Sex-Harassment Trouble Hits Navy's Elite Blue Angels

Navy official accidentally emailed accusation to 'WaPo'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 24, 2014 9:26 AM CDT
Sex-Harassment Trouble Hits Navy's Elite Blue Angels
In this 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Capt. Greg McWherter responds to the crowd during a show.   (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Jen Blake)

You too, Blue Angels? The Navy's elite aerial show team is the latest military unit caught up in sexual harassment allegations. The Pentagon has relieved one of its former commanders of duty amid allegations that he didn't just tolerate an abusive atmosphere, he seemed to revel in it. "The complaint alleges that lewd speech, inappropriate comments, and sexually explicit humor were allowed in the workplace and in some case(s) encouraged by the commanding officer," says a Navy statement picked up by the AP. As a result, Capt. Gregory McWherter is in hot water.

The Washington Post broke the story last night when it says a Navy official accidentally emailed an internal document about the allegations to an editor. It seems a former member of the squadron filed a complaint accusing McWherter, who led the Blue Angels on two separate occasions between 2008 and 2012, of fostering an atmosphere "rife with sexually explicit speech, the open display of pornography, and jokes about sexual orientation," according to the Post. The Navy is still investigating, but its preliminary review turned up enough evidence to relieve McWherter of duty from his current post as executive officer of Naval Base Coronado. (More Blue Angels stories.)

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