Blue Angels Probe Involves Sexual Harassment Charge

The investigation involves accusations of sexual harassment, hazing and violation of the branch's equal opportunity policies

April 24, 2014

The Navy said its investigation of alleged misconduct by former Blue Angels lead pilot Capt. Greg McWherter focuses on allegations that he allowed sexual harassment within the elite Pensacola-based flight demonstration squadron.

In a prepared statement released late Wednesday, the Navy stated: "According to the investigation, Capt. Gregory McWherter, while serving as the commanding officer of the Blue Angels, tolerated an inappropriate work environment within the squadron which may have violated the Navy's sexual harassment, hazing and equal opportunity policies."

McWherter was fired last week from his most recent job as second-in-command of the prestigious Coronado Naval Base in San Diego that his home to two aircraft carriers, four units of Navy SEALs.

The complaint, which the Navy has said came from one person, refers specifically to McWherter's tenure of nearly four years with the Blue Angels ending in November 2012. It alleges, according to the Navy's statement, "that lewd speech, inappropriate comments and sexually explicit humor were allowed in the workplace and in some cases encouraged by the commanding officer. It was further alleged that pornographic images were displayed in the workplace and shared in electronic communications."

The usual Naval procedure in such investigations is to conduct interviews with others in the command and ask for sworn statements related to the allegations, said Kris Elliott, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and lawyer whose career included as stint as a defense counsel in court martial and other disciplinary actions.

"I would think they would look at the alleged participants, not just McWherter. If they used computers I think the investigation would want to look at the hard drives," said Elliott, who now specializes in military criminal law, among other areas, from his Gulf Breeze office.

In Naval criminal investigations, suspects are typically "given their rights" under Article 31B of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is similar to "Miranda warning" in civilian law enforcement. The military rights warning is somewhat different in that suspects are told specifically what the charges are.

McWherter, who couldn't be reached for comment, has many defenders among former subordinates, including women.

Melinda Cary, who served in McWherter's command of the storied Golden Dragons, an F/A-18 fighter group, while in Japan during 2006 to 2008, told The News Journal: "At one point there was a command survey and one came back that men didn't treat women fairly. The first thing he did was bring us to talk about who was telling jokes. And he went out, and, I guess, set them straight. He followed up and made sure we weren't still having trouble."

Michael Hoffman, who said he worked as McWherter's enlisted personal assistant on board the Kitty Hawk from 2006 to 2008, said his boss wouldn't tolerate an inappropriate climate in the unit. "He would never allow that. If anything like that happened his would shut it down. I saw him do that: step in and take care of it."

Hoffman, now a student at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, told the News Journal that McWherter is the "best officer I have served with." He added, "No matter how this thing goes, I know how the Navy works. He'll never be an admiral. That's a loss for the Navy and for the country."

Indeed, military legal experts said that unless McWherter is completely exonerated, its unlikely he will get another major command or be put back on the track to potential promotion. The Navy began the investigation in March and relieved McWherter of duty at least three weeks later. The probe is continuing, focused on the Blue Angels squadron in Pensacola.

But while the Navy seems to have already largely vindicated those in the Blue Angels now, that isn't the case with McWherter. A Navy official, speaking with The News Journal Wednesday night on condition of anonymity said, "Preliminary findings of the ongoing investigation show that the work environment of the current Blue Angel team is free from the inappropriate environment two years ago."

The Navy's statement on Wednesday included a quote from Vice Adm. David Buss, commander of Naval Air Forces: "All Navy leaders, whether assigned to a highly visible unit like the Blues, or to our installations, squadrons, ships and submarines, are held to the highest standards. The Navy expects everyone, from those officers in command positions to sailors on the waterfront, to provide principled and highly ethical leadership, stressing discipline, accountability and the importance of treating shipmates with dignity and respect."

Meanwhile, the Blue Angels are scheduled to put on an air show Saturday and Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas. The squadron numbers 113, but only about 40 team members, including the ground crew, make the out-of-town trips.

Cary recalled that her stint working for McWherter ended when he left Japan for the Blue Angels in 2008. "People cried when he left. The climate and morale in that command was at an all-time high."