The Navy didn’t mince words in its official reaction to Capt. Owen Honors’ role in the creation of what are viewed by many as overly suggestive or inappropriate videos — meant to be humorous — that were broadcast aboard the carrier Enterprise during his run as XO back in 2006-2007. “Those in command … are held accountable for setting the proper tone and upholding the standards of honor, courage and commitment that we expect sailors to exemplify,” said Cmdr. Chris Sims, spokesman for U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
Capt. Owen Honors, commanding officer of the carrier Enterprise. // AP Photo/U.S. Navy
You won’t find any such criticism on a Facebook page, “We Support Captain O.P. Honors!”, established on Jan. 1 — the same day the story was broken by Norfolk’s Virginian-Pilot newspaper — that describes itself as a “Support Group for a great Executive Officer and his extraordinarily funny XO Movie Night Skits.” It’s growing by the minute, with 1,230 members as of 12 noon EST Monday and nearly 600 posts, nearly all praising Honors, who now commands the ship as it prepares to deploy, and dismissing the videos as harmless fun meant to lighten the stress of shipboard life. Here are some examples:
“I used to be a sailor aboard the USS Enterprise and served while Capt Honors was both a XO and a CO,” one woman wrote. “I was aboard the ship while the videos under question were being filmed and watched them myself. The way the videos were reported to the world as `raunchy’ and `lewd’ is completely unrepresentative of the good-natured humor behind them. Capt Honors’ videos were always a highlight of the week.”
“I served with then-CDR Honors during the 2006 Deployment and know him to be an honorable man,” wrote one man. “The XO made the videos to address real shipboard issues in a comedic fashion. The crew always looked forward to them. Do not sacrifice this officer on the altar of political correctness.”
In the Tell Us What You Really Think Department, 0ne woman really let fly. “I pretty much hated EVERYTHING about being on the Enterprise EXCEPT for the people I worked with, and XO MOVIE NIGHT!,” she wrote. “Way to GO Capt. Honors! F*** EVERYONE ELSE that finds that s*** offensive….let them get back to their Lifetime Original Movies.”
The videos — you can see an edited version here — have generated national attention, with broadcast stories on every network. The videos include scenes of simulated same-sex showers and masturbation and a reference by one of Honors’ “alternate personalities” — a video trick — to another as “fag SWO boy,” leading some commentators to call the videos lewd, sexist and homophobic. Others raise questions about Honors’ leadership style. Sims said Fleet Forces has launched an investigation into the production of the videos.
What do you think?
139 Comments
Free Speech is what it is all about, ain’t it?
When I read comments by two women who served on the “Big E” and they support Capt Honor – well – looks like someone is out to get him in a cheap shot way for something he did to improve morale aboard ship.. I was on a tin can myself but saw and operated with Enterprise in the mid sixties..
LEAVE THE MAN ALONE!!! He has a wonderful sense of humor and a great talent for filmmaking. His videos were an excellent way to bring a little lightheartedness amidst a tense situation. His crew loved him. What’s wrong with that? I’ve watched the video and saw nothing “lewd, sexist and homophobic” about it (and I’m gay). LEAVE THE MAN ALONE, and tend to the important issues facing us these days.
Captain Honors is a great man, and does not deserve any of this backlash. He simply was putting out an entertaining message to the crew, for the purpose of boosting morale. If anyone took offense to it, they could have looked away. No one was forced to watch those videos. Stop letting the media tell us what is right and what is wrong. If you were on that ship, you know that what he did for the crew was amazing. Anyone who can bring a crew this tightly together is a hero, and should not have to be made a martyr.
Thank you Capt. Honors. I stand behind you 100%.
Sincerely,
EM3 Stuart, USN
Not conduct becoming an officer in the USN.
As Craig Hooper suggests “do a forensic analysis to determine if command climate might have influenced crew behavior. Were there behavioral anomalies aboard the Enterprise in 2006-7? An uptick in sexual assaults? Higher incidence of unplanned pregnancies? Is there anything that stands out that might inform future leaders–and help the Navy understand the professional cost… of command behavior informed by, oh, Beavis and Butthead?
Cashier him immediately or at least place a formal reprimand on his file. This overgrown frat boy has no place in the navy and should not be given flag rank.
Blown WAY OUT OF PROPORTION!!!!!!! Everyone needs to take a chill pill and realize that the intent was good and for the moral of the crew…not for the moral of the public at large! On the same token….closed circuit TV is not so “closed” and as such….a high ranking officer should be aware and use caution as he sends out skits such as this as it may be used against him or her in a malicious manner if so desired by personnel that may want to “get back” at him or her. You can’t please everyone but hey…cry a river to someone and you may get sympathy at the cost of drying up your own source of water.
Preposterous. Absolutely absurd. This is an honorable man, and if he is forced to take the fall for this, then he will be the last of the true United States Sailors.
To crucify a Commanding Officer of a United States Ship in such a fashion is to usher in a new era in the US Navy. A bleak one, devoid completely of the character that it once so prided itself on, character that CAPT. O.P. Honors successfully employed to raise the morale of his crew during a difficult deployment. If that’s not what it means to be the captain of your vessel and a leader to your men, that what in the world is our world leadership coming to?
I was on both deployments with Captain Honors as the XO. The only “behavioral anomaly” on Big-E was that the normal sense of stress and depression was lifted every Saturday night when the galley served pizza and we were able to watch XO Movie Night. The videos were much more than the 12-minute montage being run out-of-context by the media. The videos depicted important ship-board issues like water-conservation (2 people showering together to take a 6-minute shower vice 3-minute), cleanliness, and healthy diets. Humor was used to keep these videos entertaining and worthwhile to watch, rather than typical motivational videos/speeches that are brushed off or slept through. Captain Honors already has a support group of almost 2000 people, most of which served under him while he was XO of Enterprise. For an officer of such high rank on a carrier, this is unheard of. He was the best at maintaining a tight ship (we simultaneously supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006, and won the Battle E award in 2007), and also keeping spirits high during a time of war. No better man could have become CO, and no man deserves this treatment less.
He is in the NAVY not a sunday school class! What the HELL, O. P. HONORS is a Sailor and we all should be thankful for a man that can raise the moral of the majority of those serving under him! I am sick of the media blowing everyday crap way out of control. Give him a promotion and let him get on with his duty!
I served 59 to 93..read 34 years so maby my opinion would be viable in some aspects. I served two tours as a CMC one C O belived he was Royalty and the other could connect to Seaman Smuckatelly on the deck plate level .Go figger what one produced quality leaders and performance. I support Captain Honors Thank you. HTCM(MDV) BOBBY JONES ret
This is exactly why we have issues with people reporting EOO issues to their Chain of Command. These “skits” clearly state that an individual can report an issue all they want, but nothing will be done about it. This is not only an insult to the USN, but to all those who have gone before us to make our military harrassment free. I would like to know where the CMC, Chaplain and senior enlisted were when these videos where being shown. Even the MC’s that thought it was ok to air this garbage. Mr. Honors is demonstrating the same harrassment/comments that we are all aware goes on in the Air community, making fun of gays and hazing. Not only am I disgusted, but appalled at the Chain of Command for not stepping up to put a stop to this. I understand the XO is a powerful and intimidating person, but enough is enough. I feel sorry for the cases of rape, harrassment and hazing that went unreported while on board this vessel. A complete embarrassment to the Air and Officer community and the U S Navy.
America’s Navy: A global, limp-wristed, politically-correct, oh-so-sensitive force for wussiness. After they get rid of all the warriors, God help us if we ever need to fight at sea.
hey Polaris, you have obviously not served and neither have you seen the actual videos. Just because there are a couple of whiney p.c. types on a ship doesn’t mean the XO is bad or needs a reprimand. If 99.99 percent of the crew loves the XO and his leadership style the whole stupid episode should be dropped, the the whiney wimps who tattle-taled should be put on shore where they belong-not on a WARSHIP.
