Four Naval Academy Grads arrested

I'm afraid you may have to look a little further back than where they got their college education. :smt009
 
It happened in a bird rookery 20 minutes from where I live. This was the plain senseless massacre of these beautiful birds some of which are on the threatened list.

They were killing the birds for no reason and just leaving them. These kids fail to understand the meaning of respect and deserve every punishment they get and should get more. What surprises me is that their naval training didn't teach them a single thing.

Better yet, these punks will be flying your plane in about 15 years.

BTW, felony trespass with a firearm is a third degree felony and carries a 5 year term. Watch them wiggle out of this mess.
 
As a retired Navy Captain (9 years active duty, 21 in the Reserves), stories like this sadden me. I recall when 4 Midshipmen were arrested in the late '80's for running a car theft ring out of their Bancroft Hall dorm rooms at Annapolis.

Just as the Community Reinvestment Act forced banks to make sub prime loans in th '90's, in the '80's there was great "PC" political pressure to offer Academy appointments to those who were not getting them through the "normal" appointment process.

While there are bad apples in every group, it seems like we multiply the problems every time we apply "political correctness".

Standing by for "incoming"...
 
As a 1974 grad of USNA, I heard about this the day it happened. There is an investigation underway and the result, depending on their guilt (7 were shooting at birds and 4 were attending flight school at Pensacola) will, if found guilty, be dismissed from the Navy under less than honorable conditions (if found guilty) probably... That means, besides spending time behind bars (felony), they will never be able to hold a government job... think about that... teacher, police officer, ANY government job is off limits...

How many civilians educated in any other institution would receive the same punishment? Say they went to UCLA or MIT under a full ride scholarship? Would they be hammered like these men will be? I doubt it because we are held at a higher standard. I am not condoning this act. They deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I just wanted everyone to understand they are paying a higher penalty then others doing the same crime.

As far as a free education, they owe the government upwards of 8 years after graduating. If you got a full ride scholarship to ANY other university, how many years would YOU owe after graduation?

Believe me, they will pay for these dead birds the rest of their lives... They might as well killed a person. Their careers are done.

On top of the time and being dismissed from the Navy, it has been normal to have to pay back the education costs... So, don't think they are getting a free ride... Military has a double jeopardy clause. You get a DUI in civilian roads, you also get fined and penalties in military too.

yes, these guys acted stupid (if they in fact were the shooters). Heck even if they were not and they were there, they deserve some penalty and will pay... No free rides gentlemen...
 
That's a little out of proportion. They are, after all, just birds. The firearm and trespass violations are serious, but not that big of a deal. It's not like they were shooting people, which seems to hardly get a notice any more.
 
go aweigh... how sad these (probably) fine YOUNG men made this mistake which will affect their entire lives. Man I was lucky as a YOUNG man to not get caught at some of the stupid things I did.
 
I found this thread while searching for another topic.

Does anyone know what the outcome of this was?
 
Agree with Carter 110%. "PC" just translates to lowered standards for incompetent individuals.
 
I am 1986 USNA Grad, and it is not right to blame the Academy their stupidity.

This incident goes against everything that the Academy stands for and teaches these young men. I have met many young Academy grads, and for they are a great group of individuals that we hold to a much higher standard.

The irrresponsible actions of these four young men have brought dishonor upon all of us who have served. It's just sad!

However, having said that, the price these young men will pay for this mistake will be substantial. We expect more from our service academy graduates.
 
Latest Update:
FORT MYERS, FLA. - Four Naval Academy graduates and one other man were sentenced to probation in a high-profile poaching case in Florida last week.

Zachary James Mato, 23, of Florida; Cullen Mark Shaughnessy, 23, of Florida; Joseph W. Gursky Jr., 24, of Florida; Alexander B. Wilhelm Jr., 25, of Texas; and Mark Lewis McClure, 24, of Texas pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to the unlawful killing of migratory birds.

Shaughnessy, Gursky, Wilhelm and McClure are graduates of the Naval Academy's Class of 2008.

According to prosecutors, the men went to the Rookery Bay National Estuary Research Reserve in February 2009. They had a small boat, nine guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Wildlife officers recovered 21 birds of the estimated 30 that were shot, including 11 white ibises, three double-crested cormorants, two little blue herons, one tri-colored heron, one snowy egret, one cattle egret and two tree swallows.

State charged were dropped when a local prosecutor said there wasn't enough strong evidence. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced federal charges last month.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gustave J. DiBianco sentenced each man to six months of probation, 150 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine payable to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to pay for bird conservation activities in the area.


http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/may/05/navy-pilots--training-still-grounded-due-bird-shoo/
 
Last edited:
kpetry said:
I thought these guys were supposed to lose their commissions. No mention of that in the article. If so, that's way worse than any probation!
Click to expand...

The article only addressed the legal proceedings. The NAVY proceedings will be "administrative" in nature.

The NAVY TIMES reported that the Navy is still investigating, but anticipates sending the members to an Administrative Board, where they may lose their commissions.

The NAVY process takes a while. There are no "plea deals" there.
 
Nothing like throwing a career away before it ever really started:smt021
 
I don't know what they were thinking. All military officers are held, and should be held to a higher standard than the normal public. It is probably best this happened early in their career before they where in leadership positions...
 
rcknecht said:
I don't know what they were thinking. All military officers are held, and should be held to a higher standard than the normal public. It is probably best this happened early in their career before they where in leadership positions...
Click to expand...

Good Observation -- My favorite slogan is "The stupid shall be punished" That certainly applies here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,193
Messages
1,428,274
Members
61,103
Latest member
RealMarineInc
Back
Top