So by now I’m sure you’ve heard about the racy videos produced by Owen Honors, Captain of the USS Enterprise. At first I was totally outraged demanding that he be fired without benefit of severance. But now that I have had a few minutes to digest this story, I am simply hoping that he will have the opportunity to retire. Sounds weird, right?
By all accounts from the hundreds of crew members who have spoken up, Captain Honors was a good guy, a fine captain that listened to his crew and took action when needed. Part of his job while on deployment is to keep the crew’s spirits up. If you have never had the experience of being on an aircraft carrier, maybe I can enlighten you a little. Just over two years ago I flew out to San Diego and caught a ride with the crew of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln as they returned to their home port in Seattle, Washington from their deployment in the Middle East. The trip from San Diego to Seattle took just under three days, and while I was thrilled to be spending time with my nephew, I have to tell you the isolation on that ship was excruciating. Yes there are phones, but they are pay phones in a very public hallway, and yes there is e-mail but the service is iffy and there isn’t instant connection. I didn’t have cell service for almost three days and I almost went out of my mind! The morning we were heading to port, I went down to the door of the flight deck waiting for cell service and immediately called my husband. We were not supposed to be on our cell phones while the ship was coming into port but everyone was sneaking them.
So my point is that moral and spirits is crucial, especially when you are isolated like that. Part of the way that Captain Honors kept his crew’s spirits up was with weekly movies that he made and often times “starred” in himself. But in this particular instance Captain Honors choose some really inappropriate topics and materials to showcase. Material that was more fitting for the Captain of the Star Ship Enterprise than a U. S. Aircraft Carrier.
That’s my argument, what say you?
Recent Comments