Mind the Volcano! Or not…
6 11 2009
Here’s a follow-up post to answer one of those “what ever happened to” questions.
Hop in the Mudflats time machine and go back to that stressful time this spring when Mt. Redoubt was blowing its stack, ejecting tons of debris, sending mudslides and lahars down the flanks of the volcano, barreling toward Chevron’s Drift River oil terminal, which sits on the shore of Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
Capt. Mark Hamilton was the Anchorage Sector Commander in charge of the area during that whole nail-biting fiasco. You were even encouraged to call the coastguard in the Mudflats post dated March 25. Suddenly, in May of this year we learned that an investigation had begun during the height of the volcano troubles in early April.
Capt. Mark Hamilton was temporarily relieved for “alleged misconduct and loss of confidence in the officer’s ability to command,” the Coast Guard said in a press release. Coast Guard officials would not immediately elaborate, saying that the matter was the subject of an internal investigation. Asked if it could involve criminal charges, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Eric Eggen said it was too soon to tell.
Well that had all our ears pricked up. Did this have anything to do with Drift River? The volcano? The oil? Chevron? The State? Clean up capabilities? You know, all those things that he was undoubtedly focused on with laser sharp intensity and without any sort of weird outside distraction that could compromise his ability to concentrate on the critical and serious nature of the job at hand? Well, did it?
Nope. Would you believe:
failing to follow orders; lying to investigators; committing adultery with enlisted personnel; sodomy; sending and receiving “sexual and amorous text messages” using a government cell phone; photographing sexual acts; downloading and storing sexually explicit material on his government-issued laptop; and making an official phone call “while engaged in sexual activity.” Hamilton also is accused of trying to “wrongfully influence the career of and defame the character” of a fellow service member between January and May, according to the documents.
Whoa.
He was charged with 31 violations in all.
All this and a volcano too? Now that’s multitasking.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:56 PM
Is this guy going to run as a R for his next trick? There might be a job in SC for Gov opening up.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:01 PM
Hah! 31 violations and none of them actually had to do with his job performance….just his performance(s) on the job. So while we are in the “way back machine” what did become of the Drift River saga?
November 6th, 2009 at 5:07 PM
[...] Whoa! 2009 November 6 by Vicki What’s in the water up there? [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Goin’ Rogue, Alaskian style!
November 6th, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Oh my!!
November 6th, 2009 at 5:17 PM
Don’t ask don’t tell.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:55 PM
“Minding the Volcano, Hyacinth.” Do you watch “Keeping Up Appearances”? That title just made me wonder
And, oh my, what a story: I didn’t see that one coming. Ya know things in Alaska never get boring. SP resigns but there’s so many other people waiting to fill the void.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:00 PM
I’d imagine all those things would contribute to his inability to concentrate on the serious and critical nature of the job at hand (no pun intended, of course).
November 6th, 2009 at 6:07 PM
That’s exhausting! Does he know Carrie PreJean?
November 6th, 2009 at 6:33 PM
#2 Seattlefan
The current risk level color code for Redoubt is Green (Normal) so this eruptive cycle appears to have ended.
As to the Drift River Terminal, I haven’t checked to see if there is any new status on conditions there but I would not be surprised if they were back to shipping oil by now. In the spring they at first declared it was too dangerous to draw down the tanks and move the oil. Then they moved some of the oil and declared that had to leave some in place for “ballast” so the tanks would not float. Eventually they drew down all the oil just as the dome collapse events that were causing the lahars were coming to an end.
More than one lahar reached the oil terminal or passed it, some apparent damage was done to the containment dikes around the terminal but the aerial photographs of the area became scarce and I never saw any more recent than late March. At least one and possibly more of the lahars did breach the containment dikes but did not obvious damage to any of the tanks.
So in summary, for the majority of the time the volcano was erupting there was significant oil at risk in the tank farm and had a larger or more violent eruption taken place there could have been a significant oil release into Cook Inlet. Suffice it to say the collective companies and agencies responsible dodged a bullet.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:34 PM
He was just multi talented.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Soooo, hve there been any improvements at the tank farm? Or is that just coasting on the idea that the volcano has blown off enough steam for another 25 years? Will there be any oil left by then?
