The commander of a mine countermeasures ship crew was fired Wednesday for fraternizing with a female officer — his executive officer.When I think about some of my CO/XO combos ... well ... shivereekungh.
Lt. Cmdr. James Rushton, who commanded MCM Crew Constant aboard the ship Chief, was relieved of command “due to misconduct” following an investigation by his boss, Capt. Robert Hospodar, commodore of Mine Countermeasures Squadron 2 in San Diego, Naval Surface Forces spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Jason Salata said Thursday.
Rushton appeared at mast to face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice of violating a lawful general order and conduct unbecoming an officer. Hospodar found that Rushton “violated the Navy’s fraternization policy by engaging in an unduly familiar relationship with a subordinate female member of his crew,” Salata said.
Hospodar on Wednesday also fired that crew member, Lt. Cmdr. Anne Laird, who has been serving as the XO, for “misconduct.”
Dude.
UPDATE: It looks like as the 2nd and 3rd reports come in this will turn out to be very much along the lines of "sad" than worthy of Jerry Springer. An additional layer of sad is how this broke. The press releases put out there a waddling, quacking, billed bird - no shock that everyone said, "Hey - a duck!"
Pretty good chance that this won't be a duck - but more of a Gallinule than anything else. Either way - a loss for people, families, and our Navy. At least no one was killed.