HONOLULU (AP) — The Navy has investigated the case of a sailor who didn’t salute as the national anthem played during a recent morning flag-raising at Pearl Harbor.
U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman Senior Chief Petty Officer Joel Cesar said Tuesday it’s up to the sailor’s commander whether she faces any punishment for not saluting on Sept. 19.
The sailor is Petty Officer 2nd Class Janaye Ervin, an intelligence specialist in the Navy Reserve. She was recently in Hawaii for about two weeks for an exercise.
Erwin is assigned to the Navy Operational Support Center at North Island, California. The command didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment. Erwin didn’t respond to a message sent to a Facebook account in her name. A phone number for her was not listed.
The sailor’s failure to salute comes after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick received national attention when he refused to stand for the anthem before NFL preseason games earlier this year. He cited racial injustice and police brutality among the reasons for his actions.
Since then, other athletes all over the U.S. have engaged in their own protests during the anthem.
The Navy’s protocol handbook says sailors in uniform must salute during the anthem. They must also face the flag, or if a flag is not visible, sailors are required to face the direction of the music.
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It probably was not in her best interest to protest while in uniform and on duty. But, of course, she’s not protesting in consideration of her best interests, so good for her. She’ll get (rightly) punished - probably a letter of reprimand or whatever the Naval equivalent is - but that’s the cost of her courage.