As both a junior and senior officer I ALWAYS relied upon my Chiefs to run the ship and do the right thing. Obviously, standards have changed from my afloat days. Not to mention where was the rest of the Wardroom. Nobody noticed a Star link box sitting on the deck? Stinky is very appropriate.
It may seem like a clever (not in a good way), smart alek thing to do - name their wireless network stinky, but alas they did not have that level of originality. Elon Musk changed the default wi-fi name of Starlink to stinky and then Musk made some joke about "if you can't smell your wifi, how do you know it's real?" or some such nonsense. Didn't want anybody to think these E-7's and the one E-8 were being cute or funny with that "stinky" name. That car full of clowns obviously wasn't that clever.
IANAS (I Am Not A Shoe), but isn't there something, somewhere, about how a ship's Commanding Officer is supposed to know, in detail, everything attached, welded, tied down, or otherwise in contact with both the ship's interior, but also the exterior as well? At all times? Not to mention the tidbit that the XO did bring this to the CO's attention. And said XO was subsequently Relieved for Cause? Good googley-moogley, this whole Gold Crew, E-7 and above, defines "dysfunctional." I pity the young JOs for whom this was either their first, or second, tours. No matter how innocent, their future is now tainted badly. "You were there, and you didn't know? Or did you know and were afraid to speak up?" Anyone hear from JOPA about this Crew?
Not going to judge: with it being an LCS, who knows how heavily tasked this CO is. In any case this is so unbelievable, why doubt what the CMC is saying?
This is not dissimilar to the sad state of living conditions in barracks. How did the get to such a bad state and why did it take congressional involvement and the media to get the services to act on it. Was the leadership even inspecting these barracks? Even if maintenance was civilian contractor responsibility the service should have been on those contractors a$$.
Lufkin is CO of Blue Crew, CDR Matthew G. Farrell is CO of Gold Crew. Two CO's for an LCS? I was going to ask how FUBARED the LCS/Navy could get, but why bother? The answer is "worse".
I just take what they give me. :) Sal is usually spot on in his information, and I believe Moore was CO at the time of the incident. Farrell is the current Gold Crew CO.
I saw an article that mentioned Moore was made CO in a change of command back in 2022. The following first article is undated (thanks, Navy) but I think it is current data. The second article is as of 4June2024. Marrero was relieved of duty in September of 2023. The article did make me think again of how useful and powerful a FOIA request is.
I suspect that the Regime would ban them if they thought they could get away with it. I regularly read of those that have submitted FOIA's the non-response or overly limited/redacted information provided by the Federal Agency.
As of this morning, Marrero's LinkedIn info shows her looking for work in the IT field, though the Navy Times article is already noted by others on her page. Her "Start date is Immediately, I am actively applying". Hopefully she is blacklisted from any responsible position at any organization.
Most companies run an applicant‘s name through various social media sites once an offer is made and a background check ensues. Her name will pop up for sure. A court-martial conviction guarantees zero chance of employment with a company with government contracts or security clearance requirements. IIRC, a court martial conviction gives you a federal criminal record. Someone with legal expertise can probably provide clarification or correction of the latter point.
I didn't know about the criminal record part. When I still worked we did a lot of security stuff including background checks. Zero chance that former Chief Marrero would not be found out, and would not work for any of our clients. The Navy Times article by itself is damning, let alone what somebody with clearances could find out, or what people would tell a talented investigator. The social media information can be a killer, as a lot of people are finding out. If it is on the Net, it can be found.
Pretty much everyone on the ship above E-6, O-3 should be summarily dismissed. CO, CSO/OPS, EWO or equivalent, and all E-7 up should be busted 3 grades and BCD
My jaw just dropped when I read that story. No one ripped that antenna off and showed it to the skipper. The skipper didn't have a sweep for radio signals radiating from the ship done? Just the sheer WTF was that woman thinking and doing this at all!
Finally why wasn't she giving a Dishonorable and the other petty officers a Big Chicken Dinner? Better yet, toss her in the brig for a few years.
We had a similar problem in college where a football player broke into the server room to run a wire for a satellite dish. One of several "no action taken" once reported. They removed it, but after Tyson Holyfield. Giant disaster.
Place I work at had a couple of the network techs 'borrow' a couple of servers. They isolated them off the internal network and created a direct path to the internet so they could run World of Warcraft off of them. I don't know how long they got away with it but the security office had to change pants several times when they found out. It was sheer luck that we didn't get a data breach of patient records. We're involved in medical stuff.
Years ago we had a server that, after hours, would change from production to some box serving up, umm, bad files. That was shortly before my time. But it was stopped.
Uhh, in today's thoroughly modern Navy it would be career suicide to severely punish a female person of color for anything, no matter how guilty they are.
Not having that device listed on the ship's EMCOM Bill or the Electrical Safety list so its plug and wiring could be checked for proper grounding periodically are grievous enough administrative errors, even if accidental, and would be actionable for NJP. Add to that the lies, duplicity of CPO's and even hazarding the ship during an EMCON Alpha situation...they should all have been shithammered. Says this former Senior Chief. Honestly, if some LTjg had waded through that Chief's Mess with a sharpened saber he could have been hailed a hero. Below, my own personal entertainment data link aboard FFG-9 in 1984. Compliant. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/465x347q70/r/923/KtBK4E.jpg
My CO handed off that collateral to his (not) electronics expert, an OpTech CWO. I'd have had my ET's making it painless for you il mio goombah Warrant bro, proprio come abbiamo fatto per tutti.