Sorry guys. I’m a former SWO, served as XO and this guy is an idiot. He showed extremely poor judgement in starring in these videos. His “leadership” is questionable if the videos are any indication of his character. A person in command position has to be part of the crew without “being one of the guys”. Considering his seniority and position as a carrier XO, this guy is a ticking timebomb and the Navy would do well to shuffle him off to a quiet desk job.
I served on the 2006 deployment with Captain Honors. He is a great leader who was just trying to boost the morale of his crew. These videos are taken out of context and It angers me that pc types who have never served in a combat situation are trying to crucify this man. It is still unbelievable to me that someone actually leaked these videos. It’s a disgrace, this man cares deeply about his crew and to see him maybe lose a command over this is absolutely ridiculous. These videos were just meant to be a little dose of humor during an incredibly stressful time when men and woman are away from their families for 6 months at a time. I wish that more higher ranking officers were more like Captain Honors.
How can an illegal President relieve officers in the US military. Why is this being permitted. Obama is not a natural born citizen…born to citizen parents.
REALLY??? WHY ARE WE WASTING OUR TIME WITH THIS. These accusations are nonsense. I can’t help but notice how this comes at a time when DADT is in the limelight. Very suspicious but not surprising under the obama regime. By the way that reminds me, is obama a citizen or not? I couldn’t help but notice how the media got their hands smacked on that issue.
We totally support you sir! Thank you for your service.
Regards,
Wendy White
An American
I agree with Rick 100%
Make Capt. Honors SecNav, and sack GATES for trying to help Øbama destroy the finest military in the world.
After 2012 we need show trials of all the imbeciles in this administration whose actions are tantamount to AIDING THE ENEMIES OF THE UNITED STATES.
I say give Capt. Honors a medal for his X/O Movie Nite. These clips were great. I could not stop laughing. If I was president he would be chief of staff of the navy in a heartbeat. This guy has what it takes. Nothing improper at all about the videos. Nothing.
Supporters of this individual are living in a time warp. Being in the military does not give one license to refer derogatarily to homosexuals. It’s no different in these times to refering likewise to people of differnt races or ethnicities. One may, in their heart, be prejudiced toward others. One may not act on those prejudices and be viewed as a leader deserving of a position serving the United States of America. This individual should and will be relieved of duty. The alternative would be to suggest that this sort of behavior is acceptable. The real question though, is will those who knew of this behavior and promoted him regardless be held accountable. In my view, they are as culpable if not more so. For those who think this behavior is somehow justifiable, please understand, you are out on a limb that you are sawing off. Being out of touch with currently acceptable norms and acting upon those views is not unlawful. It is career ending.
I agree with number 2! Folks who have never served will never understand.
What he did is nothing worse than you would find in a mel brooks movie. His efforts were to build a strong bond of morale with his crew, during tough deployments, and it worked. The crew love him and vehemently defend him and his capabilities as a commander. These videos are almost 4 years old and it only became an issue because the media got a hold of them. Do we really want the PC media determining who is commanding our war vessels?
Where were the CMC and the Chief in charge of the public affairs office whose Sailors made these videos?
There was nothing funny about the video. Not because it was offensive, just because the main douche is just plain not funny. He was just awkward to watch. Reprimand him for wasting time that I’ll never get back. Oh, and he definitely came off as gay… not that there’s anything wrong that.
anything to help crew moral is good. a break from the normal out to sea life. he was picking fun at himself. why is this such a issue now. is it because dadt????
he should be fired. a co is thinking like that? oh, it’s funny? fire him now. And find out about the CMC at the time, too. Stupid and ignorant do not belong at sea.
And thus the wussification of the US Military continues. I’m sure civilians at home look at these videos as rude (at the least), but this was not a video for a summer picnic of IBM employees, these are men & women at sea for 8 months who might be called upon to fight and die to defend us.
I’m sure CPT Honors career is over, whether he is sacked or not, but as terrible as that is for the CO the damage it will do to the fighting spirit of the US Navy is far worse, and longer lasting.
You gotta be f*****g s******g me! This was offensive? To who I might ask? Some chump ass, want to make a name for myself, liberal jackass journalist? When I first heard this, my 1st thought was, “XO, not very smart, FUBAR”. After seeing the video, “XO, DAMN good video, funny as HELL. Makes me proud to call you shipmate.” We are becoming a bunch of humorless, candy asses. Best of luck in your future endeavors CPT Honors.
First off – I have served. Multiple sea-tours in WESTPAC and CENTOM and one combat deployment to Afghanistan. So I think I understand the importance of morale in a military organization.
But the bottom line is that CAPT Honors should’ve known that this was going to be taped and that someone was likely to take offense. He’s doesn’t draw O-6 pay to be a comedian – he’s supposed to be a leader in a position of respect.
Could he have improved morale without resorting to ‘fag’ jokes? Probably. There are a lot of other ways to get a laugh without resorting to 8th grade locker-room humor.
The fact that he went ahead and made those comments exhibits pretty poor headwork. And someone exhibiting such poor headwork probably has no business being CO of a carrier.
Captain Honors had a noble career as a fighter pilot. Certainly, he was a big part in the rowdy culture of fighter pilots. But when you reach O-5 and O-6, it’s time to grow up.
This is the height of political correctness–our enemies are laughing at us….again.
Issue solved, CPT Honors has been relieved of his command.
I wonder if any of the flag officers who stopped the videos 4 years ago (but did nothing about CPT Honors until the Norfolk paper got involved) will face similiar consequences.
I doubt it, but then again if the Navy still had real leaders at the flag rank the statement yesterday would not have said “we hadn’t seen it”, but instead said “When the we became aware of the content of CPT Honors videos we immediately order them halted, after carefully weighing his behavior with his service and overall quality of his leadership the US Navy determined that the issue did not require further discipline.”
If the videos undermined his ability to lead he never should have been given his command in the first place and the Navy brass is now throwing him under the bus to cover up their own lack of leadership & judgement.
Captain Honors was doing his job, maintaining morale and espirit de corp in a war zone. Our sailors do an extraordinarily difficult job and the second guessing of this nature by Holier than thou press and individuals is very disappointing but predictable.
How about somebody showing the courage it takes to do this job; defending the Captain and appropriately depicting the full story?
I’ve done both.
Again – not conduct expected of a naval officer. If you want a raunchy, sexist, frat boy comedian on board then hire one. It’s not the XO’s job.
And Rick – where did the statistic 99.99% of the crew love the guy come from ? Don’t make up stuff. On any tour there significant pressure to keep your mouth shut if you think the XO’s a joke – suck it up and look forward to the next boat.
Has the admiral lost his mind. It cost the navy thousands of dollars to get Capt. Honors trained to command such a great ship.
I served in the air force for four years. Sexual inuendos were often used by superior officers. Sexual pictures passed from barracks to barracks. None of that had any negative effect on our preparedness to go to war. Granted we didn’t have the sophisticated eletronic gadgets during the highth of the cold war that exists today.
The navy is way out of line on this. I’ll bet those admirals that are causijng this stink had sex on their minds as often as any enlisted man.
At first I didn’t understand, then my husband explained to me that when the soldiers are stuck on a ship for months at a time in combat, this hero, was trying to entertain his soilders. It showed there was a female aboard and she said, “she didn’t have a problem.” It is not like people were being forced to watch the ship channel, give the man the benefit of the doubt, was he not just trying to lighten the mood, trying to show his soilders something funny. So now his career is ruined because someone taped this and showed it to everyone. Is this fair, I guess it dosen’t matter because his repetution is now ruined. 4 years ago he was reprimanded, so why again now. thanks my father spent 30 years in the military, we must support the military, none of us civilians know what it is like to be in their shoes, so how can we judge.
“You have just weakend a nation….” Col Jessup.
That was then and this is now. When those films were shown times were different. When a man has had an illustrious career, why” throw him under the bus” I am a lady of +70 years, and yes, I now understand that those who are gay have a right to serve, but this was not the thoughts in years past. We as a nation are so concerned with being “politically correct” that we forget how things used to be. This is all part of our history and we should learn from the past, not punish those who were part of the past.. My husband served in the Navy and is very proud of his service, but is wondering what is happening in the Navy he was part of.
