An enlightening report obtained by the Navy Times found Command Master Chief James Shumate had a "history of repeatedly asking women to go home with him regardless of rank, command, or marital/relationship status."
Shumate, 45, lost his job in June as the top enlisted sailor at Naval Air Station Lemoore's Strike Fighter Squadron 86. According to a Navy news release from June 3:
Shumate was found guilty of violating two counts of article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice during a Captain's Mast proceeding at NAS Lemoore...
This action followed the completion of an investigation into allegations of the master chief's personal conduct while the squadron was conducting training at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., during the week of May 19.
It all began, according to the report, in San Diego back in March. Shumate hit on a junior sailor numerous times there, asking her to go home with him:
“CMDCM Shumate also asked [redacted] to ‘have a kid with him,’ an intent which was made well after [redacted] had introduced herself as an [redacted] and told him that she was his kid’s age.”
Shumate's behavior continued when he visited Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada as part of his squadron's training.
What did Shumate have to say about his conduct in the report? Well, he doesn't exactly take responsibility for his actions...
“[F]or the record, I’m kind of disappointed in my mess, for this, in Fallon, that they didn’t do anything to stop me.”
According to the Navy, after Shumate was relieved of his duties, he was "temporarily reassigned" to the staff of Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Pacific. Naval Air Forces spokeswoman Lt. Reagan Lauritzen confirmed to the Navy Times last week that detachment-for-cause proceedings are pending.
