The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Capt. Owen Honors, the aircraft carrier skipper who was fired over controversial videos that he made for his crew, will leave the Navy on April 1, the service has confirmed.
Honors was the executive officer aboard the Norfolk-based carrier Enterprise when he made the videos and broadcast them across the ship in 2006 and 2007. Among other things, they contained anti-gay jokes, shots of a subordinate dressed in drag, and scenes of sailors pretending to shower together, masturbate and perform rectal exams on each other. In some of the videos, Honors made jokes degradinga certain group of sailors and a particular female department head. He has argued that they helped to boost the crew's morale.
After the videos became public last year, Honors was fired. By then he'd become the Enterprise's commanding officer.
In addition to being removed from command, Honors was issued a letter of censure and made to appear before a panel of admirals tasked with deciding whether he should be allowed to remain in the Navy. Although the admirals determined that he committed misconduct in making the videos, they ruled in August that he could stay in the service.
Around the same time, Honors was selected for consideration for early retirement by an unrelated Navy board responsible for thinning the service's ranks.
Officers who were chosen for retirement were notified late last year. At the time, the Navy would not say whether Honors was among them.
This week, officials with Navy Personnel Command confirmed that he is set to retire April 1.
A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and fighter pilot, Honors has been in the Navy for nearly 30 years. Since he was removed from the Enterprise last January he has been assigned to a shore job at Naval Air Forces Atlantic, the command that oversees the Navy's East Coast carriers.
Corinne Reilly, 757-446-2949, corinne.reilly@pilotonline.com
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Captain Owen P. Honors
i see plenty of you talking out against this guy. Let me tell you something, unless you have served with Captain Honors, or have served in the military you have no grounds to judge him. you say stuff like "if he did this at a real job he would be fired."
first let me tell you this - The Military is a real job. in fact, it is worse than a real job. in a "real job" you get up each morning knowing that you will be returning home that night to spend time with loved ones.
in a "real job" you get paid more than minimum wage.
in a "real job" you still have rights and liberties.
in the military, you are away from family, friends, and loved ones for months on end.
in the military, you have to be humorous and thick skinned.
Nah-nah nah -hey, hey -
Nah-nah nah -hey, hey - GOODBYE! I am the wife of 20+ yr enlisted personnel and I shed no tears. Fair winds, thanks for your service and praise that my family never had to serve for you. I see it- I read all your supporters, your a great guy-Guess thats what made you a captain and why my man is enlisted. I still think me and our kida got the better man.
Captain Honors
To one of our favorite Officers and a Gentlemen. We are so happy to have crossed paths with you; perhaps we will again. You are indeed an asset to our Navy and the Nation. It is so very sad that many younger new Sailors will never have the benefit of your expertise and humor. Hail to you and your family.
Parade
Made the top of the list for mandatory retirememt. Is he going to have a parade?
Buh bye
Buh bye...
Good riddance.
Good riddance.
POETIC JUSTICE
Fitting he is retiring on April Fool's Day. He's made a mockery out of command leadership.
one word
Juvenile
Thank you Pilot
The public should be made aware when a person who got a $200,000 college education, $500,000 in other training and making $150,000 per year in pay and benefits pretends to masturbate on video for his crew to watch. Having done that after sitting through dozens of hours of sensitivity training, sexual harassment training, etc. that is an annual mandate by CNO and higher, it is reasonable that Navy "lost confidence in his ability to command". If Mr. Honors tries such escapades in his next employ in the private sector, teaching, or civil service, he will find that "fired" means fired without life-long pensions and privileges. Navy has changed and Honors knew it well. Our young sons and daughters deserve better than this.
Ohhh wait...,
"forgive me" At first, reading the first sentance, I thought you were heading down a rode of talking about our current President, the free ride of usages w/the tax payers monies,etc? Again, forgive me, you are actually talking about this Cpt that spent his whole life at protecting your freedom, not hating it or trying to destroy it. Geeezz, what was I thinking. You choose to allow the Gov to spend $$ on your agendas... & I choose the Gov to spend $$ on those that Fight to DEFEND our freedoms & the usage w/college, training, medical, etc. These brave men & women DESERVE these "perks"; We are talking sweat, blood & tears. These films were simply made for fun moral aboard a ship w/blessings from many until some got thier undies in a bunch.