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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Blue Angel Fired for ‘Inappropriate Relationship’ |
| 2008-11-03 |
| And our winner appears to be...No.4. The Blue Angels will fly the balance of their 2008 season with five jets instead of six because of pending administrative action against one of the team's pilots. Marine Corps Capt. Tyson Dunkelberger, the Blue Angel's spokesman, allowed that the pilot had been removed from flying duties for an "inappropriate relationship" with a female member of the demonstration team. Dunkelberger would not, however, identify the rank or squadron billet of either party involved, citing legal reasons. The five-plane demonstration will employ a diamond formation without the "slot" position, but Dunkelberger was quick to point out that the loss of Blue Angel No. 4 in the show did not necessarily mean that the pilot who has flown in that position during this season is involved in the inappropriate relationship. The mystery will be short-lived, however, as the Blue's are scheduled to perform a practice show today in San Antonio minus the flyer in question and his absence will be obvious to anyone in attendance holding a show program. Marine Corps Maj. Clint Harris pilots the No. 4 jet. The Blue Angels have dealt with other personnel issues in recent years. In 2000 Blue Angel No. 2, a Marine Corps officer, was removed from the team for having another "inappropriate relationship" with the team's female public affairs officer. And last year, Lcdr. Kevin Davis, Blue Angel No. 6, flew his F/A-18 into the ground and was killed during a show near Beaufort, South Carolina. In each of these cases a pilot who had been on the team the year prior was pulled out of a fleet squadron and returned to the Blue Angels so that the team could fly the balance of the season with a full six-jet complement. Dunkelberger stated that there weren't enough shows left to justify that sort of effort in the current case. After the San Antonio shows this weekend, the Blue Angels will perform at the Kennedy Space Center and then close their season with two shows at their home base in Pensacola, Florida. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #4 Ifn you're gonna hit on a subordinate, you should fire them first. It solves the supervisor-underling conflict, and they ...uh... like you more? No, that doesn't work...damn. Don't dip at the company pool. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-11-03 22:19 |
| #3 Or junior-senior within the chain of command. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-11-03 21:12 |
| #2 If Officer-Enlisted or if one or both married to others it is very much against regs. |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-11-03 17:22 |
| #1 1 man, 1 woman, how can that be 'inappropriate'? Sounds fairly STRAIGHTforward to me. |
| Posted by: Whavitch Lumplump7983 2008-11-03 16:51 |