Navy Commander Relieved Of Duty Months After Humiliating Photo Went Viral
The Navy commander who went viral over an embarrassing rifle photo has been relieved of duty.
Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer USS John McCain, was relieved of duty in late August by Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, according to The San Diego Tribune.
Yaste was removed from command of the USS John McCain "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer."
The commander of the USS John S. McCain relieved of duty. (Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Todd Frantom/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Navy commander relieved of duty months after embarrassing photo.
Further specifics on why he lost command of the ship aren't known, according to the same report. However, the move comes just months after a humiliating photo of Yaste was shared on social media.
The Navy posted a photo back in April of Yaste firing a rifle……with the optics on backwards. It was beyond embarrassing and led to the Navy being lit up on social media.
The photo was later deleted, but the screenshots are forever. You can see the photo that went mega-viral below.
Navy commander responsible for embarrassing rifle photo relieved of duty. (Credit: Screenshot/United States Navy)
Was the embarrassing rifle photo connected to Yaste being relieved of duty? That's simply not known, but it was one of the most embarrassing moments for the military in a long time.
How does a military officer pick up a rifle and fire it with the optics on backwards and not notice it? How does it go through a review process to be posted on social media and nobody notices it?
The entire ordeal was both hilarious and completely unacceptable.
And allow me to say before anyone gets a bit too bold online, we have the most powerful military on the planet, and it's not close. America's ability to pop out and smack bad dudes is unrivaled. One officer relieved of duty doesn't change any of that. However, I'm sure he really regrets the fact that rifle photo was posted back in April. It aged like spoiled milk. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.