Morning Reading, March 5: An abuse of command and the language ... and the day's top links
Published: March 5, 2010
An inspector general's report into the conduct of Capt. Holly Graf, the former commander of the USS Cowpens out of Yokosuka, Japan, reveals a history of abusive and intimidating behavior.
Graf was relieved of her command in January, and Erik Slavin reports that the 50-page IG report is filled with details of profane interactions with subordinates. Several of them told the IG that they were cursed at and demeaned. One claimed he was made to stand in a corner as a "timeout" -- in front of fellow sailors. Sailors reportedly felt unsafe, unprepared or generally embarrassed.
Some of the more quotable gems:
“Don’t come to me with your problems, you’re a [expletive] department head.”
“What are you, [expletive] stupid?”
“I thought you flew a [expletive] all-weather aircraft. Now [expletive] me to tears.”
Well then ... Keep checking back on Stripes.com this weekend for full coverage of Sunday's critical elections in Iraq. We're also planning an expansive look at the future of the U.S. military in Asia, as questions abound about the American presence in Japan, Guam and elsewhere.
The Links:
IG report: Cowpens commander abused her subordinates verbally, physically (Stars and Stripes)
Troops in Europe still waiting for access to social media sites (Stars and Stripes)
U.S. soldiers' tent struck by stray bullets in Haiti (Stars and Stripes)
Pentagon gunman acted alone, officials say (The Washington Post)
In a switch, administration could try 9/11 suspects in military court (The Washington Post)
Conservatives rally behind SEALs accused of mistreating Iraqi (The Washington Post)
Suspicious and angry, cleric's followers await results of vote (The New York Times)
Pakistan steps up anti-Taliban efforts (USA Today)
