Capt. Owen Honors
When I first heard about the controversy over Capt. Owen Honors and the videos he made when he was Executive Officer of the carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65), I immediately thought of the irreverent videos made by my captain and senior leaders right before our ship would pull into a foreign port. They usually had some costumes in it or a skit of some sort. Looking at the same horizon, the same haze-gray paint, or the same windowless compartments for months on end can make you crazy, so adding a little humor is a good thing. Especially if it conveys important information in a compelling way.
I watched the “censored” version of Capt. Honors’ video first with the sound off. While it had some funny scenes (and sometimes racy) I didn’t see much to object about. Certainly there was nothing I considered lewd.
Then I watched it with the sound on and the read transcripts about Capt. Honors’ judicious use of gay slurs and denigrating women and I knew he was in trouble. Stuff like that just won’t do in today’s Navy. It would’ve been dumb back in the day but with women and gays (possibly someday openly) serving in the fleet now this kind of stuff can’t be tolerated.
All that said, I was surprised to learn that yesterday Capt. Honors was relieved of command of the USS Enterprise. While I expected Capt. Honors would get some sort of reprimand or issue some sort of apology, I did not expect his career to be ended over something that took place five years ago. I cannot think of any other instance where a commanding officer was relieved of command for something that happened years before he or she took command. I believe it’s unprecedented.
Also, when most commanding officers get relieved of command, it’s because they drove their ship into the ground or made some other costly blunder. Capt. Honors’ boss, Admiral John C. Harvey Jr., (who knows a thing or two about social media) admits that Capt. Honors’ command of Enterprise has been without blemish. I have a hard time thinking these old videos are cause to relieve him of command.
Did Capt. Honors go a bit too far with his videos? Perhaps. Did he display bigoted behavior? Certainly. Is he still a bigot? Who knows? Can he reform himself and continue to command the respect of the 6,000 diverse individuals under his command? I think so.
Capt. Honors is a product of the old Navy, and it’s a new fleet now. The Navy has gone through some of the most radical changes in its history during the past few years. Is it fair to hold Capt. Honors accountable today for the views he held five years ago? I’m still trying to figure that one out.