November 6th, 2009 at 6:35 PM
sorry, that was pretty bad
November 6th, 2009 at 7:26 PM
“Hamilton also is accused of trying to “wrongfully influence the career of and defame the character” of a fellow service member between January and May, according to the documents.”
It seem that was the straw that broke the camel.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:36 PM
Rome burned while Nero was fiddling with himself, also, too.
Hope it was worth it, Cap’n.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:43 PM
#9 Krubozumo Nyankoye
Thank you for the update (and quite a complete one at that)!
They dodged a bullet last year, but I am wondering if anything had been done to alleviate this problem altogether going forward. If nothing has changed I fear more “bullets” are just around the corner. Did Mr. Hamilton have any influence on how this whole situation was to be handled? Not being from Alaska, I don’t know.
Again, thanks. I sure hope they get that situation resolved.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:50 PM
I can’t stop myself…so many eruptions jokes rolling around in my head…make them stop…please…
I especially like the ability to make official phone calls while canoodling…that’s commitment, talent, and an energy level that’s truly impressive…
In all seriousness, I can’t imagine how abjectly embarrassed you’d be to have a career end like that. And I hope he’s not married!
November 6th, 2009 at 8:17 PM
I thought most if not all states got rid of their adultery and sodomy laws by this time.I know My state had a law on the books for years about adultery being a crime but it was not enforced and of course once you did not need to prove abuse or adultery to get a divorcee it was changed and gotten rid of. A lot of states have old and forgotten laws,like the ones about picking up prescriptions for a friend,neighbor that is home bound or a loved one who can’t pick them up themselves.In California at least you can be charged or so Mr brown thinks. I know I have my daughter pick up my prescriptions for me,but she said she had to sign off to pick them up,even though I let my pharmacist know she would be picking them up for me.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:36 PM
jojobo, officially, the military still sees adultery as a crime. I don’t think it’s often prosecuted these days unless the affair has an effect on morale. In this case, I suspect that the failure to follow orders is by far the more serious offense.
As far as odd and obscure laws go, I used to live in a town where there was an ordinance on the books, dating back to horse-and-buggy days, that said you could go the wrong way on a one-way street if you rang a bell as you went. Fortunately that tidbit wasn’t well-known.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:26 PM
‘nd during all that he was a speaker at an enforcement training meeting I attended.
Who’da thunk??
File this under: ya just can’t make this stuff up.
sigh.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:52 PM
Anna I kind of figured that out and yes their are a lot of o0ld laws still on the books that no on even knows about.Yours was the best LOL
November 6th, 2009 at 10:33 PM
Sodomy? Can they be more specific? I mean, what act is still illegal (between adults)? And “making an official phone call while engaging in sexual acitivity”? How do they know? Was it skype video? Sheesh!
November 6th, 2009 at 10:45 PM
Really? AKM, only in Alaska….burp….
November 6th, 2009 at 11:06 PM
Where was Palin in the chain……uh, chain of command?
November 7th, 2009 at 12:07 AM
The volcanic metaphor must have gotten to him.
November 7th, 2009 at 7:55 AM
All mothers should warn their sons about this when they deliver the Big C*nd*m Speech in their teenage years:
“Be aware that when the little head thinks, the big one stops”.
Obviously some captain did not listen…
That said, I really thought at the time that the man was in trouble because of some omission of duties in protecting the environment at the time of Redoubt’s unrest. I even thought he might have taken bribes/had been bought off by Big Oil… but no… it is something so banal… so stupid!
In a way I am glad that the USCG is not tainted by oil influence/corruption in this matter. I have a special stake in that one, as both my sons are USCG.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Wow… meantime, the Superintendent of the Gettysburg Military Park admits to viewing over 3500 porn images on his government computer during company time and all he gets is a transfer to someplace just over the border into Maryland… and gets to keep receiving his 150,000+ yearly salary.
Guess Mark Hamilton was just unlucky enough to be employed by the US Coast Guard instead of the National Park Service.
November 7th, 2009 at 6:20 PM
Ahh. “Way back” then, austintx and I agreed on “tailhookery”.