Discipline is part and parcel of a fighting force and the US navy is no exception. The navy has now cracked the whip and approved the dismissal of a 33-year-old Pilot who was carrying out training exercises on the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis. The incident took place in 2015 and the pilot was a member of the 192 strike fighter squadron and stationed at naval air station Lemoore, California. He was operating from the carrier when the ship was on a training mission for carrier operation for pilots.
The pilot was accused of using his mobile phone through the chinks of a window grill of an air vent and video graphing women showering.
He used a mobile phone and saved many of the video films. They were not circulated to anybody and were probably for his own pleasure. But he broke the code of conduct and was guilty of an act prejudicial to good order and discipline.
Court martial
The pilot was discovered holding a mobile phone against a window vent of a grill. A court of inquiry was held and the evidence recorded against the Lieutenant. Investigators were able to pinpoint that the officer had video taped at least 15 women in the shower rooms of the aircraft carrier. He had deleted many of the videos but the investigators could get a hand on 3 videos.
This evidence was collected and the officer was court-martialed by the navy in mid-2016.
The pilot pleaded guilty to the offense and was awarded 36 months of confinement and also dismissed from service. He was asked to register as a sex offender. The navy is to be complemented on a swift action, but there is the case that the officer could have been counseled and allowed to carry on. With a shortage of pilots, the navy needs more pilots.
Last word
The incident is now closed but such cases are common in a military enviornment. Women have always had an attraction for men . That is the reason even during the American civil war, camp followers were part of the army on the march. At the same time, deterrent punishment is required so that women do not stop enlisting in the army and navy.