If you think the videos are raunchy then you live a sheltered life in todays society. Just being around soldiers all day I hear them cuss just about every other word, myself included. It just happens, It doesn’t seem to bother anyone that I have come accrossed. It’s almost as if it’s expected. People are so sensitive these days. Granted though I don’t believe that the videos were rauch someone else made a good point. Once you reach a certain rank it’s time to grow up. You need to set the example for your seamen? below you..
and not to mention… the Navy…. Enough said…
blah blah blah Polaris. So what if you don’t like sophomoric humor. The crew did.
And just what of the ‘forensic evidence” turns up a ship LESS inclined to accidental pregnancies, etc., etc., etc. What would you recommend then? You seem to assume forensic evidence would show something worse. How about let the evidence do the talking?
I think that Capt. Honors did nothing wrong. What he did was to help alleviate the stress of the crew tasked with operating in horrible conditions.
As I see it, he most likely pissed off an Admiral somewhere down the line. Admirals can be very vindictive.
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, 1967
I was in the Navy for 7 years in the late 70’s and rode subs as an enlisted Nuc. If I had had a commanding officer like Capt Honors I would have probably done 20 years. The Admiral that canned him was only watching out for his career. I watched those videos with my wife and older daughter and we laughed our *&^es off. It is a sad state of affairs to see how our AWESOME military machine has turned into nothing but an extension of the PC correct crowd. I hope that Capt Honor becomes a Hollywood actor who makes millions of dollars – It would serve all you namby pamby PC idiots right. To Capt Honor – dude unfortunately you are toast. There is no saving you but know you have tons of support amonst the ex military.
This is utter crap. I knew that it would come to this, as soon as they repealed “Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell” the witch hunt would begin, and it has. Watch over the next 6 months how many military commander get screwed. Why does it never occurred to any of these folks that IF “nothing is wrong” then neither is my calling you “a fag” wrong either because “NOTHING IS WRONG”. you may have a right to how you live your own life, but I ALSO have a right to simply not accept it.
As a mama,I would hope my son would have a CO(?) that would give him a couple of laughs! From the media,I thought it was X rated or something. This is pure PC bull sh*#!!
I’ve contacted my Congressman and Senators, The White House, and the Chair and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee in support of Capt. Honors.
I support the Officer in what he did. I’m prior service not the Navy but I don’t think they would have made such a big deal about it if the law hadn’t changed. Give the guy a break:)
Capt Honors served well before and after the incident in question. I do NOT think he should be relieved of duty. His ability to lead is unquestionable. I am more disappointed in the Navy for throwing him under the bus for political reasons than I am in his part in the incident.
Society, the Navy, and the Enterprise Sailors have grown, changed, and matured greatly in the last four years. The junior personnel in the videos that the Military Times posted online are young men and women with families, children, and loved ones. They have sons and daughters that can find these videos online. One Sailor has passed away since 2006 as a result of cancer, and his children should not have to see their father caught up in this controversy. Glenn Close has already indicated that she is distraught over the inclusion of her image. Most Sailors don’t have the advantage of publicists, and they do not necessarily deserve a scandalous celebrity status for themselves or their children. The Navy has already replaced the Commanding Officer. The new CO will not have an easy job in the upcoming months. Please support the Navy’s best interests. Support the Big E and her crew as they prepare for deployment. The strength and numbers of the CAPT Honors supporters will surely help him during this challenging period. Please protect the families of those in these videos and blur the images or remove them.
Polaris,
What happened in your past to get your panties in such a wad?? From your comment dated Jan 4th, I get this feeling you were the victim of getting hit with a sexual harrassment charge yourself and are plain pissed off that the CO didn’t get in more trouble.
The real point here is what is your personal vendetta against Capt Honors? These videos have been out there for around 4 years, and suddenly you just happen to find out about them 2 weeks before the Enterprise goes on deployment to the Gulf region? Don’t tell me you were trying to save the crew from a skipper that is a sexist pig and would cause more problems, because you know that by bringing this up 2 weeks from deployment you have caused more problems with the crew than you could have at any other time. So my question to you, is what did Capt Honors actually do to you personnally to get you to do this so close to deployment when there is enough stress on the crew. You weren’t thinking about the crew, the crews families….
You aren’t going to be picking up a Pulitzer or anything else. I’ll admit, it was a pretty gutsy move to do this in an area that is full of sailors that support this man. Or did you think that everyone was going to be so supportive that it would be overwhelming?
The military is a different environment. The mind set is different. I can understand that you feel the way you do, but I will say that as far as the military goes, this is soooo incredibly mild that it would blow your mind. So hit the road, go enbed yourself with a few units overseas and see what is really happening out there if you want to be shocked.
If not, and you are only concerned with what Capt Honors did, tell us what your beef is with the man. Like I say, after 4 years, this isn’t about protecting the crew or anything else. Is it something against the Navy? I would hope not, they are ultimately paying your salary. Take the Navy out of that area and your economy sinks.
So if nothing else, at least apologize to the crew and the families of the Enterprise for now taking their minds off the mission they are going on, because now they are going to be worrying about what they can and can’t do to break the tension. If you have never been on a ship before, espcially a carrier, you will never know the stress.
So make an apology to the crew and families. Suck it up and do what’s right. Remember, with freedom of speech comes great responsibilit.
Personally I say that this screws the military even further just because this exceptional officer made some comments that is no reason to relieve him look at his record. This is just homos trying to use the military to further their ignorant hateful social agenda.
Conduct un becoming…B.S., hey motivated his troops with Humor…I would lay money down that most of his crew would jump through hoops for that man, and the ones that wouldn’t probably might want to go back to their jobs at Hot Topic…spare the moral fiber, do you realize what we do in the Military…..we Kill….and the simple fact that this guy can give us a mental break from our reality just for a few minutes is commendable
As much as the sacking of CPT Honors saddens me for the end of a promisiing career, I’m far more worried about what the handling of this issue tells us about the leadership quality of the Navy Brass.
If this was enough of an issue to have him removed as CO 4 years after the fact, then he should have been removed as XO at the same time he was asked to end the race videos in the first place. To sack him now tells every sailor and officer that there are NO naval standards for conduct and that what is “acceptable” is going to be determined by public opinion and the Brass will gladly throw anyone overboard to avoid taking any heat from the media.
It’s a shame that we are willing to die for this country but it has changed so much that we can’t enjoy some entertainment that the XO came up with. During times at sea we need things like this to keep peoples mind of being away from their loved ones. I cannot wait until my time is done with this Weak Navy! Everything is judged on how the public sees it. What about the service members that were on the boat? Take a poll like you all did for DADT! Make sure you let everyone know because I didnt get the note for DADT survey. FTN!!!
1. Poor judgment on Captain Honors’ part. In the 24/7 viral news cycle these were like grenades with the pins pulled. Boom! One went off and his career is over.
2. Give the guy proffs for trying to get the attention on Gens Y and Z. There’s too much “noise” to compete with for attention: iPods, Youtube, Fox News, etc. If there is one place in the world that demands attention, its’ on a CVN.
3. Honor. Courage. Commitment. It would have taken real courage to stay committed to CAPT Honors in light of this episode. However, the honorable thing to do for someone who has dedicated his life to a noble cause was to stand by that person. CAPT Honors has been thrown under a bus. The Navy and Admiral John Harvey blew a wonderful opportunity to show REAL leadership. It’s easy to be PC, it’s hard to do the right thing. Read “Profiles in Courage” and you’ll understand.
4. Pull this thread. – If four years after the fact, Admiral Harvey has lost confidence in CAPT Honors leadership, then what of the confidence in CAPT Lawrence S. Rice (CO), RADM Raymond Spicer (Enterprise CSG), or Vice Adm. Daniel Holloway (Enterprise CSG)? These three officers were all on the Enterprise at the time and surely knew and saw the videos in question. Has the Navy lost confidence in these officers? Of course not, because these officers have all entered the flag fraternity. Flag officers don’t throw fellow flag officers under a bus, that’s only for O-6 and below.
