NATO AIR
Senior Member
on my ship, there is a guy (a flight deck plane captain) who is now sitting in the brig on base. How he got there may interest you, or may not. I'd like to tell his story though, because I think its worth it.
"Jerome"s father was a drug dealer in Houston, and was shot in a drug deal gone bad when Jerome was only 3.
His mother died of AIDS when he was only 8.
His grandmother (who took custody of him when he was 9, as well as his two younger brothers and an older sister) had a debilitating stroke when he was 13.
He became the "father" of the house. His sister got hooked on drugs, and he spent late nights fighting her addiction and her drug dealers, as well as trying to keep his younger brothers away from drugs and gangs.
At 16, he fathered a son with his long-time girlfriend. At 17, after finally getting his sister into long-term drug rehabilition treatment with a local church group, he graduated high school.
Five days later, he lay on his back, eight bullets lodged in his chest and arms, the victim of a drive by shooting instigated by his fight with a local gang leader who had tried to recruit his youngest brother.
Months later, after extensive recovery caused primarily by his strong will and dedication to get better, he enlisted in the Navy.
He helped liberate Afghanistan, acting as a primary on the flight deck during our ship's role as a special operations platform in Operation Enduring Freedom.
He helped liberate Iraq, helping the Kitty Hawk (despite being the oldest, smallest carrier in the fleet) to have the highest sortie efficiency rating among all the aircraft carriers participating in Iraqi Freedom.
His long-time girlfriend (Shawna) and he got back together two years ago, helping him to see his son more often on his leave periods. However, during their long break-up, she had dated a violent drug dealer for a few months, and he was released from prison in November. Almost immediately, he tried to win her back, first with sweet words and gifts, and later, with threats and violence.
Jerome and Shawna both contacted the Houston Police about this, yet nothing was done. On numerous occasions, officers tried to blame her for the violent activities of the obsessed ex-con, saying she was egging him on and should just get back with him so she can stop calling 911 and bugging the city.
On Christmas Eve, the ex-con broke into their small apartment and beat up Jerome's son, then broke Shawna's jaw and threw her down the stairs, breaking one of her arms.
Jerome informed his chain of command about what was happening, and despite the Navy contacting the Houston Police Dept. in regards to the violent ex-boyfriend, nothing was done.
The day after New Year's the ex-con fired a shotgun four times into Shawna's mother's house.
Jerome went on liberty the next weekend and flew to Houston, not before leaving a long letter detailing what he was doing and why he was doing it. He had submitted a leave chit to his chain of command, and it had been denied because the ship was going to be undergoing sea trials the next week.
What he did in Houston is unclear, though a hospitalized (for several days) violent ex-con contacted police to pursue assault and battery charges against Shawna's boyfriend ("some sailor" he told them). An arrest warrant is now out for him, and he returned to Japan and to his ship, to face military justice for being UA (AWOL for non-navy folks) for nearly two weeks and missing the ship's deployment twice. However, he's been put in the brig indefinitely, awaiting his return to Houston to face the charges filed against him.
The sad part is, as messed up as our criminal justice system is, he will probably get considerable jail time. When he returns to the Navy, he will face serious punishment at Captain's Mast. If he is reduced in rank to E-4, he will be unable to remain in the Navy due to "High Year Tenure" rules.
"Jerome"s father was a drug dealer in Houston, and was shot in a drug deal gone bad when Jerome was only 3.
His mother died of AIDS when he was only 8.
His grandmother (who took custody of him when he was 9, as well as his two younger brothers and an older sister) had a debilitating stroke when he was 13.
He became the "father" of the house. His sister got hooked on drugs, and he spent late nights fighting her addiction and her drug dealers, as well as trying to keep his younger brothers away from drugs and gangs.
At 16, he fathered a son with his long-time girlfriend. At 17, after finally getting his sister into long-term drug rehabilition treatment with a local church group, he graduated high school.
Five days later, he lay on his back, eight bullets lodged in his chest and arms, the victim of a drive by shooting instigated by his fight with a local gang leader who had tried to recruit his youngest brother.
Months later, after extensive recovery caused primarily by his strong will and dedication to get better, he enlisted in the Navy.
He helped liberate Afghanistan, acting as a primary on the flight deck during our ship's role as a special operations platform in Operation Enduring Freedom.
He helped liberate Iraq, helping the Kitty Hawk (despite being the oldest, smallest carrier in the fleet) to have the highest sortie efficiency rating among all the aircraft carriers participating in Iraqi Freedom.
His long-time girlfriend (Shawna) and he got back together two years ago, helping him to see his son more often on his leave periods. However, during their long break-up, she had dated a violent drug dealer for a few months, and he was released from prison in November. Almost immediately, he tried to win her back, first with sweet words and gifts, and later, with threats and violence.
Jerome and Shawna both contacted the Houston Police about this, yet nothing was done. On numerous occasions, officers tried to blame her for the violent activities of the obsessed ex-con, saying she was egging him on and should just get back with him so she can stop calling 911 and bugging the city.
On Christmas Eve, the ex-con broke into their small apartment and beat up Jerome's son, then broke Shawna's jaw and threw her down the stairs, breaking one of her arms.
Jerome informed his chain of command about what was happening, and despite the Navy contacting the Houston Police Dept. in regards to the violent ex-boyfriend, nothing was done.
The day after New Year's the ex-con fired a shotgun four times into Shawna's mother's house.
Jerome went on liberty the next weekend and flew to Houston, not before leaving a long letter detailing what he was doing and why he was doing it. He had submitted a leave chit to his chain of command, and it had been denied because the ship was going to be undergoing sea trials the next week.
What he did in Houston is unclear, though a hospitalized (for several days) violent ex-con contacted police to pursue assault and battery charges against Shawna's boyfriend ("some sailor" he told them). An arrest warrant is now out for him, and he returned to Japan and to his ship, to face military justice for being UA (AWOL for non-navy folks) for nearly two weeks and missing the ship's deployment twice. However, he's been put in the brig indefinitely, awaiting his return to Houston to face the charges filed against him.
The sad part is, as messed up as our criminal justice system is, he will probably get considerable jail time. When he returns to the Navy, he will face serious punishment at Captain's Mast. If he is reduced in rank to E-4, he will be unable to remain in the Navy due to "High Year Tenure" rules.
