Destroyer CO, master chief removed over fraternization cases

[Blue_Tires]

Source: The Virginian-Pilot

The commanding officer and top enlisted sailor serving on the Norfolk-based destroyer James E. Williams were relieved of command today after numerous cases of fraternization among the crew and allegations of sexual assault.

Cmdr. Paul Marquis, skipper of the Williams, was assigned to administrative duty by Capt. Robert C. Barwis, the commander of Destroyer Squadron 26, according to a Navy spokesman. Master Chief Timothy Youell, who served as the command master chief on the Williams, also has been reassigned to an administrative job.

The actions come in the wake of nine fraternization cases between senior and junior enlisted personnel on the Williams, said Lt. Cmdr. Phil Rosi, a spokesman for the Navy’s Fleet Forces Command. Nine sailors on the Williams received nonjudicial punishment in November for fraternization, a military term for relationships that do not respect differences in rank. The military forbids “unduly familiar” relationships between officers and enlisted sailors, as well as between senior and junior enlisted personnel.

“Such a large number of fraternization cases in one command is a clear indication of a leadership failure,” Adm. J.C. Harvey Jr., commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said in a news release. Authority requires both responsibility and accountability, Harvey said, and nobody trusts leaders who think they can’t be held accountable for their actions.



Read more: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/12/destroyer-co-master-chief-removed-fraternization-cases

[alfredo]

1. You are only allowed to bugger people of your own rank. We had very little

problem with fraternizing on our base. Our problem was with soldiers and dependent wives. We also had one Sgt that was pimping his wife.