Posted on 02/20/2015 6:09:09 AM PST by luke1825
It may not have been a shot heard around the world, but it certainly was a shot that reverberated throughout the United States Navy.
No, it was not the scandal involving the censure of three U.S. Navy rear admirals for being on the take, which is bad enough. It was Navy war hero Sen. John McCain calling a fourth rear admiral "an idiot."
(Excerpt) Read more at lowellsun.com ...
How many in all services’ upper ranks can you find not to be cowards. Those taking bribes need to be stripped of everything they have and in the slammer including their present boss!!!
Actually he was forced out by the new SecDef. To me that was a principled action because he didn’t want a uniformed office to be in this position. The new SecDef hasn’t got a chance.
McCain would never call barry an idiot
How much bribes has McPain taken???
It used to be that at one time, in my beloved Corps, that no one could rise to the rank of Colonel without having been in combat. Now there are birds that have never even had command. I had more command time than a CoS in one of the last commands I served, and yet he made it to Colonel and I topped out at Major. Gotta know the right people who sit on the boards.
We are a Navy family...30 yrs.
This guy, Kirby, is a qualified Surface Warfare Officer...see the Surface Warfare pin on his left side...but he’s a PAO specialty meaning after a tour or two as a SWO, he went PAO. He made Rear Admiral in this specialty.
We, in the Navy, consider most of these folks BS artists and getting to flag rank by being a BS artist, well, you do the math.
A lot of flag/general officers get to this rank by who they know, who’s sitting on the promotion board and which “minority status” they are in....
During my tenure I have come across numerous flag officers. Some I would not spit on were they to be on fire. Others, I would follow through Hell and back, but that number is in the single digits. Two stand out in my memory:
-General "Spider" Nyland
-Major General "Tango" Moore
What you wrote makes to much sense. Yet this is today's world. All too many Corporate CEO's have little or no experience in the actual operation of business's they oversee, yet they know how to make money, or as in the case of the military, they now how to please their superiors.
I think a lot of General slots are political anymore. I loved Commandant Al Grey. He was the corps Commandant in the late 80’s and early 90’s. He started off enlisted and worked his way up. He was a Korean War vet and a Vietnam vet. He famously took his commandant’s picture in his cammies.
For a while, anyway. But even that crowd is going to be mixed with political types. My year group that are still in are deep into the O6 band and will soon be making headway into the flags. Most I have undying respect for. Others, not so much.
Semper Fi
And I may be wrong here but Kirby can’t “resign” from the Navy. He can retire at a future date, i. E. Put in his retirement papers.
He has been reassigned to a different job, I’m pretty sure, so he will still be in uniform until he retires.
He serves, as all uniform personnel do, at the “pleasure of the President” and has to have his retirement request approved by the chain of command...
I think I got that right.
Officers can resign their commission pretty much anytime after an initial obligation (6 years for Service Academy graduates, 3 year for OTC, Reserves. In some cases they may be asked to stay on but it’s rare to have it forced.
216 is too many.
Think about how many ships we have.
Rank inflation is a major problem.
I knew Gen Grey in passing as I was assigned to OpNav in the Navy Annex/ HQ Marine Corps building then...
Great guy as was Gen P. X. Kelly who was Commandant when I was there and whose acquaintance I made....loved the Marines!
Do we know that Kirby is being “forced out” or just being reassigned?
If forced out, that’s pretty bad...
If reassigned, he’ll still serve until he wants out or is not promoted anymore.
And to get out, you submit your request for getting out and have to get it approved....
***How the heck can you rise to the rank of Admiral in the United States Navy and never command so much as a tin can?***
H.M.S. Pinafore comes to mind.
“I polished that handle so carefully that now I am the ruler of the Queen’s Nave-e!”
“Now landsmen all, whoever you may be,
If you want to rise to the top of the tree,
If your soul isn’t fettered to an office stool,
Be careful to be guided by this golden rule—
Stick close to your desks and never go to sea,
And you all may be rulers of the Queen’s Navee! “
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