5. PC and a Warrior Class do not mesh. We are a county at war, and as a society we’ve have decided to do it with a professional warrior class. Ninety-eight percent of the country is disengaged from the war. Oh, they love waving the flag and enjoying their freedom to read TMZ, but the vast, vast majority have no idea what it takes (commitment and sacrifice) to protect our county. Going to war requires warriors, and warriors are not civilians. How warriors deal with things is different than civilians (and this includes blowing off stress, like XO movie night).
6. There is zero tolerance for error in today’s military. The PC, no-defect culture promotes mediocrity. If you are not making mistakes, then you aren’t trying . If you can’t get promoted with a defect, are you really trying? Ensign Nimitz ran his ship aground, yet he went on to win WWII.
Why didn’t the one star admiral on board stop this if was so offensive?? I bet he laughed his ass off with the rest of the crew. He should also be punished. A RETIRED CHIEF
This is easily the Dumbest thing i have ever herd about. The middle east is a shithole and being in the middle of ocean there isnt any better so good for him to be boosting moral i thought they were funny and if your offended you dont belong in any branch of service. Navy take a good long look because i would definetly take this guy as my CO anyday of the week
It is ridiculous that Capt. Owen Honors was fired from his duty. There is nothing on the videos that comedians do not do or say on TV! Shame on the higher ups with no sense of humor!!!! SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!!!!
TYPE OF CONDUCT WASN’T TOLORATED THEN AND SHOULDN’T BE NOW .ITWAS DONE IN BAD JUDGEMENT AND WRONG
I support Capt Honors, guy who filed him is sucking up to Obama, the worst president in history and getting worse all the time.
What has our military come too? We are so occupied with offending peoples feelings and beliefs, yet we continue to invade other countries that don’t conform to our beliefs. CAPT. Honors humor was far from offensive. We live in a country where movies, television shows and stand up comedians use harsh language from A to Z, outright nudity with sexually descriptive acts, violence and other acts of discrimination. If we are hanging this Officer for his comments made to a few Sailors, then we need to hang all the actors, comedians, producers, directors, scrpit writers for all the comments made in movies seen by everyone worldwide. Capt. Honors has my full support and his punishment is a sign of how much our country is going to s@#t!!!!!!
It’s sad to see this go this way. I for one do not see a problem with the video. When I was on the TR, I would have loved to have had an XO such as this, the Navy and other branches are full of snooty,stuffy officers who think they crap diamonds..but 85% of the time just need a hard right hook.
With an Officer like this, I would follow this man into anything.
and as far as Admiral John C. Harvey, I would loooove to be abel to put my boot up his rear.
This is peek at what to expect in the future from homosexuals “openly serving”: lawsuites, “excusable”
theft of secret documents, and sham promotions based on race, sex, and extortion–anything but merit. Whoever the creeps are that dug this stuff up on this good man–you twits will pay for this kind of crap!
I guess I thought it was kind of offensive to everyone. The F bomb and the skits about masterbation were not I considered morale boosters. It pretty much was all in the gutter.
free speech??
i don’t think so. members of the military are NOT entitled to the same sonstitutional rights us citizens are. Honors does NOT have the right to free speech, nor does any other member of the service.
God Bless the USA
I support him 100%! What a great guy! Trying to make the best of times for his crew, obviously if it was that much of an issue I’m sure someone would have said something before now!
As a civilian, I say, this man is leading a ship full of sailors willing to risk thier lives for those who are not. They miss times with their family to fight a war for us… Let them have fun! It’s nothing worse than what you might see on SNL. He missed his calling on SNL, and lucky for us he did.
I vigorously defend Capt. Honors; it is absolutely disgraceful what the Navy has done in relieving him of command. He sounds like a Skipper with whom I’d love to serve. Having said that, you need not go any further than any of these comment boards all over the Internet to see that there is more to these decisions than meets the eye. We just can’t have these dividing kinds of arguments happening in the ranks, and perhaps the fact that it became wide public knowledge left the powers that be no choice but to relieve him. Based on the fact that it was handled the way it was 4 years ago, I actually feel better after seeing some of the moronic responses on these boards. Look no further than this board to see all of the political BS thrown in for good measure. This country and its many divisions as a whole makes me sick right now. Nothing that contributes or provides a platform for hatred and division can be tolerated.
This is an absurd case of the tail wagging the dog…and it is going to cost a good officer his career. The tail in this case is the media running with this story and dramatizing the headlines to the point that most people think these were borderline pornographic videos instead of mild PG-13 humor. Then of course the Navy has to nip this PR issue in the bud quick…and takes a hammer to Capt. Honors…what a shame.
Unfortunately in today’s Untied States Navy, had then-Ensign Nimitz ran his ship aground, that would have ended his career. Mistakes, and learning from them, build character and make for good leaders. In today’s political correct Navy there is no room for mistakes.
I shudder to think if today’s Naval service had to deal with Naval battles that Fleet Admiral Nimitz had to deal with during WWII because many fine officers and senior enlisted that have been discharged and/or dismissed from modern Naval service for screwing up once or twice wouldn’t be around in the toughest of times.
Naval leadership has failed just like it did in what occured to Captain Stumpf during Tailhook.
If the video was offensive – then the CO and the Admiral should have pulled Captain Honors aside and counselled him then and there. Captain Honors’ record is impressive – especially during wartime. Relieving Captain Honors’ from command is a loss to the ship, its crew and Naval service.
And by the way, I’m openly gay and find the videos are not offensive but are in fact funny. I can easily see how they can boost morale especially in wartime.
Shame on Admirals Mullen, Roughead, and Harvey. Admiral Trost and those CNOs before him would have handled this situation very differently.
God save the United States Navy from political correctness gone mad.
I would have been honored to serve with Captain Honors, who obviously knew that maintaining a sense of humor helped run a tight ship. It’s unfortunate that PC and Democrats have changed everything.
ETC(SS) R. Scott, USN (Ret.)
I saw nothing wrong with this. Obviously if it wasn’t the leadership in Washington D.C. the way it is now, this would have never been blown out of proportion. Don’t be to thankful for what you wish for in the U.S. Military. Keep tightening things in the wrong direction and you will see what our warriors will be in our new Military. Nothing I tell you. Look at what the Whitehouse supports every year at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. What do you think the way other national leaders look at our President? This was for all fun and the liberal media and the Government today should be ashamed. I want to thank Captain Honors for his honorable service. Semper fi, USMC Retired, GySgt
The crew aboard The Enterprise all seemed to genuinely like Capt. Honors. I am sure he will be greatly missed.
If you are gonna fire CO then fire all the CMC’s onboard, CAG, SHIP and Squadron!! They never did anything about it. He was a morale booster and warfighter.
I had the privilage to serve with Capt. Honors onboard the USS Mt. Whitney while he was Captain. The man ran a very tight ship and handed out punishment, when needed, if a crew mwmber did some boneheaded stunt, but also found time to know and interact with the crew to make sure they knew their jobs and were proficient in them. I am proud to call this man my shipmate and we need more like him. I would sail with OP anywhere. The Navy needs to distance it self from all of this political correctness and get back to the job they do best, defend our nation and take the fight to the enemy.
This is Crazy….If I had even 1/10th of my actions while on liberty in P.I and Thailand posted on the internet, i would still be in jail 20 years later. This is where the Navy is going and that is down hill and fast…..For the Poster that said free speach, HELLO, when you join the military, you give up many of your rights….Read the contract.
So wrong that this happened to such a good sailor
I served from 1968 to 1972 on the Destroyer Green DD-711, How can the Navy of today say this is wrong?? It was done in humor with a great XO.. I have many fond memories with my officers that I still respect today..
We are expected to KILL people for a living. What more do you want? Your not going to want us to be politically correct when we kill do you? Leave our culture alone or go do the killing yourself! or lean now how to speak chinese or russian or … whatever now! Then we’ll move to our own little country, form our own little language, sign our own declaration of independence, ” O ” wait a minute… isn’t that why were’re here now?
If these complaintants had followed the proper grievance procedures, they would have been validated. That’s the way the navy works, through procedures. It is quite obvious that those procedures were not followed.
