I've seen Mast end plenty of enlisted careers. For instance, back on the Truman, our CO didn't play around with guys who failed urine tests. Forty-five days confined, forty-five days restriction, half your pay docked for a couple months, knocked down one or two paygrades, then finally an Admin Sep.

As far as commissioned officers go, I'm not too sure (and as the Legal Officer for my command, I should probably be a little more knowledgeable). I'm fairly certain that only a courts-martial can get rid of them, but I'd have to double check. I've just never seen one go to Mast for anything.

Though with this guy, he's done. He'll never command again. All that's left for him is retirement...and it seems like it's that way by design.

To clarify: "I've just never seen one go to Mast for anything..."

I meant to say "and get kicked out" on the end of that.

If I was at the office, instead of sitting here in my boxers at home, I'd have the resources to look it all up.

OK. I've had two friends get Article 15'ed, one for getting a bad sunburn, the other for getting an extreme haircut. They were liberally given out for some silly things. You may have a rougher crowd with you than I did with me. The people in MI who just disappear- they're there one day, do something bad, and you never see them again- I don't know if they're 15'ed first then separated, or just flat-out separated. I think it must be the latter, as they vanish. I'm not sure, though.
You'd think it would take enough time to process their paperwork that you'd see them in barracks or something.

The article said that an officer getting masted was a career-ender. I was wondering if that was true, and if it was, is it because of the "one pass and you're out" promotion-list thing. That's how they got rid of the officer who was in such a hurry to get our gazillion dollar installation in place on the Iraqi border, that he didn't wait for any combat units to be in place first. If they're passed-over for promotion, they have to resign. Or so I've heard.

Or was it just a case of CNN not knowing the military and mis-speaking.

You know guys who failed whiz-quizzes? Ha. Who'd be such a fool?

Listening to CNN report on the military is like going to a proctologist to get the current week's weather forecast.

I saw lots of guys come in and go out cause of the "whiz-quiz". The last CO I had on the boat (and I think he's still there) was raised in Dallas and Tulsa. He could put some alcohol away on port visits, but he didn't mess around with guys who smoked weed.

Though the best Mast he ever gave was an open one, right in the hangar bay. The entire crew was invited. One guy had been looking at gay porn in his work space...they read the URL's of these sites right out loud to everyone. Don't know what ever happened to that guy.

That's why I was trying to get a clarification. Most of the people in the media have never served, and don't know what they're talking about when they report on military issues.

"The article said that an officer getting masted was a career-ender. I was wondering if that was true, and if it was, is it because of the "one pass and you're out" promotion-list thing. That's how they got rid of the officer who was in such a hurry to get our gazillion dollar installation in place on the Iraqi border, that he didn't wait for any combat units to be in place first. If they're passed-over for promotion, they have to resign. Or so I've heard."

That's pretty much the case... it's not like the Commander is automatically out of the Navy, it's just that he has no future in it.

Thank you, Charles.