Hero Worship - 152

[a well crafted episode] The SECNAV ordered Chegwidden to send Harm and Mac to investigate the captain of the old destroyer, USS John Cooper, for a "lack of leadership" under the guise of investigating a galley fire. Seaman Tim Holley of sick bay, a 4th generation "squid," was trying to live up to his fathers accomplishments and saved seaman Todd Raff's life from a fire. Raff admitted to smoking in the galley. M reccommended an article 32 but the captain wanted to handle it merely with a captain's mast. Adm Albrecht, of SURFLANT, wanted "to send message to the captain" so took authority himself and ordered the article 32 hearing. H eventually showed that a sparking electrical short could have caused the fire. M, the prosecutor, said that "Albrecht wanted Raff out to teach the captain a lesson." H then found an Oxygen tank leak from sickbay had acted as an accelerant causing flash over. Raff wouldn't let H use it however, out of loyalty to Holley's career. So he was sent to court-martial. H told M that it was out of the "price of Loyalty."

C consulted with Carl Messing, a White House aide, in producing a white house dinner honoring all the surviving medal of honor recipients. One hero, Cpl. Henry Guernsey was excluded by the white house Chief of Staff because he had a pending court date for shoplifting. C went to meet Guernsey and found that he was over 80, confused and barely coping since his wife had died. Guernsey had held off 400 Japanese with 2 boxes of hand grenades, saving his platoon. Meredith forced C into a picnic on a lawn and made terrible tasting food, but gave C insight into helping Guernsey himself. C connected Guernsey with an organization to obtain a roommate, got him a uniform and arranged an alternative party specifically for him with his old 2nd platoon. C told Messing that "undervaluing their contribution because he's imperfect makes us look petty and thoughtless." The only persons so described were the president's COS and Adm Albrecht who both "got their own ways" but never found out just how petty they were. B was exonerated from his dereliction charges but C told him it was "not your finest hour." B & Harriet were trying to decide upon a next duty station to use his "second chance" to further his career.