The upper chain of command acknowledges they knew about the videos in 2007, but they did nothing about them except tell Capt. Honors to stop filming them. Now, years after the fact, they are reprimanding him? This is also not following procedures. This is only in response to the leak of the videos to the press. These videos have been taken out of context. There are many inside jokes in these videos that only others on the ship would understand. This includes the so called explicit shower scenes. These were only to point out the water conservation issues on board the ship. Those that have been on a Navy vessel understand what that is all about. They were purely for entertainment, not for offensiveness. This man, after ceasing the films, went on to take command of another vessel, where he did a fantastic job. He then went back to the Enterprise to take her helm. How can anyone sit there and say that because of videos he made years prior, are going to effect his judgements taking this glorious warship to fight our enemies? It didn’t effect his judgments at his last command or on the Enterprise during his time as the executive office which is proven by the Battle E and Battenburg Cup awards that the ship won in 2007. It is quite obvious that this witch hunt is pointless and should be stopped before a good sailor and leader loses everything he has spent the majority of his life earning.
Capt. Honors has earned the respect and loyalty of his crews past and present. They will continue to support him and stand behind him until this investigation is over and he is returned to his proper place at the helm of the greatest warship in the fleet!
Loree Gilman
former USS Enterprise sailor 2005-2009
Support here. 1% who are offended ruin it for the rest of us..and like France we roll over like a puppy to make them happy.
Wow – a lot of deranged posts.
Hey Scotth. You need some serious help. What gives you the right to question my tours and extrapolate on your own freakish fears. You are one supercillious (look it up) scary, stupid jerk.
Bottom line people – this was conduct unbecoming an officer in the USN. End of story.
So this is what our military has become, we fire a good man for providing a little MWR and people get their feelings hurt, Mabey we should be fired for shooting the enemy.
I am currently active duty navy and personally think that this whole thing is being blown out of proportion. An XO like Capt Honors not only shows that he can connect with his crew but additionally shows that he is an approachable person. Normally the media approved naval leaders are uptight stuffy old people who have forgotten, if they ever knew, what it was like to work at the deck plate level where the majority of the sailors are. That type of leadership inspires people to do exactly what their job requires and then run and hide at the first hint that those people are heading in their direction. With Capt Honors, people would not only go above and beyond what their job requires, but they stick around knowing that if he said anything, it was really needed and not a dog and pony show. Deployments are a high constant stress environment and something like this video clip would have greatly reduced that stress. Nothing is better than laughter and that’s rare on deployment. He is someone that I would be honored to serve under. So stop slapping at the poor guy who was just trying to help the people who work for him.
There is always that 10% who do not get the word…..or catch on to simple humor, they have written here on this blog. Those offended folks should have joined the GIRL SCOUTS! Political correctness will be the death of our Military and our Nation, this is very sad. Admiral whats his face that fired Capt. Honors should be put in charge of Fleet Laundry. This really Ticks me off. Maybe we should not allow warriors into the Military, they might act aggressive and offend some sensitive person, and that will only be getting worse soon.
Try over 22,000 supporters now, not just 1,000. God bless this man for thinking of the welfare and morale of his crew. I have been in the Navy for 13+ years and I WISH I had a CO (or XO at the time of the videos) that cool!!
i never served in the military. Thanks to all you who do. That having been said. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Those were “offensive”? C’mon, gove me a break. Juvenile? yes. Funny? yes. But offensive, geesh, I am almost sure the movies they show on movie night are more rank than these harmless bits of fun. Once again, thansk for all of your service keeing my daughter safe.
Shameless lack of integrity.
Hetero guy acting as an officer called fag, same sex soldiers bathing each other or sharing a bed. These videos confirm that it is apparently okay to relentlessly mock – in this case gay folk – in a military that at the time was allowed to legally discriminate against same gay folk. It confirms the worst, that military folk laughed their way through keeping gays out of the military.
Captain Honors videos and the fall out of their release manage to make his superiors look witless or complicit; help fire up heteros into believing that, again, the gays are causing trouble cause they, again, can’t take a joke at their expense; and that the Navy operates on a wildly different set of rules than the rest of us.
Captain Honors may be a great guy and a creative leader but his videos have managed to pit us against each other, raise distrust and foster disappointment.
At this point he has been punished enough. I would have been fine if he kept his job provided he did a new fresh video in which with the same playfulness and candor he explored what was not okay about the earlier videos.
Captain Honor’s, I am a retired USCG Command Senior Chief. I applaud you for the humor and morale booster with XO Movie Night. I am truely saddened your Superior’s did not stand behind you and threw you overboard to put it lightly. Though I am retired Coast Guard, it would have been an Honor to have served with you, because you unlike many others was there to ensure his sailor’s were well taken care of, even at Self-Worth, which is true trait of a leader. You have my support, and for the person (s) who complained, you are a low life and the Navy has lost a great leader with a wonderful sense of humor. Captain Honor’s I wish you the very best, there are better seas to sail, and one hell of life left to live. I salute you, and thank you for your service. OSCS Thomas W. Jones USCG Retired
Polaris, “conduct unbecoming” is an ambiguous terminology. What was, what is, and what will be considered “conduct unbecoming” is purely interpretive.
Punishments which took place in the military over the course of the last thousand years has changed. The wording used by various military’s has not. It is the interpretations which have changed throughout the years.
They can crucify him to make some example of how the NAVY is trying to “clean up.” All it will do is have a major negative impact on the current and future status of the armed forces.
You say it is “conduct unbecoming”, there are over 23,000 people who disagree with you.
This video has been portrayed to be “sexist,” “gay-bashing,” and “sophomoric.” In reality, it has become a vehicle for special interest groups to try to sway more attention to their cause.
“Wow – a lot of deranged posts.
Hey Scotth. You need some serious help. What gives you the right to question my tours and extrapolate on your own freakish fears. You are one supercillious (look it up) scary, stupid jerk.
Bottom line people – this was conduct unbecoming an officer in the USN. End of story.”
100 bucks says this guy was one of those ass kissers you always seen chasing behind the big boys and ready to lick a boot. And as far as Officers conduct, if you got rid of all the stuck up ass jerks and pricks who they they are gods gift b/c they have shinys on the collar the service would be a better place.
This “Naval Officer” failed fundamental leadership 101.
Ashamed the worst he can get is a Letter of Reprimand
Polaris – You are obvioiusly .001% of the active duty or prior military that thinks the way you do. You should join MSNBC and get with Chris Mathews. You both would have a ball of a time preaching to your kind. You obvioiusly must have had a hard time getting through basic training.
If Honors had the balls to make these films and the ability to command along with his self-deprecating sense of humor, I say he should indeed be taken out of his position as the CO of the Enterprise and given 4 stars and sent to Annapolis to teach the upcoming leaders of the Navy how to do the same. I also think that those who are now senior to him and who are not supporting him publicly should be keelhauled! What a bunch of gutless shitbirds. This is nothing but a case of the few punishing the majority. Give this man the Navy Cross and leave him alone!
Really!! Is that what it has come down to. This Officer should be promoted and replace all the spineless 07,08, and 09’s in the service with more men like him. Countless hours of dull duty with times of sheer terror, and one man has the guts to make moral a good thing. I guess now we must die for a country that wants to pretend that real life is not real!!!
I salute you Sir and would be proud to enter harms way under your command.
BEING EX NAVY , LIVING IN A NAVY TOWN , HAVING SERVED ON CVA 42 I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE MY BACKING TO THE CAPTIAN ,LIFE NOW ON A NAVEL VESSEL IS NOT LIKE IT WAS IN MY TIME 1950 TO 1954 YOUR CRUISES ARE LONG AND A LOT OF HARD WORK WITH VERY LITTLE LIBERTY SINCE YOUR BASICALLY IN BATTLE CONDITION AT ALL TIMES ,,,ANY ENTERTAINMENT IS READILLY WELCOME ….THE CAPTAIN WAS TRYING TO ENTERTAIN THE TROOPS….. IN MY DAY THOSE WHO COMPLAINED WOULD HAVE TROUBLR NAVIGATING A LADDER MSGT THOMAS KAYE RET
The only ones that want to persecute this Captain is those that don’t understand. When you live on a tin can for 6 months at a time, you have to make it comedic. I support Captain Owen Honors.