A lot of folks would be more cooperative with the EM mafia if they understood ship's power is 3 phase, not 2 phase. Not all appliances designed for two phase can play nice with the 3 phase.
I found the embarking USMC folks were much more cooperative and understanding when we had the engineering officer provide an explanation of that instead just saying--- only bring authorized power strips because we'll confiscate any unauthorized ones we come across.
Hah. "rapid response". Brings back an event I am not too proud of....a "rabid response". I was CDO on a Sunday on our FFG. The Squadron Chaplain was conducting divine services in the port helo hanger. The Chaplain was a Baptist and a very good friend. He had got the "calling" after retiring from the Navy as an MR1 and came back in after divinity school and getting commissioned. Heck of a nice guy. The Quarterdeck had already piped for silence in the vicinity of divine services but some Seaman working out in the starboard helo hanger was playing loud music on a boom box. The QD and Chaplain were unable to get the guy to comply. This CWO3 CDO was asked to intervene. Stepped into the helo hanger and there he was: EWSA Silv___, a former EW3, repeat druggie, awaiting his OTH discharge, a man with nothing to lose. "Turn the music off, Silv___, divine services is next door", I said. His response was immediate, "NO! This is my fucking divine service..lifting and music." Ouch. In that split second, my lizard brain calculated that the last time someone had told me "NO!" when I was acting in an official capacity was when I was maybe a 19-year-old E-5 LPO 18 years before. Next thing I knew the boom box was flying through the air, it's having been drop-kicked. Oops. Bad leadership move, I know. But you kind of had to be there. Silv___ was a druggie, a toad, on his way out with an OTH, truculent , froward, defiant and purt near mutinous and I knew he had told my Chaplain friend "NO!" too in the same hateful tone he used on me. That dear sweet man who I cherished like a favorite uncle. I was left to stand there hoping for salvation, that Silv___ would hit me. It'd be my own fault, but I would have not fought back...just let Silv___ punch his way into Leavenworth. Yes, this was a shit sandwich of my own making. He said, "You broke my boom box" and left. I placed him on report, of course. As it turned out the boom box was not registered, nor safety checked and that job was my collateral duty as the ERO (FFG talk for EMO). The Captain summoned me for a seance on Monday. He said, "Dale. Do think you could have handled that better?" I responded, "Yes Sir, I think I should have, but..." Then he said, "OK" and that was the end of it. That boom box belonged to someone else. My ET's glued it back together, safety checked it and returned it to the deck seaman who owned it. He was happy to get it back without an ass-chewing from my Chief, a burly IC-Man.
I've long since sold an '80's era Walkman tape player (but might have a photo buried somewhere) that had a bright orange-red sticker of approval from security for approval for use in an SCI room.
What she should have gotten was, as others have mentioned, a Dishonorable Discharge, or a similarly sized punitive hammer dropped on her. That kind of thing could have endangered the ship, and repeatedly lying to her superiors is the WAY wrong answer for just about any possible question.
Definitely not treason but, willfully stupid and remarkably unintelligent particularly given her pay-grade and position, she should be serving time in the brig.
What a wild story. The amazing thing is, I think this is one of those stories that would only get crazier with the more details we learn, when usually its the opposite (that is, things that seem sensational on the surface are often actually pretty mundane when you learn more details).
This has been a live topic of discussion today at the office (I'm an IP officer at an IW command). It should go without saying, but this is so far past unacceptable that we are getting into farcical territory. Something that I picked up from the former ITCS's bio is that she spent some considerable time working with the special warfare community, in what we refer to as the "expeditionary comms" world.
When an IT or an IP officer goes to one of those billets, they are essentially fully enveloped in the culture and mission set of the special warfare community. It's almost a world unto itself, to the point where I've seen some inside the IP/IT community argue that it should be a separate rate/designator or at least a separate track. Now, I'm probably not alone in being highly suspicious of the culture inculcated in the special warfare community, and I have no way to know if her experiences in that community led ITC Marrero to somehow think this kind of behavior was acceptable, but I do wonder...
There is some real truth here. Buddy of mine spent two years in AFGH with Navy special forces and came back a different person. Arrogant and belittling to others and definitely didn't believe any rules applied to him. I wouldn't say this is universal to everyone but I see a trend.
Based on her bio, the majority of her career has been in the NSW/NECC world. Not sure the entire career trajectory for the IT/IS-rate but it strikes me strange that somebody with exceedingly little fleet time, particularly any at-sea duty, is in the position of being the senior non-comm of a ship.
She has no at-sea experience, little understanding of shipboard operations, comes from a shore-based world that exists more as an exception, than rule...is this one of the symptoms of the poor retention and recruitment, ships going to sea with an incomplete crews, they're grabbing anybody with a crow to fill billets?
EVERY single POS CPO who had knowledge of this should have been tried at a court martial—there are myriad possible charges and specifications associated with this series of acts.
