Caine Mutiny, The - Herman Wouk [285]
He sat and stared at the medal numbly for many minutes. He began to open the official mail. It was the usual mimeographed or printed matter for a while; then he came on a letter which was typed.
From: The Chief of Naval Personnel.
To: Lieutenant Willis Seward Keith, USNR.
Subject: Improper Performance of Duty-
Reprimand for.
Reference: (a) Court-martial Order #7-1945.
Enclosure: (A) Copy of Reference (a).
1. In accordance with reference (a) enclosed, the Bureau finds that you conduct in the matter of the irregular relief of Lieutenant Commander Philip F. Queeg USN of command of the U.S.S. CAINE on 18 December 1944 constituted improper performance of duty.
2. Your attention is directed to the comments of the convening authority, the Bureau, the Judge Advocate General, and the Secretary of the Navy. In accordance with those comments, you are reprimanded.
3. A copy of this letter will be placed in your promotion jacket.
“Well,” thought Willie in a whirl, “a medal and a reprimand. Nice morning’s haul.”
He scanned the close small type of the court-martial order. There was a page and a half of comment by Com Twelve, the convening authority. He judged that it must have been written by Breakstone and signed by the admiral. The acquittal was disapproved. Willie knew this created no danger for Maryk, because he couldn’t be tried again; but it unquestionably meant the end of his naval career.
… The medical board recommended that Lieutenant Commander Queeg be restored to duty. No evidence was found of any mental ailment. It must be concluded that the actions of the accused showed gross ignorance of medical facts, and extreme want of judgment in placing reliance on his uninformed opinions in order to commit an act with the most serious and far-reaching possibilities. ... These comments extend with pertinence if lesser force to the actions of the witness Lieutenant Keith, the officer of the deck. The testimony of Lieutenant Keith leaves no doubt that he did not comply reluctantly, but rather sided wholeheartedly with the accused in his actions.
The convening authority believes the specification proved beyond a reasonable doubt ...
… There is in this case a miscarriage of justice whereby an officer escapes punishment for a serious offense and a dangerous precedent has been established. The fact that the ship was in hazard does not mitigate, but rather intensifies the responsibility of the accused. It is at times of hazard most of all that the line of naval discipline should be held rigidly, especially by senior officers on a ship. ... A ship can have only one commanding officer, appointed by the government, and to remove him in an irregular manner without referring the matter to the highest available authority is an act exceeding the powers of a second-in-command. This doctrine is emphasized, not weakened, by the description in Articles 184, 185, and 186 of the exceedingly rare circumstances in which exception may be made, and the intentions of the Navy Department to this effect are therein expressed with the utmost clarity and vigor.
In the endorsements that followed, the higher authorities all concurred emphatically with Com Twelve’s comments.
“Well, I concur too,” Willie thought. “That makes it unanimous, so far as the case of Lieutenant Keith goes. ... Poor Steve.”
He brought out of a drawer the red cardboard clip folder in which he kept the documents of his naval career. There one on top of the