Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Time to right a wrong

Friday, Aug. 2, 2002 | 4:01 a.m.

A COMBINATION OF politically correct writers and editors, scared Pentagon appointees and a gutless Senate Armed Services Committee ruined the career of a true American hero in 1995. Last week a short Associated Press story told readers:

"Cmdr. Robert E. Stumpf, who once commanded the Blue Angels precision flying team, has been promoted retroactively to captain and will be given back pay to July 1995, officials said Wednesday. Now a Federal Express pilot living in Florida, Stumpf retired in late 1996, saying he was tired of fighting for the promotion."

So who is Bob Stumpf and why am I writing about him again? Let author Stephanie Gutmann in her book "The Kinder, Gentler Military" tell you. She took a close look at the Tailhook scandal that made headlines from the Las Vegas Hilton in 1991. Gutmann wrote:

"Another pilot who attended the exotic-dancer party was Cmdr. Robert Stumpf, the commander of the Blue Angels demonstration team -- that squadron of crack pilots who fly in astonishing formations at air shows around the country. He'd been trained at Miramar's elite Top Gun school and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross, the Navy's third-highest decoration for valor, for sorties in the Gulf War. It looked for a while as if he had come through 'Witchhook,' as aviators called it, unscathed. The Navy had approved his promotion to captain. The Senate's Armed Services Committee gave it a thumbs-up and the promotion was confirmed by the full Senate. Then SASC began receiving anonymous phone calls insisting that the committee 'take another look' at Stumpf's record.

"This 'new look' at Stumpf's record took a year. SASC would not tell Stumpf's lawyer what the allegation had been or what methods and sources they were using in their investigation. Stumpf was never allowed to appear before the committee to offer rebuttal -- verbal or written -- to the mysterious misdeed. Finally, SASC voted to turn down the promotion, and a seemingly cowed Navy brass retracted their earlier go-ahead as well. By way of explanation, an SASC spokeswoman told the press that 'we looked at the broad scope of his record, and his activities at Tailhook were such that we didn't feel his promotion was warranted.' Many military stars pleaded for the promotion, citing Stumpf's contributions to his service, but SASC stood firm. Denied a promotion in the 'up or out' armed forces, his career effectively over, the star pilot and war hero left the service at the age of 44."

Now you may recall Stumpf as one of many naval aviators who fell victim to a political firestorm that was legitimately, at the most, a bonfire. Despite the fact that a board of inquiry had found no misconduct in his past, he was tossed into the caldron.

It may be difficult for a rational human being to believe, but by 1995 the Department of Defense had revised its promotion instructions to reflect more PC nonsense. Included in any promotion package going to the Senate is "unsubstantiated allegations" and special attention is to be given to those allegations receiving "significant media attention." Tailhook was loaded with both "unsubstantiated allegations" and "significant media attention."

The sad part about this entire mess is that so many good people serving our country were sacrificed because of the bad conduct of a few. Stumpf wasn't the only innocent victim of the Tailhook scandal and he fought it to the end. Back pay for a few years isn't adequate compensation for his personal loss and our nation's loss of him. Neither is the news release from the Pentagon that was buried, or not even published, in our nation's newspapers and ignored by television. Remember the weeks and months of headlines and television specials that dragged Stumpf and fellow aviators through the mud?

I would say it is time for DOD to open up a full inquiry and compensate others who were wrongly punished. The damage done to them and to our armed services can never be undone. This doesn't mean we shouldn't hang our heads in shame and do our best to set the record straight for those military people who became victims of a fire that raged out of control.