Blue Angels dived into porn, homophobia and harassment, study says
CNN
By Ben Brumfield
June 4, 2014
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Porn, homophobic jokes and dirty talk about women became common, Navy review finds
It says the team's commander called for more porn postings in squadron scheduling service
Raunchy practices were viewed as a way of building trust among Blue Angels, the study says
The Navy reprimanded the commander and gave anti-harassment training to team
(CNN) -- One of the nation's most prestigious teams of flying aerobats dive-bombed into the depths of sexual harassment and stayed there for at least a year, a new Navy study says.
Under the command of Capt. Gregory McWherter, members of the Blue Angels openly passed around pornography and flew with it in their cockpits during airshows. They cursed gays and spread dirty talk about women.
Their chauvinistic behavior turned the squadron into a hostile workplace, a Navy investigation into the shenanigans said. And McWherter not only tolerated them; he set examples of bad behavior and animated those under his command.
McWherter was reprimanded after a disciplinary proceeding this week and was previously relieved of his duties as an executive officer.
The 63-page document reads like a cross between the burlesque B movies "Hot Shot" and "Animal House," as it describes how the squad's Ready Room took on the atmosphere of a college fraternity.
The Blue Angels are the friendly face of the U.S. Navy and Marines and put on aerial stunt shows before live audiences across the country most every week.
The scandal has sullied their reputation and that of the military branches they represent, Navy investigators said.
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