Navy fires destroyer leaders after hazing incident
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/12/navy-fires-destroyer-leaders-after-hazing-incident
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Cmdr. Kenneth Rice and Command Master Chief Petty Officer Stephen Vandergrifft
Navy fires destroyer leaders after hazing incident
By Mike Hixenbaugh
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 21, 2013
NORFOLK
Two top leaders aboard the guided missile destroyer Jason Dunham were fired Friday after a Navy investigation revealed they took no action when more than a dozen female sailors were forced to march in formation while carrying buckets of human waste.
Cmdr. Kenneth Rice, the ship's executive officer, and Cmdr. Stephen Vandergrifft, the ship's top enlisted sailor, were relieved of their duties following the investigation by Destroyer Squadron 28.
Other lower-ranking sailors also have been disciplined in connection with the Oct. 15 hazing incident at Norfolk Naval Station, said Lt. Cmdr. Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
The investigation, prompted by an anonymous email tip, found that a chief petty officer ordered 19 women to clean out the toilets near their berthing units aboard the ship. The ship's sewage system had been partially shut down for maintenance that day, but the toilets had been used anyway.