"Evidence you might be in a Cult:
Your group has one leader—usually male [in this case, female]. You revere this leader and do whatever [she] tells you. Your group has the answers while nobody else does. And you actively deny that your group is a Cult." —Neal deGrasse Tyson
The CPO Mess is a cult of the highest magnitude and its day —like “. . .rum, sodomy, and the lash” is long past. Disband it and treat chiefs like NCOs of other services (e.g., eat in with and after other enlisted personnel).
I'm a retired Master Chief and with the toxicity and criminal behavior that the CPO Mess has exhibited over at least the last decade, I am ashamed and embarrassed—personally and professionally—to have have associated with this organization.
I cannot think of a single FO who compares to the best-known FOs of WW2—King, Leahy, Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance, et al. They had flaws (particularly Halsey) but knew how to lead. I suspect most—if not all—of these individuals would have had difficulty promoting to flag rank today. The best officer I ever served with made it to CAPT but wasn't politically savvy enough to get a star. I suppose that's a backhanded compliment.
There is definitely a culture of CPO exceptionalism at large that needs to be addressed. The underlying beliefs were established well before the last 10 years. Navy leaders have been telling the CPO Mess how great they are for decades…eventually you begin to believe your own hype.
As a retired Senior Chief, this is embarrassing as hell. Yes, I get it, there are always bad apples -- and we've had bad Chief's literally since 1893, but still. This. is. bad. What makes it even worse is she abused Mess trust to get this setup and implemented - how did the junior Chief's handle it? Did they go along to get along or were they the ones putting comments in the CO's box? Once underway and 'contaminated,' were they too scared to bring it up or did they just accept it because the CMC was providing top cover? Either way, they dishonored their anchors.
I worry there is a connection here between the significant weakening of the Chief induction process (really started happening about 12+ years ago) and the type of Chief's we're producing.
The weakening of the induction process is not the problem: the problem starts with selection. Aside from the diversity selections, CMCs in particular have been keen to push go along get along Sailors.
Plenty of CPO involvement in the Fat Leonard scandal. How about CPO involvement in the NPTU and CVN cheating scandals also and the relative lack of accountability? NEC removal and retirement is a meaningless punishment for senior enlisted nukes.
I enjoyed reading it when it was published; I thought it had many good points and some that made me ask, "WTF?" Of course, that's an indicator of a thoughtful and well-written article.
However, regarding the NPTU scandal the bottom line was the lack of integrity at multiple levels of the chain of command. If I can't depend on a nuke to deal with an exam failure maturely and professionally—whether that individual considers the material pertinent to their duties—how can I rely on that individual to properly perform a maintenance item in the RC when unobserved or perform chemistry analysis correctly (as most assuredly did not occur for an extended period on USS HAMPTON in the mid-2000s).
I can't speak to what the program does today. Still, while on active duty until a decade or so ago, I did my utmost to ensure those demonstrating a lack of integrity were held accountable to the maximum extent possible (e.g., NJP, NEC removal, ADSEP). I would much rather have stood extra watches (and I did, even as a MC) than have an individual with integrity issues—who could spread that mindset to others—at my command.
As your article pointed out—correctly, in my opinion—we should attempt to ascertain why individuals act the way they do and develop methods to mitigate inappropriate behaviors. However, one of the most significant flaws across the services, particularly the Navy, is rationalizing non-performance based on human performance issues. The E-7s on MANCHESTER knew what they were doing was wrong. Every swinging d*ck caught up in the Fat Leonard scandal knew what they were doing was wrong. Every nuke in the NPTU/HAMPTON/CVN cheating events knew what they were doing was wrong. Nonetheless, these individuals willingly and knowingly committed these breaches of trust and integrity.
A primary tenet of human performance is that human beings make mistakes. However, there is a difference (using the terminology of human performance/factors) between a deliberate act of commission/commission and a mistake/slip/error. It still astounds me that of the 76 individuals found to have cheated or known of the cheating at the NPTU, only 34 were separated. I suspect that a similar mindset was used to justify not separating most—if not all—CPOs on MANCHESTER (GOLD).
The Navy, as a whole, has a credibility/trust/integrity problem. The MCPON will not correct this at the CPO level by merely sending out memos full of word salad and pablum. Perhaps removing the privileges and authorities accorded to the CPO Mess and forcing it to re-earn them may provide a path forward. However, as I've said, I believe the Mess has outlived its usefulness. I was a M/S/CPO for the better part of two decades. For the most part, I found it easier to accomplish tasks through hot-running petty officers and LDOs/CWOs, rather than the CPO Mess (of course,, maybe I was the problem, but I suspect not).
I think the CPO Mess is scared--scared that the Navy might actually function more effectively and efficiently without the Mess. As a result, the Mess acts out--much as an immature child. Just because this institution has existed for over 100 years doesn't imply its future viability. I suspect that the MCPON may give a show of angst with the attendant hand wringing and send out some more word salad but that hasn't changed things before, so why would it be effective now? I, on the other hand, will write letters to my congressional delegation and allow them to weigh in as they deem appropriate.
I simply don't understand how the CO/XO/CSO/OPS/EWO (I'm not sure what all billets are on an LCS) never went up there over the course of months, or if they did, never recognized an unauthorized ("This wasn't here last time!"), temp-mounted with straps on a pallet piece of equipment.
The fricken Chinese spy in the yard could have installed a tracker on them and leadership would have never known.
