Fired Navy Captain Defended by Gay Sailors
In an interesting twist, US Navy CAPT Owen Honors, recently fired from his position as skipper of the USS Enterprise, is being defended in the press by former Sailors who served under his command — and are homosexual.
“He wasn’t insulting” gay sailors, added Mr. Solis [a gay former Sailor], “They were just harmless jokes.”
Capt. Honors “absolutely did not” create a hostile or homophobic atmosphere on board, added Eric M. Prenger, a gay sailor who also served on the Enterprise at the time. Mr. Prenger, an electronics technician, third class, said the crew looked forward to the videos, which were broadcast on the ship’s closed circuit TV system every Saturday night, preceding the showing of a movie.
As to the purpose of the “humor?”
Mr. Pumphrey noted that the majority of the crew were under 25 and that the juvenile humor in the videos was a way to get the crew’s attention. The videos contained “command messages,” dealing with issues such as the need to conserve water.
The article also notes one of the most frequently played videos was Honors’ “best of” compilation, leading to a misrepresentation of the overall tone of the totality of Honors’ videos.
Right…Admiral’s routinely fire someone for “absolutely doing nothing” wrong. We are defending this skipper because he was respectful and professional right? Because he was above the “so called culture” that routinely uses profanity, sexual innuendo, and frat house style humor that is actually common with the 25 year olds, not the XO of a Navy Ship…Right?
I can think of better ways to “get the crews attention” than “the best compilation” of this former skippers juvenile humor that finally caught up to him. It’s time for the Navy leadership to grow up and stop making the rest of the US Military look like little a bunch of immature goof-balls!
Carmine,
People learn through humor. If you wish to debate that, find me one decent educational children’s show that doesn’t have humor in it.
Why do you think he wasn’t fired in the first place after the complaints were filed? Perhaps because the videos, while immature, got across the points they were out to make? Points like ‘stay hydrated because it’s hot’ (hot being an extremely obvious statement, hence a joke about it being hell) or ‘conserve water by taking 3 minute showers’ (you know that scene of two women in the shower [who from another angle are shown to be wearing shirts] who say, “But there’s two of us. Doesn’t that mean we get six minutes?”). You should also notice that the string of F words sequence was predicated by the comment that, “When the professional comedians were on board, they always got laughs when one certain thing was said. That would be the F-bomb.” This statement means that the sequence is meant for humor, as the crew has already demonstrated they find it funny. Should comedians not be allowed to perform for the troops, as they are perpetuating the fact that the sailors find the F word funny?
I’m curious. Have you ever watched anything via the Armed Forces Network? Normal commercials are not authorized for broadcast aside from the occasional movie trailer. Instead of commercials are PSA’s (things like ‘the dangers of alcohol’) and CI’s (command information, like ‘have you filled out your [insert some monotonous sounding form here]?’). Many of which are extremely easy to tune out. Insert a PSA about water conservation involving two girls from the shoulders up in a shower, and some attention may be gotten.
Aside from the cursing, in my opinion, Honors’ videos are tame compared to some current commercials shown on network television, which in theory is kid friendly. Just watch some proposed commercials for next month (one has a naked women from the waist up, or a guy on a date only thinking about sex, or another that cuts off just after most of the curse word is said). http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/
It’s not a problem with navy culture. It’s society’s culture. And I don’t think Captain Honors should be punished for it.
Well end, seems to me that you are blaming “society’s culture” now instead of “Navy culture” in an attempt to excuse this skipper’s unprofessional behavior as the XO; regardless of the intent. Sorry, that doesn’t float the boat either.
Yes, I’ve heard/seen AFN, and you’re right, easy to tune out. However, the intent is to pass on information in a professional manner, not win the hearts of our troops because the “F” word wasn’t used for every other word.
It doesn’t matter what the commercial establishment does with regard to humor or the use of colorful metaphors to the US Military. We are a professional fighting force trained to defend a nation. Leave the immature/slapstick humor with the comedians’ and watch it at your leisure, not mine!
I’m pointing out that the navy culture is the same, if not better, than society’s culture. If it is better, then we are already upholding him to a higher standard than society (as the military does with several moral issues) and he should keep his post.
Honors’ slapstick was at the sailors’ leisure. The videos were shown just before the weekly movie (some of which I’m sure were rated R, thus they can, too, be deemed offensive). When a person works 24/7 (sailors live at work) are they not allowed to have moments of leisure in that?
I did not read in your post that the navy culture is the same, if not better, than society’s culture. What I read was “it wasn’t the Captain’s fault”, it was society/navy culture and now R rated movies that gives the impression the behavior was acceptable.
I don’t think he got fired the first time because the complaints didn’t make it higher up the chain like they did this time (or go public). This is why you never do something you might regret in the future…especially in the Military.
I guess the ship doesn’t have channels (or off button) on the ship-wide video system so the sailors’ “on leisure time” can watch something less offensive (or not)…including R rated movies.
“Aside from the cursing, in my opinion, Honors’ videos are tame compared to some current commercials shown on network television, which in theory is kid friendly.”
Television that is not to be kid friendly has the f word woven through it all over the place (ever seen Dexter?), more so than Honors’ videos. Worse sexual jokes, more nudity, same potty humor in society’s commercials and worse cussing – I take that to mean the navy culture is the same, if not better, than society’s culture.
TV’s aren’t everywhere and it is not required that they watch. In one video Honors went around to different sailors and asked what they liked about the videos and what they would like to see more of, in attempt to make them better. One guy said he hadn’t seen them, which means there either is an off button or something else to be doing, perhaps less offensive.
I completely understand the point about what society allows or doesn’t allow on network TV. However, in my opinion Military officers should not stoop to the level of frivolity as was seen recently…or at the very least NOT recorded.
I talked to a Navy Commander I know and he said when he was a Lt up thru Lt Cmdr this kinda of material was very common. But they would never allow cameras and certainly no junior personnel anywhere near it. The old saying of “what goes on behind these doors, stays behind these doors”.
Times have certainly changed, but in my 35+ years around the Military I’ve never seen anything like this…maybe I lead a sheltered life.
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