Category: Navy

According to the Washington Post, Admiral Robert J. Gilbeau is the first active duty admiral to be convicted of a felony for his part in the Fat Leonard espionage and bribery case. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for accepting bribes in the form of Vietnamese prostitutes and $40,000 in cash among other enticements. He wrote a letter to the judge;

In a letter to the court, Gilbeau did not address his interactions with Francis but said his misconduct stemmed from post-traumatic stress, survivor’s guilt and a head injury he suffered as a result of a mortar attack in Iraq in 2007. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds.

“I am devastated by the situation I currently find myself in,” he wrote. “I do not desire a defense of my charges based on mental illness, but I do ask that this horrible condition that I suffer is taken into account as a potential mitigating factor.”

Gilbeau’s attorneys said that he still receives intensive psychiatric treatment. To ease his anxiety, doctors prescribed him a therapy dog, a fluffy white Cavachon crossbreed named Bella.

The 16-pound animal accompanied Gilbeau into the courtroom Wednesday and was given its own chair at the defense table.

Defense attorney David Benowitz said that the dog was trained to calm Gilbeau by climbing in his lap whenever it sensed a spike in his blood pressure or anxiety level. He said Gilbeau would be deprived of the animal if he was sentenced to prison.

Oh, boo-hoo. The only sympathy I have is for the dog. There are millions of veterans who are suffering quietly with their own traumas without the benefit of Vietnamese hookers and large sums of cash – things he could afford on his six-figure salary without bribes.

According to a reader, his Purple Heart was bogus John Kerry bullshit.

A mortar hit the other end of the gravel parking lot where he was standing, a stone hit him. All he required was a small bandage. He complaint daily until this PH medal was approved. He did nothing for the troops.

When admirals get wounded, someone isn’t doing their job. Survivor’s guilt, my pink ass.

Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.

NBC News reports that a Russian Su-27 flew within “about 20 feet” of a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea a few days ago;

In a statement issued Friday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said a Su-30 jet had “executed a ‘greeting’ maneuver” toward the American pilots.

It added that the fighter had been scrambled after “an air target approaching the Russian state border had been located … above Black Sea neutral waters.”

The P-8 mission commander said the encounter “was considered safe and professional”, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Thanks to HMC Ret for the tip.

According to the Department of Justice, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Gentry Debord, who was named U.S. Navy Supply Officer of the Year, was sentenced to thirty months in the Gray Bar Hotel for his part in the “Fat Leonard” Espionage case;

Debord, 41, who pleaded guilty in October 2016 to a bribery charge, was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and $37,000 in restitution to the Navy. Debord has admitted that he accepted cash, luxury hotels and prostitutes from foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis between 2007 and 2013. In return he provided proprietary Navy information that benefitted Francis’ company, Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia.

During today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino told the defendant that he picked the wrong side. “You were clearly on their team and not the Navy’s team.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson said: “This is a fitting sentence for a man who sullied his stripes with such despicable behavior. We will continue to move forward in this investigation until all involved are held accountable.”

According to his plea agreement, from November 2007 to January 2013, Debord provided Francis and others with internal, proprietary U.S. Navy information; directed Francis and GDMA to inflate invoices to reflect services not rendered; advocated for the U.S. Navy to procure items from GDMA under its husbanding contracts; and otherwise used his position and influence in the U.S. Navy to advocate for and advance GDMA’s interests, as opportunities arose.

It looks like the Navy needs a war to occupy their personnel. Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.

Bobo sends a link to the Navy Times which reports that Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Zyriel Patterson is cooling her heels at Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond for repeatedly stabbing her wife causing life-threatening injuries;

A member of Patterson’s command who spoke on background expressed shock at the incident, saying that she was “a model sailor,” but that other members of the command were aware that she was having domestic issues.

Patterson joined the Navy in 2013 and has been stationed at Oceana since 2014, according to her bio provided to Navy Times by Navy Personnel Command.

It’s a whole new world.

The Department of Defense has identified the SEAL killed in operations in Somalia;

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a U.S. Navy sailor who was in support of a Somali National Army-led operation with U.S. Africa Command.

Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, of Falmouth, Maine, was killed during an operation against al-Shabaab on May 5 in a remote area approximately 40 miles west of Mogadishu.

He was assigned to an East Coast based special warfare unit.

DoD reports a bit about the operation;

U.S. forces were conducting a partnered operation with members of the Somalia National Army, Davis said, noting this was an operation targeting an al-Shabaab group that had been associated with attacks against the United States, Somalia and African Union Mission in Somalia forces.

Davis said al-Shabaab is an al-Qaida affiliate closely tied more specifically to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is a group that has murdered Americans, radicalized and recruited terrorists and fighters in the United States, and has conducted and inspired attacks against Americans and U.S. interests around the world.

“We have been conducting this particular mission to partner with and counter al-Shabaab in Somalia since 2013,” Davis said. “This is part of an ongoing mission there to degrade this al-Qaida’s affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in the United States.”

The Virginian-Pilot reports that Juan Ithier, who passed away in January will be posthumously named an honorary chief petty officer;

Petty Officer 1st Class Juan Ithier, 55, of Petersburg, spent 33 years in the Navy, according to a service biography. He enlisted in 1980 and spent four years on active duty before joining the reserves. Ithier was assigned to special warfare units from 1996 through 2011.

Chief Petty Officer Rich Gapski, who worked with Ithier for two decades, said Ithier medically retired in 2013 after having been diagnosed with cancer.

Ithier died Jan. 31.

Ithier was active in mentoring junior enlisted sailors and officers and helped train Colombian commandos who carried out 2008’s Operation Jaque, which rescued 15 hostages, including three American contractors, Gapski said. Ithier also worked as an interpreter, range safety officer and weapons instructor, Gapski said. Among many deployments, he served in Afghanistan in 2010.

V-P reminds us that only the master chief petty officer of the Navy can “authorize recognition of honorary chief petty officers”, in case anyone was wondering.

Thanks to Mick for the link.