Well it would appear the XO was banging the help according to deck plate rumors and that is how he came to know the rumor the of the existence of the Star Link. Also apparently several CPO’s at various times in port “went aloft” to install, de-install and install again. The deck logs should say when they went aloft and the ragouts should show who went aloft.
Should have been a world of pain coming down on the DH’s and every Khaki on board.
This should / could be a literal case study that Big Navy uses in leadership training at every level.
How the then CO escaped with her career is curious. The new CO has a shit sammich and an untrustworthy CPO mess.
This doesn’t get fixed overnight.
But I still question if this wasn’t a bigger story and it’s being played out as a rogue Senior Chief.
Just, wow...!!! As the son of a super-salty WWII Chief, I can't even fathom this. It seems like some kind of fiction story meant to impugn Chiefs, or maybe piss them off. The whole Chiefs Mess?? Wth?? But then again, I saw first hand the illegal collusion of a CMC, CO, and others, so I guess decades later, this is wholly possible, even likely. How the mighty have fallen!
I’m only a former green suiter from back in dark days of the late/post-Vietnam Army, but…really? Everyone one (except, perhaps, the XO who got relieved) involved from the captain through the lowest enlisted sailor who knew about this should no longer be in the Navy…and most should be breaking rocks in a penal barracks…This, kids, is the fruit of the gutting of our military that began, in earnest, early in Bill Clinton’s first term when he ‘retired’ almost 200 general/flag officers and promoted ‘his’ kind of officers…
As a SWO I was deeply offended I had to d an interview and sign a statement every year that I was not there. That kind of BS likely had something to do with me choosing not to make it a career.
The American fish is rotting from the DC head. Politicians and contractors are stealing billions by the truckload everyday so people want to get a little piece for themselves.
Welcome to the Matriarchy. This is how you discipline a teacher at school. When real men ran the Navy, this clown would’ve gotten six, six and a kick. That’s six months in the brig, six months bread and water, and a dishonorable discharge.
As both a junior and senior officer I ALWAYS relied upon my Chiefs to run the ship and do the right thing. Obviously, standards have changed from my afloat days. Not to mention where was the rest of the Wardroom. Nobody noticed a Star link box sitting on the deck? Stinky is very appropriate.
Captain, you would have had a filter and knew you were being bullshitted. And you certainly had the loyalty of your mess over the CMC.
Who could possibly have been the CSO's "mentor" to advocate not telling the CO?
That is simply astounding.
A Chief? Not unknown, particularly for a female JO.
It may seem like a clever (not in a good way), smart alek thing to do - name their wireless network stinky, but alas they did not have that level of originality. Elon Musk changed the default wi-fi name of Starlink to stinky and then Musk made some joke about "if you can't smell your wifi, how do you know it's real?" or some such nonsense. Didn't want anybody to think these E-7's and the one E-8 were being cute or funny with that "stinky" name. That car full of clowns obviously wasn't that clever.
LCS......the grift that keeps on giving!
I think this is one that could've happened on any ship. On a sub....you might have a few problems though.
LMAO!
15 Chiefs plus the CMC on a "seaframe" with ~70 enlisted. What is this? The Pentagon?
Honestly, it's a reflection of the need for a higher proportion of experienced people in a smaller crew.
The RNs Batch 2 OPVs are similarly top heavy, high proportion of officers and SRs for such a small complement and limited capability.
Yep. Here's one of the best summaries of the grift: https://scottlocklin.wordpress.com/2022/05/26/littoral-combat-ships-are-moronic/
IANAS (I Am Not A Shoe), but isn't there something, somewhere, about how a ship's Commanding Officer is supposed to know, in detail, everything attached, welded, tied down, or otherwise in contact with both the ship's interior, but also the exterior as well? At all times? Not to mention the tidbit that the XO did bring this to the CO's attention. And said XO was subsequently Relieved for Cause? Good googley-moogley, this whole Gold Crew, E-7 and above, defines "dysfunctional." I pity the young JOs for whom this was either their first, or second, tours. No matter how innocent, their future is now tainted badly. "You were there, and you didn't know? Or did you know and were afraid to speak up?" Anyone hear from JOPA about this Crew?
When he heard about it why didn't he have a an electronic sweep secretly done? Sounds like he didn't want to know.
was there anyone he could trust to do it right?
Not going to judge: with it being an LCS, who knows how heavily tasked this CO is. In any case this is so unbelievable, why doubt what the CMC is saying?
How do you go that long without stepping out for some fresh air? Feels like a CO afraid of their own crew.
She didn’t walk the deck plates apparently.
I'm sure there was a consensus that all was well.
I guarantee the blue Crew CPO mess knew of it as well.
No doubt.
A robust zone inspection program should have caught this. I suspect the wardroom has lost their skill in “inspecting what you expect”
This is not dissimilar to the sad state of living conditions in barracks. How did the get to such a bad state and why did it take congressional involvement and the media to get the services to act on it. Was the leadership even inspecting these barracks? Even if maintenance was civilian contractor responsibility the service should have been on those contractors a$$.
The CO's name is hardly mentioned: CDR Ralph Lufkin. At this point, how can the Navy still have confidence in him?
Lufkin is CO of Blue Crew, CDR Matthew G. Farrell is CO of Gold Crew. Two CO's for an LCS? I was going to ask how FUBARED the LCS/Navy could get, but why bother? The answer is "worse".
