spend more time with his family.  Next case.”

 

Category: "Teh Stoopid"

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David

Note it was another officer, an aide to a different admiral, who committed the transgressions. Moran maintained a professional relationship with said leper. Guess he was guilty of not throwing the first stone…

Ex-PH2

Yes, off into the sunset, please. No need to explain.

ChipNASA

*NOTICE*

To anyone thinking of jumping up and Xeroxing one’s backside on the office copier, that is an extremely dangerous thing to do.

It wasn’t me, however, someone I knew hopped up and then perched their backside on the glass and proceeded to lean over and start pushing the button. Well however it happened, their weight was too much for the machine and the glass on the machine snapped and cut said offender’s backside. I don’t remember how the rest of the story went but I’d certainly be in an embarrassing situation to explain to the boss how the Xerox machine was broken and why you had to leave for the day to go to the ER or wherever and get stitches in your butt for the laceration.

HMCS(FMF) ret

Go to 2:08 … I’ve always wanted to do that.

SFC D

There may or may not have been an incident or incidents where a photocopy or photocopies of a playboy centerfold were or were not inserted into the bulk paper feeder of a Signal battalion S3 shop’s copier, just prior to printing a multitude of OPORDS for an upcoming exercise.
I admit nothing. Send lawers, guns, and money.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

So the guy who’s butt was on the Xerox machine turned out to be the butt of all the office jokes, butt was it really neccesary??

SFC D

It was a copycat crime.

Comm Center Rat

Somewhere and somehow Fat Leonard has to be an uncontrolled variable in this calculation. I refuse to believe a four star admiral suddenly has a crisis of conscience and decides to take the hard right over the easy wrong by retiring. Modern flag officers, like corporate CEOs, usually display sociopathic traits (antisocial personality disorder). Anyway, I’m glad to see this admiral withdraw his nomination and prevent any possible blowback on President Trump during early 2020 election campaigning.

AW1Ed

There must be more than just having a professional relationship with someone who acted out at a party a few years ago. Mike Moran headed up NAWC-AD here in Pax River for a few years and seemed a really decent guy. I won’t worry too much about his post Navy opportunities.

jim h

so what else are we missing here? this is not even a complete thought, let alone a complete story.

11B-Mailclerk

As a Mailclerk, one winds up with all sorts of odd catalogs for departed soldiers that are outside the “forwarding” rules, thus turned back to the Post Office as dead mail.

One occasionally hears wild rumors of said catalogs, often really weird stuff, getting “accidentally” copied into bulk jobs on the battalion copy machines. Or just slipped into inboxes or rucksacks. The “subscribe” cards often fell out on the floor, leading to some …. amusing free sample and trial issue events.

Note: between Loompanics and Paladin Press, one might properly sandbag almost anyone. Or so I have heard. (Both publishers are gone, which is a loss to the free market of ideas, however much the content may have offended a bunch of folks.)

11B-Mailclerk

How on earth did this get here? This was a reply to a comment about office hijinks.

FuzeVT

All I can say is that I thank the Lord more and more the USMC decided it was time to me to retire. Yes, the wording suggests that as a major with a swing and a miss at LtCol, I was asked to put my affairs in order over the next few years. I was crushed at the time, but more and more I think, “I’m glad I got out of there with my skin!” I never did anything crazy enough to get reprimanded (sober or otherwise), but I do have strong conservative opinions and a willingness to tell people about them – and that is enough.
This guy doesn’t get a job because he had a professional relationship with a guy who got in trouble he gets torpedoed? I got out while the gettin’s good. (Having had two O-6 commanders fired [both within weeks of their change of command] also puts it into perspective for me. The lesson learned in both cases, of course, is don’t get to liquored up in public when you like to talk freely.)

Proud to not have gotten fired – 1995-2019

Jay

Sir,

Ditto: did my time from 97-17 and was amazed to walk out with my head held high and my hide intact.

Comm Center Rat

Congratulations FuzeVT on your long and successful USMC career. I’m a retired Army mustang major (2013) who left before getting looked at by an O-5 selection board. I had no regrets then and no regrets now. Be at peace and keep expressing your opinions but most of all, enjoy the love of your family as you transition into the “civilian world.”

AW1Ed

I quit before they fired me, too. The Cold War was over, and there aren’t many submarines in the middle of Iraq. I had one sea duty hitch to go before hitting 20 years HYT and out.

Then the Temporary Early Retirement Authority hit and I jumped. One of my better life decisions.

FuzeVT

^^^Thanks to all^^^
I did four years in the reserve and 20 in active duty land. I really enjoyed it, but as with most things, “upper management” tried to make it unpleasant. To keep things in perspective, I was “upper management” to somebody and was probably annoying, too. Glad you folks got out safely, too.

I did have a good time, however. Here is the pictorial evidence:
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/104745627018165888181

Jim

FuzeVT, thanks for the link to the pics, good stuff there. Who is the female Colonel (her billet/job) pictured at the III MEF Change of Command 2015?

