This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Navy

  • Lovelace was “one-on-one” with instructor before his death

    Lovelace was “one-on-one” with instructor before his death

    James Derek Lovelace

    The Washington Post reports that a SEAL instructor was pulled from his teaching position following the death of James Lovelace the other day.

    The instructor was removed this week following the May 6 death of Seaman James Derek Lovelace, 21, of Crestview, Fla., said Navy Cmdr. Jason Salata, a spokesman for Naval Special Warfare Command. The incident occurred during the famously grueling Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) course at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in California.

    NBC News and the Virginian-Pilot have jointly conducted their own interviews;

    According to more than a half-dozen sources who’ve spoken to The Pilot — none of whom are eyewitnesses, but who include two family members of SEAL students who were present during the incident and a former SEAL who’s coaching a student through the same course — Lovelace had been held underwater before passing out.

    Unlike what was initially described by the Navy, the sources say the drill involved physical harassment of trainees by instructors in the water, intended to test their ability to stay afloat under stress.

    It wasn’t a “drown proofing” drill, as was initially reported, but a more intense exercise known as “combat tread,” according to three of the sources. During “combat tread,” students swim in camouflage uniforms while instructors grab at them in the water.

  • Navy fires Navy Commander Eric Rasch

    Navy fires Navy Commander Eric Rasch

    iran pows

    According to the LA Times, Commander Eric Rasch, the executive officer of the 10 folks who were captured by the Iranians in the Persian Gulf and held for several hours back in January;

    In a statement Thursday, the Navy said it had lost confidence in Cmdr. Eric Rasch…A Navy official said Rasch failed to provide effective leadership, leading to a lack of oversight, complacency and failure to maintain standards in the unit…Although this is the first firing by the Navy regarding the incident, several other sailors received administrative reprimands. The investigation is expected to be finished by the end of the month, and others are likely to be disciplined.

    The article says that Rasch was made commander of the unit in April, but, you know, the Navy lost confidence in him in the last few weeks, I guess.

    From CNN;

    According to the preliminary report, the sailors originally set out from Kuwait for Bahrain but quickly — and unknowingly — went off course and headed almost directly for Iran’s Farsi Island in the middle of the Persian Gulf.
    The report found that several factors may have contributed to the failure:
    • The sailors had never made the trip before.
    • They had been up most of the night before conducting maintenance on one of the boats that had broken down.
    • They had to “cannibalize” parts from a third boat in order to have two working vessels.
    • They then experienced problems with their satellite communications gear.
    All of this led them to leaving port later than planned.

    Well, I’ve lost confidence in the Navy’s ability to investigate this incident. Fire the whole lot.

  • Seaman James Derek Lovelace passes

    Seaman James Derek Lovelace passes

    James Derek Lovelace

    A couple of folks have sent us a link to the sad news that 21-year-old Seaman James Derek Lovelace passed away last Friday during his first week of BUD/S training in Coronado, California;

    Safety observers noticed he was having problems during the water familiarization exercise and pulled him out of the pool, the Navy said in a statement Tuesday.

    “He was aided to the edge of the pool by instructors where he then lost consciousness. Resuscitation efforts and first aid at the scene were unsuccessful,” the Navy said.

    It’s a reminder that training for war can be as deadly as the actual war. It’s also a reminder why we hate the posers so much when there are folks who die to achieve that which they simply buy at Ebay and pin on their phony uniforms.

  • SEAL Killed In Iraq Identified

    SEAL Killed In Iraq Identified

    SO1 Charles Humphrey Keating IV

    The identity of the SEAL KIA in Iraq yesterday has been released.  He was SO1 Charles Humphrey Keating IV, based at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.  He was a native of Arizona.

    SO1 Keating was reportedly part of a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) sent to rescue a small group of US advisors to the Kurdish Peshmerga when they and their Kurdish allies were attacked by numerically superior Daesh forces.  While performing that mission, he was killed in ground combat, most probably by AK-47 fire, IVO the town of Tel Asku, Iraq.

    He was 31 years old.

    If the name rings a bell, yes:  his grandfather was indeed that Charles Keating Jr.  However, regardless of his grandfather’s history of financial malfeasance the younger Keating appears to have been a decent  guy.

    Rest in peace, brother-in-arms.  May God comfort your surviving family, friends, and professional colleagues.

    No combat troops in Iraq, eh?  Yeah.  Right.

  • Belated Honors for a Hero

    Not all who served in the Union forces during the Civil War were US citizens. It’s estimated that roughly 1/3 of those who fought in the Union Army were immigrants.  It’s also estimated that close to 10% of Union soldiers were Black.

    Joseph Benjamin Noil was both an immigrant and Black.

    Noil was an immigrant from Canada – though precisely when he immigrated is unclear.  He enlisted in the US Navy in New York; he served during the Civil War (roughly 19,000 Blacks served in the US Navy during the Civil War).

    He remained in the US – and in the Navy – after the war.  But things didn’t end well for Noil.  On 25 March 1882, he died at what was then the Government Hospital for the Insane.  (Today the facility is named St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, DC.)  Noil had been diagnosed with “paralysis” prior to being hospitalized there.

    He was buried in the hospital’s cemetery.  Due to an error on his death certificate his last name was misspelled “Noel” on his tombstone.

    And that’s the way things would have likely ended – except recent research uncovered some information apparently unknown or ignored at the time of Noil’s death.

    It turns out that Noil had received a postwar decoration for heroism.  In on 26 December 1872, Noil voluntarily and at the risk of his own life saved another sailor from drowning in the harbor at Norfolk, Virginia.  For this act, Noil had been awarded a personal decoration for valor.