Two COs, both Commanders, and two XOs, also both commanders.
The article clearly states the CO was "Cmdr. Colleen Moore", was that incorrect?
I just take what they give me. :) Sal is usually spot on in his information, and I believe Moore was CO at the time of the incident. Farrell is the current Gold Crew CO.
I saw an article that mentioned Moore was made CO in a change of command back in 2022. The following first article is undated (thanks, Navy) but I think it is current data. The second article is as of 4June2024. Marrero was relieved of duty in September of 2023. The article did make me think again of how useful and powerful a FOIA request is.
https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/Ships/USS-Manchester-LCS-14/Leaders/#:~:text=USS%20Manchester%20(LCS%2014)%20Blue%20Crew%20Commanding,Officer%20Commander%20Shawn%20Callihan%20CDR%20Shawn%20Callihan
https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/3809580/uss-manchester-and-usns-big-horn-conduct-replenishment-at-sea/
FOIA requests .... I remain surprised that the Current DC Regime has not yet banned them.
I suspect that the Regime would ban them if they thought they could get away with it. I regularly read of those that have submitted FOIA's the non-response or overly limited/redacted information provided by the Federal Agency.
As of this morning, Marrero's LinkedIn info shows her looking for work in the IT field, though the Navy Times article is already noted by others on her page. Her "Start date is Immediately, I am actively applying". Hopefully she is blacklisted from any responsible position at any organization.
The Chief or the CO?
Thanks for pointing out the need to clarify. I've edited the post to specify it was the Chief, Marrero.
Most companies run an applicant‘s name through various social media sites once an offer is made and a background check ensues. Her name will pop up for sure. A court-martial conviction guarantees zero chance of employment with a company with government contracts or security clearance requirements. IIRC, a court martial conviction gives you a federal criminal record. Someone with legal expertise can probably provide clarification or correction of the latter point.
I didn't know about the criminal record part. When I still worked we did a lot of security stuff including background checks. Zero chance that former Chief Marrero would not be found out, and would not work for any of our clients. The Navy Times article by itself is damning, let alone what somebody with clearances could find out, or what people would tell a talented investigator. The social media information can be a killer, as a lot of people are finding out. If it is on the Net, it can be found.
Pretty much everyone on the ship above E-6, O-3 should be summarily dismissed. CO, CSO/OPS, EWO or equivalent, and all E-7 up should be busted 3 grades and BCD
My jaw just dropped when I read that story. No one ripped that antenna off and showed it to the skipper. The skipper didn't have a sweep for radio signals radiating from the ship done? Just the sheer WTF was that woman thinking and doing this at all!
Finally why wasn't she giving a Dishonorable and the other petty officers a Big Chicken Dinner? Better yet, toss her in the brig for a few years.
Dishonorable and brig. A great combination that might have given pause to anyone else that had a hairbrained idea...
You get more of what you tolerate...
Guaranteed.
We had a similar problem in college where a football player broke into the server room to run a wire for a satellite dish. One of several "no action taken" once reported. They removed it, but after Tyson Holyfield. Giant disaster.
Place I work at had a couple of the network techs 'borrow' a couple of servers. They isolated them off the internal network and created a direct path to the internet so they could run World of Warcraft off of them. I don't know how long they got away with it but the security office had to change pants several times when they found out. It was sheer luck that we didn't get a data breach of patient records. We're involved in medical stuff.
Years ago we had a server that, after hours, would change from production to some box serving up, umm, bad files. That was shortly before my time. But it was stopped.
And then divorced couples could use each other's records against each other!
Uhh, in today's thoroughly modern Navy it would be career suicide to severely punish a female person of color for anything, no matter how guilty they are.
Sad.
The ship also broke every protocol from “Quebec” when establishing strike group Emcon and “River City”. Absolutely egregious.
Not having that device listed on the ship's EMCOM Bill or the Electrical Safety list so its plug and wiring could be checked for proper grounding periodically are grievous enough administrative errors, even if accidental, and would be actionable for NJP. Add to that the lies, duplicity of CPO's and even hazarding the ship during an EMCON Alpha situation...they should all have been shithammered. Says this former Senior Chief. Honestly, if some LTjg had waded through that Chief's Mess with a sharpened saber he could have been hailed a hero. Below, my own personal entertainment data link aboard FFG-9 in 1984. Compliant. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/465x347q70/r/923/KtBK4E.jpg
Right! Couldn’t even get an electric razor or a coffee pot for the air det without going through the EM mafia.
My CO handed off that collateral to his (not) electronics expert, an OpTech CWO. I'd have had my ET's making it painless for you il mio goombah Warrant bro, proprio come abbiamo fatto per tutti.
Grazie Amici
A lot of folks would be more cooperative with the EM mafia if they understood ship's power is 3 phase, not 2 phase. Not all appliances designed for two phase can play nice with the 3 phase.
I found the embarking USMC folks were much more cooperative and understanding when we had the engineering officer provide an explanation of that instead just saying--- only bring authorized power strips because we'll confiscate any unauthorized ones we come across.
