The Washington Times notes with thick irony the story of US Navy Captain Timothy Dorsey, an IG for a Navy Reserve detachment who has been nominated for promotion to Admiral — and who has an interesting history.  As also reported at the Military Times:

The incident took place Sept. 22, 1987. Then-Lt. Dorsey, 25, [piloting an F-14] shot down an RF-4C jet over the Mediterranean while operating off the carrier Saratoga, according to a 1988 Associated Press story on the Navy’s report. The two Air Force crewmen ejected safely…

While he knew he was taking part in an exercise, “he reacted to a radio command from his carrier authorizing a simulated attack by doing the real thing.”

Dorsey was transferred off the ship to shore duty and, according to AP, permanently removed from flight duty.

What makes the story all the more interesting is the US Navy’s recent record of harsh consequences for “minor indiscretions.”  For the record, shooting down an F-4 — nearly killing the two-man crew — in a peacetime exercise is far more than a “minor” issue.

His promotion to admiral has some in the aviation community shaking their heads, especially because minor discretions by flight officers over the past decades have resulted in reprimands and the ends of careers…

“It is shocking that the Navy would promote an officer with this background to flag rank, particularly in an environment where the Navy relieves commanding officers of their commands at the drop of a hat for trivial or insubstantial reasons,” [said] Mr. [Charles] Gittins…

Many famous military officers have had early-career “issues” yet still went on to achieve greatness. 

Distant naval history yields examples of young officers who erred badly, yet went on to senior rank. Perhaps the best is that of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, who early in his career grounded his ship, the destroyer Decatur, and was court-martialed.

Similarly, many would argue the military should not be a “one mistake” institution (though whether nearly killing two aircrew rises to the “one mistake” level is open to debate).

The general culture of the Navy has changed, however, and even some “indiscretions” can end a career in today’s fleet.

For most people, that is.