iStockphoto / Benny Winslow
The commander of a US Navy destroyer in the Middle East, the USS John McCain, was relieve of his duty on Friday after a months-long investigation after he shared a photograph of himself holding a rifle with the scope on backward.
Cameron Yaste was the commanding officer of the USS John McCain which is tasked with protecting the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, both currently in the Middle East. The photograph was shared last April on the Navy’s social media but created a PR nightmare when everyone with two eyes quickly realized the scope on the rifle he was holding was on backward.
The Navy eventually deleted the photograph and shared the message “Thank you for pointing out our rifle scope error in the previous post. Picture has been removed until EMI (extra military instruction) is completed.” Stars and Stripes picked up the story back in April, pointing out that in addition to the scope being mounted on backward the “weapon’s foregrip was also mounted strangely, positioned closer to the gun’s center than its barrel.”
Here is the photo in question which has been shared by the Associated Press, Yahoo, Stripes, and others:
US Navy
Flash forward to last Friday and the San Diego Tribune broke the news that USS John McCain commanding officer Cameron Yaste had been relieved of duty “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer.”
This comes days after it was revealed the US Navy has ran out of pants. Pants? Yes, pants. The US Navy is undergoing a uniform crisis and sailors are unable to purchase pants for weeks to come still.