Up periscope

The Recordnet.com reports on the non-capital referral decision in United States v. Platero.

The commanding general of Fort Stewart, Ga., did not talk directly with the families of two soldiers killed in Iraq a year ago – including the Carrillo family of Stockton – before making the decision to pull the death penalty off the table in court-martial proceedings against another soldier under his command.

You will recollect the still ongoing issues with the Navy VWAP at Yokosuka, Japan.

Military.com reports what maybe the oldest person convicted at court-martial under the UCMJ and for desertion (I forget how old the Soldier was who came back from Korea).

Ooops, Military.com reports the 18th Navy CO fired.

Cmdr. Mark Olson was removed from command of the USS The Sullivans on Sept. 7 following an admiral’s mast that concluded his failure to follow proper procedures resulted in his ship firing inert rounds at a civilian fishing vessel instead of a target hulk.

One astute commentator also remarked that the ships gunnery training was probably all messed up – they missed what they were aiming at.

There has been a small discussion about Tailhook on CAAFLog. Here’s an interesting piece from the U. S. Naval Institute:

Is Naval Aviation Culture Dead? Proceedings Magazine – September 2011 Vol. 137/9/1,303 By John Lehman. The swaggering-flyer mystique forged over the past century has been stymied in recent years by political correctness. Far more damaging than bureaucratic bloat is the intolerable policy of “zero-tolerance” applied by the Navy and the Marine Corps. One strike, one mistake, one DUI, and you are out.