FuzeVT

That is Col Rhett Vandenburg, USMC, ret. – a great CommO and officer. She was the commander of troops for the event and as such, stands in front of the “staff” and gives commands in the parade. I was the III MEF east Asia exercise planner (Mr. Cobra Gold) at the time and I was tagged as the “Change of Command Officer”. Seems not being involved in Korea when UFG is being planned isn’t a good thing. Anyway, I got to do all the behind the scenes coordination with PMO, the squadron supplying the V-22, the logistics units supply trucks, etc. All of those pictures where actually taken during rehearsals since that allowed me to run all over the field while the practice was going on. I figured during the real thing a) there would be plenty of combat camera photographers out there and b) they wouldn’t want some dumb major running around on the field.
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/104745627018165888181/album/AF1QipPknobvAuUWTzaM6BiE4MIhPsB7QI7cbyBPijfT
One interesting aside is that early in her career, then-Lt Vandenberg was a contestant on the military edition of “American Gladiators.”

Charles

QUOTE: “Adm. Bill Moran recently brought to my attention that over the past two years he maintained a professional relationship with an individual who was held accountable and counseled for failing to meet the values and standards of the Naval profession,” said [Navy Secretary] Spencer in a statement. “While I admire his faithful service and commitment to the Navy, this decision on his part to maintain that relationship has caused me to call his judgment into question,” he added. “Therefore, today I accepted Adm. Moran’s request to retire.” END QUOTE To rephrase: QUOTE: Navy Secretary Richard Spencer found that Admiral Moran treated a fellow officer with respect, counseled him and mentored him to better performance in the Navy. This kind of behavior is totally unacceptable. What Admiral Moran failed to do was kick the officer to the curb, cut off all communications, treat him as a pariah, and assume a “holier than thou” attitude. Such decency will not be tolerated in the Navy. As soon as someone is accused of wrongdoing — regardless of proof, or the nature of the alleged misconduct — the Navy expects all personnel, regardless of rank, to immediately rush to judgment, stab the perpetrator in the back, sever all ties, cover their own ass, and refuse any further effort at improving or correcting the [guilty] party (because anyone who is accused is automatically guilty without respect to proof or evidence).” As Secretary of the Navy I wish to set the standard I expect all Navy officers to follow: When someone is accused, fuck ’em. Scrape them off. Treat them as lepers were treated in the Old Testament. Under no circumstances are you to assume that the accusations are false, over-rated, or that any Navy officer can recover from any error. In furtherance of that standard I have elected to question the judgment of a flag officer who believed that exhibiting leadership has anything to do with Naval command. Further, in furtherance of this goal, I hereby rescind the following principles of military leadership for officers in the United States Navy: 3. Develop a sense of… Read more »

Ret_25X

that sums it up. If having a “professional relationship” with someone who has already been held accountable for something is now a crime, then we really have become the USSR.

Now, if he had failed to hold the officer accountable, that would be different.

So, the message here is that not only is the perpetrator of misconduct to be held accountable and have opportunities reduced, the one who holds them accountable is now also guilty of the crime and must go to gulag.

What a mess.

SFC D

Yet another reason I sleep peacefully at night, under the protection of my DD-214 blanket.

Ret_25X

isn’t that the truth!

5th/77th FA

WORD(S)!!!

Guilty till proven innocent. BTDT

A Proud Infidel®™

Quite true, I have a high school friend who was dogged for about ten years by US Army CID and they never even brought a case against him.

Mason

Talk about guilt by association…

11B-Mailclerk

Someone was un-personed, and he didn’t go along, thus hammerfall.

It is going to take at least a generation to unf### the armed forces. If only that.

OAE CPO USN Ret

Holy crap. I hope the Navy never comes after me for my transgression of maintaining a professional relationship with Seaman Dumbass (several different ones at that) after they lost a stripe at Captains Mast.

i.e. Yes, SN Dumbass, right now it stings that you got 45/45 and 1/2 x 2. However, this is not the end of the world. I’m going to teach you and train you and be your big brother and your father. In short, I’m going to give you some tough love and you will go on and be fruitful in the Navy and then pass that same “love” onto those that you mentor in the coming years.

SFC D

So, if the Air Force follows this trend, anyone who led, mentored, or trained this Airman is well and truly screwed.

https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=88673

Jim

Cdrsalamander has an insightful post regarding this.
Comments section over there is usually good, also:

http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2019/07/morans-defenestration.html

AW1Ed

CDR Sal, as usual, hits it out of the park.

Anonymous

So, we can’t maintain a professional relationship with people who got drunk and acted like a pig? (I think we’d all be in trouble in all units I’ve ever been in then.) I’m supposed to say “Screw you guys, I’m going home!” and request a transfer because my coworkers/superiors got blasted and embarrassing?