A dead sailor found off the coast of Cuba. An affair with a base commander. A naval captain in disgrace. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, folks.
On January 11, the body of Christopher Tur, was found in the waters off of Cuba. A subsequent investigation uncovered an alleged affair between Tur’s wife and Capt John R. Nettleton, the commander of the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
On January 21, the Navy publicly announced that Nettleton has been relieved of command.
The decision to relieve Nettleton was made by his boss “Commander, Navy Region Southeast, Rear Adm. Mary M. Jackson due to loss of confidence in Nettleton’s ability to command,” according to a statement from Navy Region Southeast Public Affairs.
Following his dismissal from Guantanamo, Nettleton was moved to Florida, where he is assigned to Jackson’s staff.
Sounds like this should be a movie (and probably will be.)
Base spokesperson Kelly Wirfel said that Tur moved to Guantanamo with his family in 2011 and worked at the base commissary. Tur’s obituary lists his job as a loss prevention officer, a title that typically means someone who prevents theft and shoplifting.. Tur’s widow, Lara, who is alleged to have carried on an affair with Capt. Nettleton, works as the director of the base’s Fleet and Family Services. That position would have her overseeing a variety of support programs for military families ranging from counseling services to financial assistance.
Lara reported her husband missing on January 10, a day before the Coast Guard discovered his body.
The adultery alone is enough to seriously ruin Nettleton's career under UCMJ, but with the other man in the picture dead, well...now things get really interesting. Trust me when I say there are screenplays being written right now about this.
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