Same for ship's company, although if you shared a stateroom with the Electrical Officer you got a rapid response:)
Haha
Hah. "rapid response". Brings back an event I am not too proud of....a "rabid response". I was CDO on a Sunday on our FFG. The Squadron Chaplain was conducting divine services in the port helo hanger. The Chaplain was a Baptist and a very good friend. He had got the "calling" after retiring from the Navy as an MR1 and came back in after divinity school and getting commissioned. Heck of a nice guy. The Quarterdeck had already piped for silence in the vicinity of divine services but some Seaman working out in the starboard helo hanger was playing loud music on a boom box. The QD and Chaplain were unable to get the guy to comply. This CWO3 CDO was asked to intervene. Stepped into the helo hanger and there he was: EWSA Silv___, a former EW3, repeat druggie, awaiting his OTH discharge, a man with nothing to lose. "Turn the music off, Silv___, divine services is next door", I said. His response was immediate, "NO! This is my fucking divine service..lifting and music." Ouch. In that split second, my lizard brain calculated that the last time someone had told me "NO!" when I was acting in an official capacity was when I was maybe a 19-year-old E-5 LPO 18 years before. Next thing I knew the boom box was flying through the air, it's having been drop-kicked. Oops. Bad leadership move, I know. But you kind of had to be there. Silv___ was a druggie, a toad, on his way out with an OTH, truculent , froward, defiant and purt near mutinous and I knew he had told my Chaplain friend "NO!" too in the same hateful tone he used on me. That dear sweet man who I cherished like a favorite uncle. I was left to stand there hoping for salvation, that Silv___ would hit me. It'd be my own fault, but I would have not fought back...just let Silv___ punch his way into Leavenworth. Yes, this was a shit sandwich of my own making. He said, "You broke my boom box" and left. I placed him on report, of course. As it turned out the boom box was not registered, nor safety checked and that job was my collateral duty as the ERO (FFG talk for EMO). The Captain summoned me for a seance on Monday. He said, "Dale. Do think you could have handled that better?" I responded, "Yes Sir, I think I should have, but..." Then he said, "OK" and that was the end of it. That boom box belonged to someone else. My ET's glued it back together, safety checked it and returned it to the deck seaman who owned it. He was happy to get it back without an ass-chewing from my Chief, a burly IC-Man.
I’d have dropped kicked it too with no ragrats.
Excellent story:)
I've long since sold an '80's era Walkman tape player (but might have a photo buried somewhere) that had a bright orange-red sticker of approval from security for approval for use in an SCI room.
It's just not done in any branch, At one duty station ashore Our Master Gunnery Sgt. ran a sex toy store in town.
We went to check it out and were stunned by a table stacked high with dildo's.
Hq knew but did nothing and needless to say our respect for the SNCO plummeted.
I bet he gave a military discount…
Only to the wives LOL
Totally agree. Neither CO should remain as CO's.
It may be possible one CO didn't know, if it was installed after they turned over, but needs looking into.
Well, it the Navy would like the situation to drop off the radar.
and a reduction in rank/grade at least three levels
The moment I saw the news, I couldn't wait to see your take on it. Thanks!
(I don't know ranks, but I had the same reaction - demotion to E-7, 7 is high number, wth?)
E-7 was a 1-step demotion for Marrero, and still pretty high on the enlisted scale.
(For anyone who isn't familiar with the scales: https://www.military-ranks.org/navy )
What she should have gotten was, as others have mentioned, a Dishonorable Discharge, or a similarly sized punitive hammer dropped on her. That kind of thing could have endangered the ship, and repeatedly lying to her superiors is the WAY wrong answer for just about any possible question.
How about fucking treason. She turned her ship into a floating time bomb. With American lives at stake. She is a traitor, obviously.
Per the US Constitution's definition of treason, no it wasn't.
[Copulating] stupid, yes. Demonstrative of the poison that is DEI, yes. But not treason.
Definitely not treason but, willfully stupid and remarkably unintelligent particularly given her pay-grade and position, she should be serving time in the brig.
If it was a summary court, maximum rate reduction is one paygrade for E-5 and above.
What a wild story. The amazing thing is, I think this is one of those stories that would only get crazier with the more details we learn, when usually its the opposite (that is, things that seem sensational on the surface are often actually pretty mundane when you learn more details).
This has been a live topic of discussion today at the office (I'm an IP officer at an IW command). It should go without saying, but this is so far past unacceptable that we are getting into farcical territory. Something that I picked up from the former ITCS's bio is that she spent some considerable time working with the special warfare community, in what we refer to as the "expeditionary comms" world.
When an IT or an IP officer goes to one of those billets, they are essentially fully enveloped in the culture and mission set of the special warfare community. It's almost a world unto itself, to the point where I've seen some inside the IP/IT community argue that it should be a separate rate/designator or at least a separate track. Now, I'm probably not alone in being highly suspicious of the culture inculcated in the special warfare community, and I have no way to know if her experiences in that community led ITC Marrero to somehow think this kind of behavior was acceptable, but I do wonder...
There is some real truth here. Buddy of mine spent two years in AFGH with Navy special forces and came back a different person. Arrogant and belittling to others and definitely didn't believe any rules applied to him. I wouldn't say this is universal to everyone but I see a trend.
NSW is another cesspool that needs to be cleaned up.
You wouldn't believe how jacked up it can be.
A long and distinguished career of entitlement, apparently.
