THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 28, 1995 TAG: 9511280008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
An intoxicated sailor gets out of hand on an airliner while other sailors look on and do nothing. It sort of makes me wonder whether the word is getting through to members of our military.
It's not like we haven't seen this before - Tailhook `91, Naval Academy pranks (sexual harassment and drug abuse), a captain under suspicion of misconduct toward members of the opposite sex and Navy and Marine members on trial in Okinawa for allegedly raping a 12-year old girl.
All of these acts do a disservice to the Navy and to the country. As a result, the Navy's leadership decided to hold a special training day focusing on good order and discipline.
However, since Tailhook, the Navy has ``instituted'' continuous training on sexual harassment, core values and multicultural and multigender sensitivity. It would be a surprise if the people involved in these recent incidences had not gone through any form of this training. As such, those found guilty of such misconduct should be punished. Better yet, they should be eliminated from the Navy altogether. I will let the system handle that.
However, I feel compelled to answer ``Now hear this!'' (editorial, Nov. 15). These individuals do not reflect the vast majority of sailors and Marines in the Hampton Roads area, much less the Navy.
MICHAEL RUSSO
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
Virginia Beach, Nov. 15, 1995 by CNB