The Navy wanted a woman to be the first to command a destroyer, the USS Winston S. Churchill, so they chose Commander Holly Graf. Of course, they only considered her record; they were not influenced by the fact that her father was a retired Navy captain, or that her older sister is a rear admiral who is married to a rear admiral. Then, despite reports of her demeaning, belittling, humiliating, and berating, the crew of the Churchill, she was subsequently promoted to captain and given command of a cruiser, the USS Cowpens, where she continued her reign of terror. Finally, on January 13, 2010, she was relieved of duty and charged with “cruelty and maltreatment” and “conduct unbecoming an officer. Apparently, the Navy is an equal opportunity employer; it allowed a woman to play the part of Captain Bligh.
