Strike fighter squadron CO fired for ‘maltreatment’

Strike fighter squadron CO fired for ‘maltreatment’

The commanding officer of an F/A-18 squadron in California was fired May 2 following accusations he mistreated a sailor.

Cmdr. Kurt Bohlken was relieved as CO of Strike Fighter Squadron 151 at Naval Station Lemoore by Rear Adm. Ron Boxall, the head of Carrier Strike Group 3. Bohlken has taken command of the squadron in March 2014.

After a February investigation found evidence of mistreatment, Bohlken was taken to Admiral’s Mast on May 2 and found guilty of failure to obey a lawful order and maltreatment, according to a Navy news release. He was relieved by Boxhall following the proceeding..

Lt. Reagan Lauritzen, a spokeswoman for the chief of naval air forces, declined to elaborate on what the nature of the mistreatment was, but said the “command investigation … showed significant deviation from what is deemed as acceptable behavior in the Navy.”

Cmdr. Dustin Lee, the squadron’s executive officer, is now in command of VFA 151.

Bohlken is a 1997 Naval Academy graduate. He’s flown the F-14 and the F/A-18 and deployed on the carriers Constellation, Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln.

He has also done a Pentagon tour on the staff of the chief of naval operations as the tactical air test and evaluation action officer.

 

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