Promotion is determined on a various number of things for officers in the military. Mostly, the military relies on a system of work performance evaluations.
In the Army they are called OERs or Officer Evaluation Reports. In the Navy, they are called OFRs or Officer Fitness Reports.
The lieutenant had the unfortunate experience of being raised by a terribly insecure stepfather who was worried the lieutenant’s father would someday come back to get his wife (the lieutenant’s mother). His insecurity was exacerbated by the fact the lieutenant was the spitting image of his biological father.
Having your officer fitness reports in two different sir names did not help matters when the jury deliberated on what kind of punishment they planned to levy on the lieutenant.
The jury gave no consideration to the lieutenant’s stellar career prior to being assigned to Naval Air Station Dallas, Texas. The convening authority wanted a conviction and the jury was not about to let him down.
For ten years of active service, including the first six months of active service in the reserves, the lieutenant had a very good career. It wasn’t until Chief Petty Officer Michael Tufariello revealed the payroll fraud occurring on the base, the lieutenant’s career plummeted in the the abyss.
The Veterans Administration also didn’t consider the lieutenant’s active service before being transferred to the military political cesspool in Dallas, Texas. The lieutenant was denied benefits for his entire active service from April 9, 1976, to October 2, 1986 (10 yrs. – 5 mos. – 26 days).
The lieutenant was thrown out of the Navy for making love to a woman (not in his chain of command), and the improper submission of a travel claim for $75.51. The lieutenant said, “nearly all the officers I know took home a stapler, tape dispenser, three-hole and two-hole punches and numerous other items to use for their own personal use. The cost for these items was well over $75.”
The lieutenant had been recommended for early promotion and selected as top 1% on his fitness reports by virtually all of the commanding officers he served under, except the last one of course at Naval Air Station Dallas. That same commanding officer responsible for rating the lieutenant’s behavior was illegally paying reservists for drills they never attended.
Below are all of the lieutenant’s officer fitness reports except for the one issued by the commanding officer at NAS Dallas. The lieutenant never was given a copy and never had the opportunity to even see it. You can bet the Dallas commander disagreed with the observations of all previous commanding officers the lieutenant served under.
As the jury deliberated the lieutenant’s fate, they transitioned from confusion to suspicion. The lieutenant’s assigned government attorney made no effort to clarify the matter of two different sir names before the jury retired to the deliberation room.
This undoubtedly did not help the lieutenant at all as the jury was formulating their opinion of his service and what punishment to deliver. The jury decided to “award” the lieutenant with a dishonorable discharge and felony conviction on one count of fraternization and one count of improperly submitting a travel claim for $75.51.
A dishonorable discharge is a life sentence and is considered by the Navy as second only to death in severity of punishment that can be handed down from a general court martial.
The following officer fitness reports had the lieutenant’s step-father’s sir name…
OFFICER FITNESS REPORT – ENSIGN
OFFICER FITNESS REPORT – LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE
OFFICER FITNESS REPORT – LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE
OFFICER FITNESS REPORT – LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE
OFFICER FITNESS REPORT – LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE
The following officer fitness reports were in the lieutenant’s birthright name from his biological father…
OFFICER FITNESS REPORT – LIEUTENANT
OFFICER FITNESS REPORT – LIEUTENANT