Here’s what you people NEED to do:
Open up a Word document. Start typing!
Oh, sure, blow off steam here, but for God’s sake, do something constructive and also write down your feelings in letter form and send them to your Member of Congress, your Senator, your local newspaper, and if I may suggest, Senator Jim DeMint – a guy who is basically the face of the “Tea Party” movement in Washington.
If you’re afraid “going outside channels” will come back to haunt you professionally, ask a civilian friend to send the letters under his or her name.
I just took a look at Adm. Harvey’s official bio. I suggest others do too.
Our military brass has been infected by politically correct corporatism and what’s been done to Capt. Honors is but a symptom of the rot tearing away at the entire system.
Think about this folks… Capt. Honors is stripped of command under the authority of the same Commander-In-Chief who appointed a tax cheat as Secretary of the Treasury.
Let me get this straight: Owen Honors’ career is now effectively over by Congressman Charlie Rangel is still… er… Congressman Charlie Rangel.
Folks… please… make your voices heard.
BILL BARKER
Harriman, NY
I’m not a military person and make comments from that viewpoint. I’m first proud we have such great fighting people in our service and thank you all. Regarding Cpt Honers it concerns me to see him removed. This is a ship of war and not some floating political stage. The only diplomacy I want to see coming from the E is, as the movies say, lifetaking and heartbreaking. I, as a civilian, would feel far more secure and glad to have Captain Honors running the ship than some politically correct wannabe who worries about every decision he makes looking good on CNN or how it will play in Washington. The way I see it is this was an in-house (in-ship) movie not made for general consumption and whoever shared it with the general public and Norfolk media would be just the same type person that would second guess pulling the trigger on someone. I’d much rather have a rascal running the ship than some politically correct politician in uniform. This is what you get allowing Politicians in the Military and being more concerned about don’t ask don’t tell. This is the very reason you should not allow these type people in. If they are so sensitive that this is cause for dismissal of a tested warrior then they will be too sensitive to make the decision to kill our enemies when needed.
I want a warship with a captain that our enemies fear not a ship and a Navy that our enemies laugh at. I’m regretful to see our Military leadership make the moves it has made. I only hope someday sanity will return.
Thanks again to all you who protect our freedoms you are respected and to the one(s) for the ones who shared the videos with the Public Media you’re no less destructive to a military machine than Jane Fonda was to those in Vietnam and you have no place aboard a ship of WAR or for that matter in the Military.
Relieve ADM Harvey, he knows these antics go on.
Just another case of an honorable (no pun intended) career being scuttled by “political correctness”.
If nothing was done 3 to 4 years ago about this, if no official complaint was lodged at that time, then it’s simply too late. Failure to make a complaint when an offense happens should be treated as if no offense was taken.
This is nothing more than a PC hatchet job, in the lame hope that his supervisory chain of command will not catch any of the s**t that’s now splattering.
So where was the Chaplain, Was he/she a gay muslim?, and were any born-again Christians aboard? Cruising from a bruising, maybe, and nervous about coming events like a Poseidon or USS Indiannapolis happening.
over 23,000 supporters and counting on 4 different facebook pages!!
I am a Veteran of the USN and am about the same age as Capt Honors. I feel that what has happened to him is a shame and he should not have been relieved of his command. Yes the Video’s are a little on the offense for some however, as many have stated, the Humor does help when you are at sea for many months and doing the jobs that Sailors do day in and day out. Sailors don’t have days off when they are at sea like civilians have off, Weekends and evenings. I say let the Sailors decide if the Capt should be let go and sure that they will vote to keep him. And respect him as they always have. Fair Winds and Following Seas to you Capt Honors. Keep fighting the Fight.
GAURANTEE IF DONT ASK DONT TELL WASNT A HEADLINE RIGHT NOW HIS WOULDNT EVEN MAKE THE PRESSES. Sad that a man has to suffer consequences for videos done almost half a decade ago. And let’s be honest. The videos were meant for the crew at that time during that OP tempo. Not for you good Christian going politically correct people. Being away from home 6-7 months at a time, sometimes not seeing land for months is hard. And I tell you if my XO would have pulled some things like this, the days would have went by alot more enjoyable. Just imagine working a 12 hour night shift from 6 pm to 6 am. Oh and then run drills all day that the enitre crew has to be up for, complete a daily workload, then go back on watch for 12 hours. You would be lucky to get 2-3 hours of sleep a day. Experience that first before you judge what Captain Honors did and his crew. Dont you do things around your coworkers to improve moral? Tell dirty jokes. Talk about what someone is wearing.
Bottom line is it’s been 5 years. DADT brought this all about. Some overly sensitive sailor who probably got disciplined by the ship+ some overly zealous reporter from a dying News paper(Virginian Pilot)= complete bulls**t.
But are they to blame or is it the very system. Why end a man’s career instead of backing him. Why is it so hard to back up your own when the times get rough? This DADT policy already ruined one career. Many more are sure to follow. Thank you Congress for adding more stress to an already over stressed military. But dont joke about it. Or else the PC police will get you.. F**K OFF!!!!
Im a retired SCPO with 2 Carrier tours and I concur with # 25. It is a question of poor judgement and leadership even if his intent was to improve moral. Clear case of conduct unbecomming. He should have known better….This is not political correctness. As a Senior Enlisted Advisor I would have said something.
Being a veteran of the Navy and familair with being deployed on a ship for 9 months at a time, this is disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting. Don’t poke your nose where it doesn’t belong and ruin a good man’s career.
Bottom line is that leaders lead by example and those charged as XO and/or CO of a ship set the example for all others. How can one behave in such a manner that would break the climate of the command?
Sexual harrassment, EEO, and all those topics that are drilled into our heads of what not to do and if done, and who to report it to is constant in the military. So, once these videos are shown to the entire crew, what person would come forward with a true, legitimate complaint and think that it wouldn’t be “brushed under the carpet?” These videos now make it seem acceptable in the comamnd climate.
There is no way that 100% of the crew who watched the videos thought they were the best thing since sliced bread. No way. Although many would say they brought the crew together, there is no doubt having served at sea, that many remained in silence because they feared their words would not be “heard.”
It’s about time those that cross the line are finally held accountable for their actions. I applaud Adm Harvey for doing the right thing when others did not.
Where is the President’s response to this PC Fiasco?
Chew his butt out (again) and send him to sea on HIS ship!
Good thing some of things we did on our ship USS Wren DD568 (1961 1963)was never published we would all been in trouble, just kidding. This is a PC hatchet job, to a dedicated Naval Officer who happend to like having a little fun as all fly boys do.
Four Letter Words in the Navy??
Four Letter Words …bring down Capt Honors!!!
Like millions of vets… I am shocked by the Navy brass & Adm. John Harvey’s railroading of Capt Honors… for using 4 letter /inappropriate words as XO.. I demand Adm Harvey resignation ” if he ever used lewd /four letter words” in his sorry “pc life”. What a pathetic example for Naval officer leadership !!
Navy culture suddenly is “focused more on being PC”
than on ” being battle ready “.
I say keel haul Adm. Harvey and all the other desk jockeys/ paper pushers favored by Obama/Gates..
We are at War… We need Warriors…
We must win to survive.. Weakness / sensitivity where
not evident in the tradition of Bull Halsey/ John Paul Jones
A Tough /World Beating Attitude and Courageous Naval
leaders are the shield that protects our citizens security.
Where were the ship’s chaplains, to counsel this XO about making the wrong choices/values for members of his crew on board.
Why promote immorality as a leader/captain of the ship?
We are at War!
It didn’t take a week for the for the first casualty of Gates/Obama “homosexual” cave in…on DADT!
Ist Casualty: Capt Owen Honors removed from
Command of Enterprise.
2nd Casualty: The truth & warnings about ..
our Naval readiness after the DADT change.
The Military is not a game, toy, or PC study….. It is a brutal reality which our naval arms must “win” to survive in this dangerous world.
I’m sending letters to Congress requesting a full investigation & removal of Admiral John Harvey & all brass that supported this scuttling of Capt Honors.