    The Army and Navy had precisely one type of decoration for valor at the time:  the Medal of Honor.  Noil was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for noncombat heroism (allowable at the time).

    Fast forward nearly 130 years.  In 2011, the Medal of Honor Society was conducting research concerning gravesites of Medal of Honor recipients.  During the course of this research, they determined that the “Joseph B. Noel” buried at St. Elizabeths Cemetery was in fact actually “Joseph Benjamin Noil”, US Navy – and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

    Noil’s original gravestone did not reflect this.  Last month that error was corrected.  His original gravestone was replaced, and was unveiled recently in a ceremony attended by both the US Chief of Naval Reserve (VADM Robin Braun) and the Canadian Defense Attache to the US (RADM William Truelove).  Noil’s gravestone – with his name correctly spelled – now properly reflects his receipt of the Medal of Honor.

    Yes, this error never should have happened.  But it’s corrected now.

    Rest in peace, elder brother-in-arms.  And Kudos to the Medal of Honor Society and all others who helped belatedly honor the man.

  • Clayton Pressley III, steals troops’ IDs

    Clayton Pressley III, steals troops’ IDs

    Clayton Pressley III

    According to WAVY.com, Senior Chief Clayton Pressley III stole the identity of two of his subordinates and used their information to get some pretty hefty loans;

    Senior Chief Pressley enlisted in 1997 and worked his way up to a specialized bomb disposal unit. He served in the war on terrorism and earned a Bronze Star, according to a biography provided by the Navy.

    But on April 14, Pressley was arrested on bank fraud and identity theft charges. He’s since been released on bond, but required to wear a GPS monitor.

    According to an affidavit, in August 2015 a sailor identified by the initials, JB, found out that his name, address and social security number had been used to apply for a loan. JB followed the chain of command to notify his supervisor, Pressley.

    But then in October, a bank’s fraud department contacted JB to notify him that the name “Clayton Pressley” was listed on an account under JB’s name.

    I can see how it could happen, but it’s a huge violation of trust between leadership and troops. I hope they slow-roast his ass. Thanks to BNG for the link.

  • US Navy Fires Another Skipper

    After an investigation, the Navy recently relieved LCDR Jeremiah Daley of command of the USS Typhoon.  The USS Typhoon is a Cyclone-class coastal patrol ship; the Navy maintains 10 ships of this class in the Persian Gulf based at Manama, Bahrain.   The USS Typhoon is one of them.

    LCDR Daley apparently was relieved for reasons other than the seemingly-standard “loss of confidence”.  A lengthy Navy investigation report indicates he was removed from command for “poor performance as a commanding officer and his multiple lapses of personal integrity.”  The report indicates he neglected maintenance of shipboard systems to the point of endangering his crew; was observed drunk and disorderly in public; drank in front of his crew; made “suspected false statements” to superiors; and may have attempted to impede an investigatio into his conduct.

    Predictably, LCDR Daley is challenging the report, claiming that a “good number of things are 100 percent not true”.  Unless he’s got 17 or 18 years of active duty service already, however, I’d guess his time would be best spent these days wordsmithing his resume.  I’m thinking he’s going to need it soon.

    Fox News has an article giving more details.  It’s IMO worthwhile  – if somewhat depressing – reading.

  • U.S. Apologizes for Naval Vessel Being in The Way of Russian Fighters

    U.S. Apologizes for Naval Vessel Being in The Way of Russian Fighters

    Introduction; American Kestrel is the latest addition to our stable of writers here at TAH. He’s a former 18F special forces intel sergeant and he writes at a number of other places around the internet. Now he writes here, too. – Jonn

    In response to Russia’s repeated flybys in the Baltic Sea, Secretary of State John Kerry made this authoritative statement:

    “We condemn this kind of behavior. It is reckless. It is provocative. It is dangerous. And under the rules of engagement, that could have been a shoot-down. [The U.S.] is not going to be intimidated on the high seas.”

    Here are five reasons (not an exhaustive list) the United States will CONTINUE to be “intimidated on the high seas.”

    1. Russia: See above.
    1.  China: The U.S. has continued to do virtually nothing to prevent China from forcefully taking over territory in the South China Sea from our allies.  The Chinese have literally built islands in contested waters, militarized said islands, and threatened U.S planes flying over “their airspace.”
    1. Iran:Iran captured our sailors, exploited them for propaganda, celebrated and mocked their capture in parade form, and have plans to commemorate the ordeal with the construction of a statue.  Oh, and Secretary Kerry THANKED them for their professionalism.
    1. Funding: Chronic underfunding of Navy and Marine assets.  Here’s one example.  Six months ago, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis–the deputy commandant for Marine Aviation– stated that the F/A-18 was 19 percent below its minimum acceptable number of operational aircraft.  This has resulted in less flight time for pilots and a five-year high in Marine aviation deaths.
    1. Poor leadership:  Remember, Obama believes that Cold War-style tactics are ancient history.  In Obama’s world, all “Western” style nations solve their problems with diplomacy (not of the gunboat variety).  States taking over another country’s sovereign territory doesn’t happen anymore (except in Georgia, Ukraine and the South China Sea).

    While the Obama administration tries desperately to fit the real world into their liberal international affairs framework, the realists of the world–Iran, Russia and China–are outplaying the United States at every turn.

    In response to Russia’s provocation, Former Ambassador John Bolton stated, “I just hope Obama doesn’t apologize for destroyer getting in the way of that airplane.”

    I’m sure this was said tongue-in-cheek but, after all of the apologies that have flowed from this administration, who knows anymore.

    As an aside, being an Army guy, I realize that I should default to a Naval officer’s verbiage, but do people still refer to international waters as the “high seas?”