Call signs

The secretary of the Navy has censured the former commander of a fighter squadron at Oceana Naval Air Station for not stepping in fast enough to defend a junior officer who claims his superiors harassed him with derogatory homosexual terms.

Days before the repeal of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ban on gays in the military was announced, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Cmdr. Liam Bruen permitted a hostile work environment and gave the officer a bad performance evaluation as reprisal for filing a formal complaint. The Virginian-Pilot reported Saturday that Bruen was head of Strike Fighter Squadron 186 in August 2009 when an informal meeting was held to choose call signs for new officers. Ensign Steve Crowston was given one of three signals that were proposed, all of which had negative homosexual overtones.

Mabus said in a letter Wednesday that Bruen "demonstrated a profound lack of judgment" in not promptly stopping the harassment. "You were given a position of special trust and responsibility... I expect Commanding Officers to recognize the inappropriateness of a situation as it unfolds and forcefully inject their leadership in real-time, not after the fact," Mabus wrote.

According to 190 pages of documents obtained by the newspaper through the Freedom of Information Act, after the August 2009 meeting Crowston promptly notified his chain of command that he found the names offensive and humiliating. Shortly afterward, the squadron's second-in-command, Cmdr. Damien Christopher, told Bruen he thought the names were problematic.

A few days later, Bruen called an all-officers meeting. His notes show he told the group "derogatory references of a homosexual nature" would not be tolerated.

In a 17-page response to the inspector general's findings, Bruen called the investigations "troubling and one-sided." He said three of the other five officers had been given "homosexually oriented" proposed call signs that day, and he said he held an officers' meeting to "address the inappropriate behavior" without identifying Crowston as the one who had complained.

Bruen, who retired earlier this year, said in an email to the newspaper that since he is no longer in the Navy he fails to see the validity of the Navy secretary's actions.

Crowston, who declined to specify whether he is homosexual, wasn't satisfied with Bruen's actions at the meeting. Six months later, he filed a complaint with the inspector general for Naval Air Force Atlantic.

An initial investigation dismissed most of Crowston's complaints. The Naval Inspector General then conducted its own inquiry. Crowston said Friday that "justice is served" with Bruen's censure. The Navy also has removed the unfavorable fitness report from Crowston's file and has promoted him to lieutenant junior grade.

He said he hopes other service members subjected to offensive comments will be inspired by the outcome of his complaint.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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