Based on her bio, the majority of her career has been in the NSW/NECC world. Not sure the entire career trajectory for the IT/IS-rate but it strikes me strange that somebody with exceedingly little fleet time, particularly any at-sea duty, is in the position of being the senior non-comm of a ship.
She has no at-sea experience, little understanding of shipboard operations, comes from a shore-based world that exists more as an exception, than rule...is this one of the symptoms of the poor retention and recruitment, ships going to sea with an incomplete crews, they're grabbing anybody with a crow to fill billets?
EVERY single POS CPO who had knowledge of this should have been tried at a court martial—there are myriad possible charges and specifications associated with this series of acts.
"Evidence you might be in a Cult:
Your group has one leader—usually male [in this case, female]. You revere this leader and do whatever [she] tells you. Your group has the answers while nobody else does. And you actively deny that your group is a Cult." —Neal deGrasse Tyson
The CPO Mess is a cult of the highest magnitude and its day —like “. . .rum, sodomy, and the lash” is long past. Disband it and treat chiefs like NCOs of other services (e.g., eat in with and after other enlisted personnel).
I'm a retired Master Chief and with the toxicity and criminal behavior that the CPO Mess has exhibited over at least the last decade, I am ashamed and embarrassed—personally and professionally—to have have associated with this organization.
They are not worthy of being called CPOs.
Start by getting rid of the CMC rating, continue until the problem is fixed.
Exactly. It's hard to believe, but the best leaders in the Navy may be E-6 and below.
Not many in the FO ranks
I cannot think of a single FO who compares to the best-known FOs of WW2—King, Leahy, Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance, et al. They had flaws (particularly Halsey) but knew how to lead. I suspect most—if not all—of these individuals would have had difficulty promoting to flag rank today. The best officer I ever served with made it to CAPT but wasn't politically savvy enough to get a star. I suppose that's a backhanded compliment.
There is definitely a culture of CPO exceptionalism at large that needs to be addressed. The underlying beliefs were established well before the last 10 years. Navy leaders have been telling the CPO Mess how great they are for decades…eventually you begin to believe your own hype.
You hit the nail on the head! The CPO Mess is run like the mafia. Disband them now!
As a retired Senior Chief, this is embarrassing as hell. Yes, I get it, there are always bad apples -- and we've had bad Chief's literally since 1893, but still. This. is. bad. What makes it even worse is she abused Mess trust to get this setup and implemented - how did the junior Chief's handle it? Did they go along to get along or were they the ones putting comments in the CO's box? Once underway and 'contaminated,' were they too scared to bring it up or did they just accept it because the CMC was providing top cover? Either way, they dishonored their anchors.
I worry there is a connection here between the significant weakening of the Chief induction process (really started happening about 12+ years ago) and the type of Chief's we're producing.
The weakening of the induction process is not the problem: the problem starts with selection. Aside from the diversity selections, CMCs in particular have been keen to push go along get along Sailors.
Not just a Navy problem, ie Tim Walz.
This isn’t the first example of bad CPO
Mess behavior! 2017 USS Hue City. But let’s not forget the Fat Leonard scandal…the wardroom can disappoint equally AND avoid accountability!
Plenty of CPO involvement in the Fat Leonard scandal. How about CPO involvement in the NPTU and CVN cheating scandals also and the relative lack of accountability? NEC removal and retirement is a meaningless punishment for senior enlisted nukes.
My thoughts on that…
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2015/september/when-cheating-becomes-normal
I enjoyed reading it when it was published; I thought it had many good points and some that made me ask, "WTF?" Of course, that's an indicator of a thoughtful and well-written article.
However, regarding the NPTU scandal the bottom line was the lack of integrity at multiple levels of the chain of command. If I can't depend on a nuke to deal with an exam failure maturely and professionally—whether that individual considers the material pertinent to their duties—how can I rely on that individual to properly perform a maintenance item in the RC when unobserved or perform chemistry analysis correctly (as most assuredly did not occur for an extended period on USS HAMPTON in the mid-2000s).
I can't speak to what the program does today. Still, while on active duty until a decade or so ago, I did my utmost to ensure those demonstrating a lack of integrity were held accountable to the maximum extent possible (e.g., NJP, NEC removal, ADSEP). I would much rather have stood extra watches (and I did, even as a MC) than have an individual with integrity issues—who could spread that mindset to others—at my command.
As your article pointed out—correctly, in my opinion—we should attempt to ascertain why individuals act the way they do and develop methods to mitigate inappropriate behaviors. However, one of the most significant flaws across the services, particularly the Navy, is rationalizing non-performance based on human performance issues. The E-7s on MANCHESTER knew what they were doing was wrong. Every swinging d*ck caught up in the Fat Leonard scandal knew what they were doing was wrong. Every nuke in the NPTU/HAMPTON/CVN cheating events knew what they were doing was wrong. Nonetheless, these individuals willingly and knowingly committed these breaches of trust and integrity.
A primary tenet of human performance is that human beings make mistakes. However, there is a difference (using the terminology of human performance/factors) between a deliberate act of commission/commission and a mistake/slip/error. It still astounds me that of the 76 individuals found to have cheated or known of the cheating at the NPTU, only 34 were separated. I suspect that a similar mindset was used to justify not separating most—if not all—CPOs on MANCHESTER (GOLD).
