RELIEVED OF DUTY
Service with aerobats investigated
A Navy officer is removed from his post because of misconduct while he was in charge of the Blue Angels flying team.
SAN DIEGO — The two-time leader of the Navy’s Blue Angels precision f lying team has been removed from his current position at Coronado Naval Base because of an allegation going back to his time commanding the elite squadron.
Capt. Gregory McWherter was relieved from his post as executive officer at Coronado, an assignment he began in November, the Navy announced Friday.
A March 24 complaint filed with the Navy’s Inspector General led to an investigation by a Navy admiral, which continues, said Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, spokesman for Naval Air Forces in Coronado.
A Navy statement said that the decision was based on “initial findings of an ongoing investigation into recent allegations of misconduct and an inappropriate command climate” during the captain’s time on the Blue Angels. There was no indication Friday what the specific allegation was.
McWherter did his first tour as commanding officer of the elite air show team, based in Pensacola, Fla., from November 2008 to November 2010.
He returned to lead the squadron for an unusual second tour after the thencommanding officer bowed out, citing lack of faith in his own abilities to lead after an aborted maneuver during an air show.
McWherter’s second stretch as the lead pilot, or “Boss,” was from May 2011 to November 2012.
While McWherter faces no charges, just being relieved of his command will probably end his career progression.
Until Friday, McWherter had enjoyed a stellar Navy career. A native of Atlanta and graduate of The Citadel, McWherter is an F/A-18 pilot with multiple tours in combat squadrons, including leading VFA-192 through three deployments aboard the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.
He is a graduate of the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, known as Top Gun, and won the 2003 Commander Naval Air Forces Leadership Award.