"Toxic Command Climate" Linked to Sailor's Suicide

Report: Bullying, Abuse Contributed to Sailor's Suicide
The Virginian-Pilot
by Dianna Cahn
Dec 16, 2014

A sailor's suicide on board the Norfolk-based destroyer James E. Williams in June can be blamed in part on a toxic command climate that involved bullying and reprisal, a command investigation has found.

The investigation was spurred by the death of the sailor but grew in scope when investigators began examining the ship's leadership. What they found was misconduct and abusive behavior among the senior enlisted while the commanding officer and the executive officer failed to take charge.

Among the allegations to surface in the report were accounts of sexual assault, a reprisal and unruly alcohol abuse by the ship's command master chief -- the top enlisted officer.

The ship's skipper, Cmdr. Curtis Calloway, handed over the reins in September in a scheduled change of command. He was reassigned, along with his deputy, Cmdr. Ed Handley, and Command Master Chief Travis Biswell, to a desk job in Norfolk pending the investigation. All three faced non-judicial punishment for dereliction of duty in October, while Biswell was also found guilty of drunk and disorderly conduct.
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