The U.S. Navy was forced to apologize on Wednesday after one of its pilots pulled a stunt involving phallic imagery.
Indeed, it seems a member of the U.S. military drew a penis in the sky. One might say this pilot was a little too cocky.
Officials from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state sent a statement to KREM 2 News admitting one of their aircraft was used to create the sexually charged sky art after a local mother reached out to the news station to complain. The mother was reportedly worried the imagery could have a negative impact on her children.
"The Navy holds its aircrew to the highest standards and we find this absolutely unacceptable, of zero training value and we are holding the crew accountable," the statement said.
Photos of the pilot's penile art project were also sent to KREM 2, which some tweeted.
KREM 2 also reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration about the incident, inquiring as to whether they planned to take action. But officials responded they "cannot police morality" and seemed to suggest the situation didn't pose a risk to anyone's safety so it's not their responsibility.
This incident comes as the U.S. Navy faces criticism for a series of accidents that have occurred at sea in the past year. The USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan in June, killing seven American service members. Subsequently, in August, the USS McCain, a guided-missile destroyer named for Senator John McCain's father and grandfather, collided with a chemical-and-oil tanker near Singapore. More recently, in early November, a plane being towed on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson struck and seriously injured a U.S. sailor.
McCain, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Tuesday these incidents are a product of the U.S. military being overworked. "I look you in the eye and tell you a 100-hour workweek is too long for a young member of our armed forces." He warned there would be more "tragedies" if something doesn't change.
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