The Navy, as a whole, has a credibility/trust/integrity problem. The MCPON will not correct this at the CPO level by merely sending out memos full of word salad and pablum. Perhaps removing the privileges and authorities accorded to the CPO Mess and forcing it to re-earn them may provide a path forward. However, as I've said, I believe the Mess has outlived its usefulness. I was a M/S/CPO for the better part of two decades. For the most part, I found it easier to accomplish tasks through hot-running petty officers and LDOs/CWOs, rather than the CPO Mess (of course,, maybe I was the problem, but I suspect not).
I think the CPO Mess is scared--scared that the Navy might actually function more effectively and efficiently without the Mess. As a result, the Mess acts out--much as an immature child. Just because this institution has existed for over 100 years doesn't imply its future viability. I suspect that the MCPON may give a show of angst with the attendant hand wringing and send out some more word salad but that hasn't changed things before, so why would it be effective now? I, on the other hand, will write letters to my congressional delegation and allow them to weigh in as they deem appropriate.
Of the 31 charged there was one MCPO and one CPO…most were senior officers and civilians…hardly “plenty”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Leonard_scandal
I stand corrected!
I simply don't understand how the CO/XO/CSO/OPS/EWO (I'm not sure what all billets are on an LCS) never went up there over the course of months, or if they did, never recognized an unauthorized ("This wasn't here last time!"), temp-mounted with straps on a pallet piece of equipment.
The fricken Chinese spy in the yard could have installed a tracker on them and leadership would have never known.
Well it would appear the XO was banging the help according to deck plate rumors and that is how he came to know the rumor the of the existence of the Star Link. Also apparently several CPO’s at various times in port “went aloft” to install, de-install and install again. The deck logs should say when they went aloft and the ragouts should show who went aloft.
Should have been a world of pain coming down on the DH’s and every Khaki on board.
This should / could be a literal case study that Big Navy uses in leadership training at every level.
How the then CO escaped with her career is curious. The new CO has a shit sammich and an untrustworthy CPO mess.
This doesn’t get fixed overnight.
But I still question if this wasn’t a bigger story and it’s being played out as a rogue Senior Chief.
I’m getting Walker vibes.
I'd like to say "unbelievable" but I can't
Solid bet there are all kinds of illicit embedded devices aboard ships now.
And what can go wrong with ships now being maintained -and soon to be built- in foreign yards?
https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/3115635/ship-maintenance-conducted-forward-throughout-europe-critical-for-deployment-su/
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/secnav-floats-idea-of-co-production-with-foreign-shipyards/
Oh what people will do access the evil, addicting, Xhamster and Pornhub.
And games.
A lot of chicks on that boat; more likely Instagram and TikTok, but for the men, yeah, and also as Brett mentioned, online games are highly addictive.
If TikTok then that's additional OPSEC violations since its not allowed on USN ships and facilities.
Piffle. Girls will be girls...
uhm.......night, and we are in sub infested waters.
Radar doesn't exist, yet, so "blackout" is our best defense.
the Smoking Lamp is OUT, OUT, OUT!
what then shall we do with the sailor who builds a bloody BONFIRE on the deck?
set him adrift on a pallet with it
Just, wow...!!! As the son of a super-salty WWII Chief, I can't even fathom this. It seems like some kind of fiction story meant to impugn Chiefs, or maybe piss them off. The whole Chiefs Mess?? Wth?? But then again, I saw first hand the illegal collusion of a CMC, CO, and others, so I guess decades later, this is wholly possible, even likely. How the mighty have fallen!
If Manchester goes to General Quarters, I hope the time involved is not degraded because some of the crew are too G-D FAT to clear the passageways!
You mean vertically challenged. Fat is a pejorative term.
You mean horizontally challenged?
Big Boned.
Husky.
Healthy at Any Weight.
“Well nourished”
Lardlocked.
Long ago I read a book about the fire on the Oriskany, and how people were surprised this one fat pilot got through the hatches.
proper motivation can accomplish miracles
I’m only a former green suiter from back in dark days of the late/post-Vietnam Army, but…really? Everyone one (except, perhaps, the XO who got relieved) involved from the captain through the lowest enlisted sailor who knew about this should no longer be in the Navy…and most should be breaking rocks in a penal barracks…This, kids, is the fruit of the gutting of our military that began, in earnest, early in Bill Clinton’s first term when he ‘retired’ almost 200 general/flag officers and promoted ‘his’ kind of officers…
Didn’t know about the Clinton angle.
Tailhook had a large part in making it easier.
As a SWO I was deeply offended I had to d an interview and sign a statement every year that I was not there. That kind of BS likely had something to do with me choosing not to make it a career.
Yep. All hail DACOWITS.
Concur
The American fish is rotting from the DC head. Politicians and contractors are stealing billions by the truckload everyday so people want to get a little piece for themselves.
Welcome to the Matriarchy. This is how you discipline a teacher at school. When real men ran the Navy, this clown would’ve gotten six, six and a kick. That’s six months in the brig, six months bread and water, and a dishonorable discharge.
Dude, this is a conspiracy to obstruct justice. Outside the Navy the sentence is six years, not six months.
Girl bosses.
Our lady CNO has a degree in journalism.
Any worse than International Relations? Marketing?
Even a marketing major has to take some accounting courses.
Referring to a second bad example doesn’t validate the first bad example.
That, or a Jonah's Lift over the side one dark night.