This pc naval culture weakens us & jeopardizes the
security of our nation.
“we are at war”
Ok look, I’m going into the Navy Captain Honors is exactly the kind of guy I want to serve under. He is a good man from the thousand comments I’ve read, this is what happens when you let the Liberal Media gets ahold of something like this. God help us if they find out anything about the Shellback rituals, I want to go through one before the Bleeding Heart Liberals get rid of it.
This pilot ( that waited three years for some reason ) who complained obviosly has a personal problem with this Captain and chose to shoot at his career than deal with this as an adult and talk to him.
Comedians say way worse than him on their TV shows all the time, Family Guy is a great example, and sure some complain but it is loved by nearly everyone, and it is still on the air and is alive and kicking.
If you think this is the way you should treat a man of his caliber then your an iconsiderate, immature, lil bitch who wasn’t hugged enough when you were a child.
I hope I meet you Mr. Honors and that I get to see one of your films and serve under you!
God Bless!
Not a true leader. When he says “the CO and Battle group commander have no acknowledge of the movie or the content”; he ackwonledges that his behavior is unbecoming.
He should have assigned it to the MWR officer and kept his paws off of it.
Needs to be sacked.
#22- People need to get thicker skin. These videos were made during the time where the Big E did back to back deployments. Have you ever done that before. Let me tell you it sucks, and the footage I saw from made me laugh, and all it was meant to do was up moral. Goes to show how soft the navy has gone. Everyone gets their feeling hurt to easily these days.
My father was a 30 year navy man who was second in command on the USS Princeton aircraft carrier. He served in 3 wars. I have nothing but respect for Capt. Honors. I wish my father had been more like him. I would have liked to have served under Captain Honors. The Navy will hide behind their pencils and make a scapegoat out him but the world already knows the truth; he never hid anything he did, his subordinates respected him and …his superiors loved it to because it represents mainstream America and didn’t respond to it at the time.
The United States Navy was the first branch of military service that I had the privilege and honor of serving in throughout my now nearly 20 year career. I served onboard the USS Midway, USS Independence and USS Abraham Lincoln while assigned to VFA-195 and NAVAIRRES Alameda. Leaders are not affective when we are unapproachable and autocratic in our art.
With this, we are not defined by our grade of military rank or position. We are defined by word and deed in that accomplishment of the mission with quality results in the most proficient and affective manner is our bottom line. As an old salt dawg being out to sea thousands of miles from one’s family is psychologically draining on our Martine fighting forces.
Captain Honor’s intention was clearly to boost the morale of the men and woman in his charge. He also demonstrated the caring and compassionate concern for the welfare of his crew in demonstrating an approachable nature whereby no one would fear bringing serious issues to his attention.
On top of this he and everyone involved did this at the right time and place. The Navy is probably the most tradition driven branch of our armed forces. As tough as progression is today with all of the budget cuts, right sizing and fledgling economy this very senior officer obviously didn’t just become a Captain in a day.
The relief of Captain Honor’s seems to be some sort of career lynching as there was nothing wrong with what he did to warrant such actions as those taken against him. We as a military fighting force have become entirely too touchy feely. We go to war and are fighting on several fronts. If what he did offended anyone their first duty should have been to let such be know, or to simply just not watch this commentary during movie night.
A applaud Captain Honor’s for thinking outside of the box and having the intestinal fortitude to do so. This issue should not have been elevated to such a level and he should be cleared along with everyone else who participated in these skits.
Wow, haven’t you ever heard “cuss like a Sailor!”
Good on you Sir!!!
ROBERT T. ANDERSON
SFC, USA
The Navy constantly preach’s professionalism. Professionalism would be the Navy’s code word for PC. I spent 14 years in the Navy. Because of cut backs, HYT(high year tenure), and PTS(perform to serve) my career was cut short. I think back and wonder if I acted more professional or PC would I have gotten promoted earlier. News flash, Navy. We are tossing out and releaving the wrong people. Just because some one is not PC doesnt make them the best at what they do, or a professional . I was one of the best damn airframers in the navy. There wasnt a problem on a F-18 I couldnt fix and had all the qualifacations to go with job. Capt Honors was the BEST XO I have ever worked for. He did a lot for that ship. For all the prior military writing and saying that Capt Honors had no place being a leader of warship, there is only one reason behind that. You think that you are better then the people that served below you, which is the majority of chiefs and officers. Just like everyone pointing fingers at Capt Honors you think you are better then him because you fall into the Navy’s definition of professionalism. What y’all really need is quick right hook or a kick to the balls, but most of y’all dont have have balls anymore, because you traded them in to be PC.
As soon as I saw Martha Raddatz (ABC News) report on this I knew our Navy was in trouble!
These unscrupulous reporters that are trying to transform our services from a war fighter/patriot/volunteer force to a politically correct “institution” should be the focus. She (they) are so far removed from what it really takes to train and lead troops in combat. Sure, they are paraded around to “catch” a story and prey on individuals who they believe are not moving in a liberal cadance.
Repeal of DADT is going to ruin our beloved military services!
Aside from this story. Let’s fast forward a minute. This is for all of you who sat as a member of a court (courts-martial) or administrative discharge panel. Remember the cases where an individual/individuals were caught engaging in homosexual acts and those who felt it was necessary to describe their actions in their defense. Well, with DADT they had a curtain to hide behind. Not anymore. So … let’s see how Martha Raddatz et al will report on a story of a Captain of a nuclear powered aircraft carrier operating in a war zone is caught actually engaging in a homosexual act – while in command at sea or that there is a climate of homosexual harassment at the command. The liberal media won’t break a sweat over this story. In fact, the liberal media will probably debate it saying the action did not occur while the individuals were “on duty.”
Bottom line … the Uniform Code of Military Justice does not take away an individual’s First Amendment right nor Fifth Amendment right. For those of you in leadership positions in our services … a word of caution … the liberal media is watching.
This new policy will definitely bring back the draft. I my view, the all-volunteer force will not sustain our required combat personnel readiness levels.
For Capt Honors … thank you for your hard-charging and honorable service …. Fair Winds and Following Seas.
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I’ts amazing that this was a big topic of conversation on my flight yesterday. One of the folks that I was talking to said that it was the PAO(Public Affairs Officer) that was recently fired by Capt. Honors, that leadked the info to the reporter? is there any truth in this.
I believe it is time that all the pilots grow up and realize that the navy is not a giant fraternity. This is a prime example of how pilots think and act, the top gun mentality, they think they are gods gift to the navy, and need to realize that they are still human, if they do such in mature things like shown in the video then they should be held accountable. Top gun was a movie, and its time pilots came to realize this.
I watched all three video clips. There was nothing bad or offensive about this “XO Movie night”. Anyone who has been on a deployment knows that humor, and anything that boosts crew moral is essential. Captain Honors should be commended not pericuted for his efforts. Anyone who has never been in the military and deployed away from thier families does not understand the “games” that help pass the time and take their mind off of the loneliness and homesickness that long deployments bring. Who ever is behind screwing the Captain needs a “fan room conferance”. WTF!
While I think that CAPT Honors deserved some form of sanction, the saddest chapter of this is the way that Navy leadership hung him out to dry. I would hate to be place in a pressure situation and be reliant on the ‘character’ of Admirals Roughhead or Harvey.
A sad day for the USN.
HI am Brian and I served on the USS enterprise myself but not under capt honors but have watched the videos through navy times I have to tell you it made me laugh and way better then anything saturday night live has put out over the years he should be an actor and not a skipper of a ship he probaly out do robin williams the man needs some physc help but that is another matter of ones self anyway it apperared that no one was offended and he did ask the crew what they thought but big navy needs to ease back but the good news is that the skipper gets to retire you cannot in any shape of means compare this to a scandal nor to tail hook yes I was in the navy when that went down I was between Bahrain and japan….
at the given time
anyway thank you capt honors for doing what you did they were the best clips ever of a short film also who came up with the idea and to produced the movies and the beging of the last movie was highly genious if I could give a golden gloves or an acedemy award I will give you mega awards so much that you would need the entriprise to store them in
my hat is off to you and to the producers of these videos
big navy go sit on it or better for the term go snif your wifes panties and get a good realaity check because you guys are no chior boys
It is a damn shame that our Government will stand up for thug athletes, hollywood actors and millionaire dog fighters but can a hero who understands that morale is directly proportional to productivity, alertness, ect. These videos were not made for PBS.
