The Navy was not amused by a viral social media post. Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the USS John McCain, was relieved of command on August 30. Any trained military professional stupid enough not to notice a rifle scope mounted backwards has no business driving a destroyer. Not one on a mission to protect the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. The Mid-East is a powder keg, with Iran about to tease Israel a little too hard. Acting foolishly in front of the crew is unbecoming an officer. Not only that, the Pentagon’s switchboard melted from all the complaint calls.
Navy responds to ridicule
Responding to “considerable ridicule on social media,” the Navy relieved commanding officer Cameron Yaste of duty. The decision came “about four months after he was seen in a photo firing a rifle with a scope mounted backwards.”
They didn’t mention that in the notice but everyone knows why they did it.
According to the official Navy statement, Yaste was relieved of duty “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer.” It’s currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman and they need to be keeping a close eye out for pirates, drones, and Iranians.
Even if the scope was properly mounted, which may have been done intentionally just for a funny picture, it’s unbecoming behavior for an officer. “The statement didn’t elaborate on why Yaste was replaced.”
The photo first appeared on Navy social media in April. It clearly shows “Yaste in a firing stance gripping the rifle with a backward scope.” Cartridges ejecting show he was actually firing the weapon. He appears to be looking through the scope but that’s impossible.
The former commander may have believed he was shooting safely into the ocean but really had no idea what he was blasting. If a SEAL suddenly surfaced in the line of fire, he’d never have known it.
Marine Corps noticed
Stars and Stripes was the first to report about the controversy. It went viral when “the Marine Corps took a dig at the Navy, sharing a photo on its social media of a Marine firing a weapon aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer.”
The caption read: “Clear Sight Picture.” After everyone started talking about it, the Pentagon got angry.
The Navy explained the censorship on their media page when they took down the photo of Yaste. “Thank you for pointing out our rifle scope error in the previous post.” The picture, they proclaim, “has been removed until EMI (extra military instruction) is completed.”
That seems to mean re-educating Yaste on proper firearm procedures. He’s supposed to be able to field strip his weapon and put it back together blindfolded. And still get the scope facing the right way.
For now, “Yaste has been temporarily replaced by Captain Allison Christy, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 21, which is part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group that’s also in the Gulf of Oman.”
The Navy wants every asset they have in the region at peak readiness. “The Pentagon sent the carriers to the Middle East to be in position should Israel need help repelling an attack by Iran or other countries, if such a thing happens,” military officials relate.
