Capt. Gregory McWherter, a top Navy officer and former Blue Angels commander, was relieved Friday of his post as executive officer of Naval Base Coronado.
The decision was carried out by the commander of the Navy Installations Command, Vice Adm. William French and was “based on initial findings of an ongoing investigation into recent allegations of misconduct and inappropriate command climate” at the Blue Angels at the time during which McWherter was the commander. The investigation, which initiated in March, stems from a complaint filed by one individual, according to Cmdr. Mike Kafka – a spokesman for the Naval Air Force Atlantic Command based in Norfolk, Va.
The US Navy clarified in its statement that “the allegations refer specifically to the period when McWherter served as Blue Angels commanding officer, from November 2008 to November 2010 and again from May 2011 to November 2012.”
This statement was released with no additional details regarding the specific nature of the alleged misconduct.
The former Blue Angels Commander was also an instructor at the Fighter Weapons School, known more colloquially as TOPGUN. In fact, Capt. McWherter even mentioned the film of the same name serving an initial inspiration during his earlier years. When he visited Marietta’s Dobbins Air Reserve four years ago, he listed the Tom Cruise film as being a motivation for his career path.
The @USNavy relieves the former commander of the Blue Angels. https://t.co/UxHcLO4JQa pic.twitter.com/Obws53nfKY
— Inside Military News (@goinmilitary) April 19, 2014
“That was it. I wanted to fly,” McWherter had intimated to the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Capt. McWherter was the executive officer of Naval Base Coronado since November 2013. He spent November 2008 to November 2010 as well as May 2011 to November 2012 as commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels. McWherter, a F/A-18 Hornet pilot, logged 5,500 flight hours as well as 950 aircraft carrier landings for training missions and deployments. When he was on his second tour with the Blue Angels, he was awarded for his demonstration of “leadership and contributions” to the North American air show industry.
The 20-year Navy veteran has been provisionally reassigned to Naval Air Forces in San Diego.
Image via Youtube