Where the hell is our President in this. And where are the sources who leaked this and why. Maybe if you actually had to serve in the Military in order to become a politician and make decisions regarding our military and country, America wouldn’t be on this downward slide towards socialism.
Lets see- the mission given to his command is to drop 1000 lb bombs and eliminate (kill) the enemy. But he used some bad words while trying to keep his shipmates motivated. God forbid he used some potty humor too.
Life at sea on a warship is not diplomatic corp training. Its salty. Its traditional and it will probably stay that way with or without firing one of the best officers serving.
It turned my stomach to watch ADM Harvey’s statement. I doubt he really believed what he said when he read the statement that his legal and public affairs staff wrote for him. To think the leadership style (and his movie night videos) was not understood and recognized by his superior officers is ludicrious. In fact he was rewarded as he should have been with increasing command responsibilities. Does anyone think that the embarked Rear Admiral has no idea what was going on? If ADM Harvey believed what he said, he needs to relieve one more person. But I doubt he will.
So Capt Honors goes on to become VP of a big aeronautical company, ADM Harvey gets politicians and the YouTube groupies off his rear, and the Navy has eliminated bad words and potty humor. At least the first two are true.
I viewed the videos and enjoyed them. I wish I could serve with Owen Honors. The videos are less than the sexual humor on public television like SNL, Family Guy, etc. Honor’s mistake was letting the videos go viral.
Interesting: When I am offended by seeing a Catholic Crucifix in urine exhibited as art (Maplethorp) and funded by my tax dollars (National Endowment for the Arts) I’m told by the PC’ers that I need to “tolerate” different views of art.
This IMO is just military bashing by the corrupt liberal media and the anti-military minority in this country.
Captain Honors is an outstanding leader. For all of those senior officers who say that his methods were wrong, I say think again. No he didn’t do things the traditional Navy way, but does that make his way wrong? He motivated the crew, he educated and informed the crew and he showed the crew that he wasn’t a stuffed shirt who ignored the problems facing the crew. I would proudly serve under Captain Honors anytime and anywhere.
Captain Honors has proven that he is a leader who understands the issues that the entire crew face on a daily basis. He did ignore these issues like the normal XO and CO. He has earned the respect of those who served under him unlike many senior officers who only get respect because of the uniform that they wear.
Captain Honors, I salute you sir!
It does not matter if the skits were mild, funny, or a true representation of the everyday life on board at that time and place. He had other choices for supporting morale – including using video that was well written rather than going for cheap laughs.
Be proud of Captain Honors for taking a risk. And I mean that – he is an obviously bright and talented guy and knew exactly what he was doing.
I am a 26 year Navy Veteran. I can count with the fingers of one hand the number of officers I have known and served with that I will respect and remember for the rest of my life. Captain Honors would be one if I served with him. The others are a dime a dozen. They are the barely competent, out of touch with the crew types that have the arrogance to think that the killing and the death facing the rest of us go through is their doing. For us they don’t exist. Only the job does, the defense of the nation and freedom. They just make that job harder to do. I support Captain Honors and any officer like him. The rest can k*** my a**. Their position is more important to them than the men and women entrusted to their care.
I got to watch a video of the CBS Early Show interview with Phillip Ciesla, who served under Captain Honors. I thought Phillip Ciesla was a bit nervous and camera struck and that he did not answer quite well because of it.
First, everything in those videos poked fun at aspects of Navy life aboard ship at sea, and it was poked from the view of an Officer showing that all were in the same situation together.
The shower scenes are a parody about water, a commodity civilians take for granted. Ships have to make their own fresh water and it is always in limited quantities. Ships go on water hours where water use is restricted and sometimes there isn’t any for days at a time. When water is available there is a rush to use the showers which are also limited. There are also pressure problems. Captain Honors in his shower parody pokes fun at these conditions by showing that Officer Quarters suffer the same discomforts. This is important for young inexperienced sailors to know or any idea that someone on board has it better than them could distract from their jobs and affect everyone. Captain Honors attempts to shower. The pressure in his shower, XO’s have their own, is bad. He then radios to the ship’s engine room to complain and is most likely informed that they trying to fix it. So he then begins an adventure to find a shower that is unused. His difficulty in finding one not occupied and the dual occupation in most is to poke fun at the experience felt by the whole. Water is limited and showers are limited The Captain has cleverly used that realization to make fun of it and help the crew relieve their stress from it. . Life is hard on ship even bunks are sometimes shared in what we call hot bunking. One sleeps while the other one goes on duty.
Everything in his videos is a parody of life aboard ship. His alter egos point out the friendly yet harsh competitive camaraderie between officers who serve different roles. The Captain implies he as XO has to serve several roles as do many of the crew and it is refreshing to see in that parody he understands. Just that alone raises ones morale tremendously. The different roles are most often accusing each other of being more important than the other. Referring to a particular role as being gayer than another is not a gay bashing thing, it’s a play on words to imply that one particular shipboard role is more salty (sailor like) than another. The Captain uses that to show the crew that the same friendly ribbing is also in the Officer ranks. That ribbing amongst the different ratings and rates aboard ship is common and it bonds each group into a tight knit bunch. You have pride in what you do and the discomfort and sacrifice you put up with to do it keeps you bonded tightly as a crew when you realize all are in the same boat. Any frustration over that sacrifice is then taken out on the enemy and not each other. That is the most important role of command is to instill that pride and use it to get the job done. Any officer that does not see that is a fool. Officers have to be willing to sacrifice themselves and their careers for their crew. They have to be completely selfless.
The masturbation stuff though crude, points out that in close quarters there is difficulty with sexual tensions and finding a way or place to relieve them. If anybody thinks that young men and women in the prime of their sexual activity years simply stop or stop thinking about sex for 6 to 9 months when deployed, they are in fantasy land. The masturbation parody brings humor to the fact that they don’t and it shows the crew that Officers are no different.
There was a time in the Navy where Officers were made out to be celibate priests that were above any human frailties. Captain Honors lets the crew see that they are all in the same close quarters in their harm’s way condition.
At sea brings you together much closer than any civilian can imagine. Heterosexual male veterans say that the camaraderie amongst them is the closest to being gay without being so. Even today there are individuals that I have served with in an environment such as Captain Honors created that I am still close with. It’s a bond that will never be broken. The majority of young men and women like Phillip Ciesla that have served with Captain Honors feel cheated of that bond by his firing.
Unless you served on the Enterprise, during the time Captain Honors was XO, you are NOT qualified to judge his conduct. To take 50 small vignets and compile them into one quick snipit is frankly deceptive…Fact and Truth are two things altogether different, its too bad some Americans view the fact that the media reports as being truth…I wish Captain Honors only the best as I view him as a true leader…
Captain Honor’s is now saying that ‘everyone’ above and below him knew what he was doing and was fine with it. He states that the videos were “wildly successful” and “extremely popular”. Captain Honors is teaching me about the reality of Navy culture.
And yes, after reflecting on this over time I agree that most of the content is homemade horseplay.
There is however something that is abundantly clear from the response Captain Honors, of his supporters, and the Navy Times. Truly there appears to be no one in this group who ‘gets it’ regarding homophobia. Beating up on Captain Honors is pointless. He was a product of his culture and continues to show the insight of that culture.
Want something productive from this event? Let’s start here at the Navy Times. Actually try to educate your readers about homophobia.
Captain O.P. Honors attorney, Charles W. Gittins to The Associated Press:
“Five years ago homosexual jokes were not a big deal,” Gittins said. “I don’t think anyone was offended.”
I have changes my mind. Captain Honors fully intended to offend then and now.
The only people I know with homophobia have been homos. Anybody comfortable with their sexuality whatever it is don’t get offended by jokes about it.