The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
If he wants to remain in the Navy, the fired commanding officer of a Virginia Beach-based amphibious unit will have to fight to do so.
Cmdr. Robert M. Brown, a 27-year Navy veteran, was the head of Beachmaster Unit 2 at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. He was removed from command in August amid allegations that he misused government resources.
On Wednesday, the Navy issued a news release saying Brown was found guilty during an admiral's mast of dereliction of duty, failing to obey an order or regulation, making a threat, and wrongfully disposing of government property.
A letter of reprimand will be placed in Brown's record and he'll have to argue his case before a board of Navy officers if he wants to try to remain in the service, said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Urban, a spokesman with Naval Surface Force Atlantic.
Letters like the one issued to Brown can end a career.
Urban said he could not provide more information to explain exactly what Brown was found to have done, except to read a one-sentence statement saying that the charges "stemmed from questionable ethical decisions made by Cmdr. Brown."
Brown could not be reached for comment, and the Navy said it could not immediately release a copy of its investigation into the matter.
Urban said one other member of the beachmaster unit was implicated in the case and also faced non-judicial punishment.
Brown, who had been the beachmaster unit's skipper since May 2010, is now assigned to administrative duties at Naval Beach Group 2. Beachmaster Unit 2 is now led by Cmdr. Steven Hull.
Beachmaster units provide teams of sailors that deploy with expeditionary forces to help with beach landings and evacuations.
Corinne Reilly, (757) 446-2949, corinne.reilly@pilotonline.com
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Nice payday
I'm pretty sure that other than a marred USN career at the finish, the commander will not be hurting all that much financially since he will be making at least $4K a month before taxes from military retirement alone. Many can and do live off less.
THE ULTIMATE COST
An ultimate failure for a naval officer! He found out that his rank did not mean that he was untouchable. Though his actions have determined the outcome of his future, I feel he should be asked to retire with honor and diginity. ENC(SW)RETIRED 22 YEARS.
No surprise at all
This is the new Navy. Promote, promote, promote. A vast majority of khaki level personnel do not deserve the promotion to or up the ladder promotions in the Navy. I work around it and see it every day. It is all about "politically correctness" and keeping numbers up. There is no more work ethic or respect that used to be in the Navy. Walk around the ships in Norfolk and Little Creek for a day or two and you will see it. It is too obvious to miss. For a good portion of navy personnel, it is just a glorified welfare agency. I know it stings to hear that but the truth hurts. It is now up to ranks of XO's and CO's. You cannot hide these failures as easy as the lower level failures. Hate to see this happen. Just saying..
Same in the army. I'm glad I
Same in the army. I'm glad I retired when I did. Towards the end you could get into trouble just by yelling at a private!
rank does has its privileges
Someone said that rank has its privileges. At Norfolk naval shipyard, us contractors park way out in the boondocks compared to the shipyard workers. At the naval base, the officers get parking right up next to the ship while everyone else is slightly short of a million miles away. Don't walk on the "blue tile".
Maybe it is about time that all the privileges that come with rank (EARNED!!!) don't come with the "free and excess" price tag.
I betcha that parking at the navy bases would be fixed real quick if most of the reserved parking went away.
How does that relate to the article - if people of rank didn't get all the pomp then maybe "they" will focus on fixing the job.
Well It's Obvious Why You Park Far Away
That way you won't be confused trying to find your car since it's always all alone in the corner of the parking lot.
What in Sam's $&*# does the
What in Sam's $&*# does the issue of parking have to do with this case? I suppose you just needed to get that off your chest?
naw
Not really. Just that heaping on lots of "RHIP" creates a culture from the outside looking in. And the lowly thing of parking is just a symptom of a culture.
In Tom Wolfe's book, "Mauve gloves, madmen and other things" there was a story of a naval aviator and his steward. Found out that all Filipinos joining the navy had to be a steward for their first enlistment. That RHIP lasted through 1968.
RHIP is needed, but it looks like from recent articles that too many privileges created the culture that SOME (very few) "could get away with anything".
Comment deleted
Comment removed for rules violation. Reason: Racial, ethnic, group attack
Sorry CDR Brown. . .
...you have been defeated by the new political correctness model the Navy has adopted, and we will suffer deterioration in our strength because of it. Fair winds Sir, you've done a great job but now you are expected to fade away...