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The Navy has disciplined an officer after an investigation determined he wrote a letter complaining about being forced to live with enlisted sailors that he described as “deviants” and “perverts” who posed a risk to his family.

Task & Purpose obtained a copy of the letter that was signed by Lt. Nathanael Allison, PhD, who wrote that he had received orders to live in Yokosuka, Japan, for the next three years and he was willing to pay for his family to live in hotels rather than being billeted in enlisted housing.

In the typo-ridden letter, Allison alleged that the enlisted quarters were unsafe for his family due to rampant drug use, alcoholism, sexual assaults, “and other perverts.”

“I personally had to deal with an enlisted child molester as my subordinate,” wrote Allison, who added that the sailors who hung out in enlisted housing were “often drunk and hostile.”

“I have a good-looking family, a wife and two daughters age 3 and 4,” Allison wrote. “They are prime targets to be victims for these enlisted deviant activities. My family should be safe in housing that is with officers. Officers are more respectable and theses [sic.] type of deviant activities are incredibly rare compared to deviant activities of enlisted being common place. [sic.]”

Allison also complained that living with enlisted sailors meant he and his family would be isolated from other officers, who would not want to visit them.

Moreover, Allison argued that if he were forced to live among the enlisted sailors, he would be duty-bound as an officer to report any instances of drug use – placing his family in danger of being retaliated against – and he would constantly have to break up brawls among the ruffians.

“A few tours ago, an enlisted housing unit had two gangs attacking each other with hatchets and other weapons over competing drug turf,” Allison wrote in the letter. He did not specify where the axe-laden drug gang rumble went down.

A command investigation determined that Allison, who is assigned to Naval Hospital Yokosuka, was the author of the letter, said Regena Kowitz, a spokeswoman for Naval Medical Forces Pacific.

“The command’s investigation into this matter has concluded and been adjudicated, with appropriate disciplinary measures taken,” Kowitz said. “The command cannot release or discuss the details of administrative actions for misconduct due to privacy regulations.”  

“Behavior that is not in keeping with good order and discipline, with our Navy’s core values, or that does not treat others with respect and dignity, will not be tolerated,” she continued.

Allison was pilloried on social media after Erica Earl of Stars and Stripes first reported the news of the letter on Monday.

The official Terminal Lance Twitter account, run by Marine veteran, cartoonist, and author Maximilian Uriarte, offered the most concise commentary about Allison allegations that enlisted sailors are deviants and perverts: “I mean he’s not wrong.”

You can read the entire letter below:

Navy photo

Good Morning Housing Professionals,

I just reached out to my Commander about this huge issue trying to force me to live with enlisted You will likely here from them soon. Several officers just told us that there are 2 townhomes available right now where they live at Fourth Avenue and Vandergrift and also Sakura Heights. My family and I have orders for 3 years here in Yokosuka and will likely be extended to 4 years as this happened to the last officers in my position before me. I have many valid objections to living in a building of almost all enlisted and even many lower enlisted being an officer. I am prepared to pay for a hotel for my family and I until actual officer housing can be found for us. I am even prepared to pay for my housing the whole tour if I have to. I have serious concerns for Safety, support and integrity.

Safety: I have been an investigative officer and superior officer to many deviant enlisted sailors. There is a lot of crime, violent actions, drug use and alcoholism that happens in enlisted housing. There are also sexual assaults and other perverts. I personally had to deal with an enlisted child molester as my subordinate. I also have had to deal with man drug and alcohol related problems. There are often drunk and often hostile sailors hanging around enlisted housing. Housing with enlisted greatly increases the risk to my family. I want to feel safe for my family every time I leave to work. This will greatly affect my mental state at work to always be worrying about my family. I have a good-looking family, a wife and two daughters age 3 and 4. They are prime targets to be victims for these enlisted deviant activities. My family should be safe in housing that is with officers. Officers are much more respectable and theses type of deviant activities are incredibly rare compared to deviant activities of enlisted being common place. Safety has huge psychological impact on quality of life. This enlisted housing will increase the risk to my family and mentally cause my family and I to be worried and unhappy due to safety.

Support: It is important when overseas to have support from your community. This is even more important with COVID. The almost entire enlisted building that was proposed is in the back of Ikego isolated away from any support for me and my family. Its’s away from all the other officers at my command that could support me. As an officer I cannot fraternize with the enlisted. My family and I will be isolated in the building that I am living in. We will not have the support that a normal officer family should have to succeed. Other officer families will not want to visit us because our family lives in enlisted housing. This proposed housing assignment is cutting of the support that my family needs during this overseas assignment and with COVID. My children need to make friends with other officer children. My wife needs to make friends with other officers’ wives. I need to make friends with other officers. This proposed housing is isolating our family during a vulnerable time when we are transitioning overseas and don’t have any support. We need to be in actual officer housing surrounded by other officer families so my family and I get actual support and are not completely isolated and trapped by ourselves.

Integrity: As a Naval officer, I have integrity. If I see the enlisted breaking the law or acting in an inappropriate way, I am required at all times to react and correct the problem or situation. Living with enlisted puts my family and myself in a compromising position. A few tours ago, an enlisted housing unit had two gangs attacking each other with hatchets and other weapons over competing drug turf. As an officer, if I see drug use or other illegal activity in enlisted housing, I have to report it. This put me and my family at risk of retaliation because I will have to live right next to them with this proposed housing. I am not willing to compromise between integrity and safety and I shouldn’t have to. Officers shouldn’t live in housing with almost all enlisted personnel. This doesn’t even factor in the situation where I may have to demote or penalize enlisted personnel I work with, and then come back home where they also live right by me. This creates an awful living arrangement and my family and I in many compromising situations. I will choose to keep my integrity and will probably make many enemies in the housing complex, creating more problems and further isolation of my family.

Forcing an officer to live in a large apartment building with almost with enlisted is unethical. Factor in the fact that it is far away from work and far away from other officer housing even on Ikego and this is just wrong in every way. I am prepared to pay to stay in a hotel or temporary lodging for however long is necessary to get actual officer housing with other officers. I am also prepared to pay for housing the whole tour if I have to. Please help me find housing that is acceptable for my family so we can be safe, supported and maintain our integrity.

Very Respectfully,

LT Nathanael Allison, PhD

Featured image: Saillors salute the ensign during morning colors in the hangar bay of the assault ship USS America. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Cavenaile)