Penis drawings were discovered on a moving map software displayed on the nuclear-capable B-52’s Combat Network Communication Technology (CONECT)
On Nov. 27, 2018, Lt. Col. Paul Goossen, B-52 Stratofortress pilot and 69th Bomb Squadron commander at Minot Air Force Base (AFB), North Dakota, was relieved from duty after sexually explicit and phallic drawings were discovered inside the bomber’s cockpit screens during a recent deployment, Military.com reports.
A command-directed investigation anticipated to be released by Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) in coming weeks will show that Goossen was removed from command of the 69th Bomb Squadron because penis drawings were discovered on a moving map software displayed on the nuclear-capable B-52’s Combat Network Communication Technology (CONECT).
The system, used to display common data such as pre-planned routes for sorties and target coordinates, captured the data for post-sortie debriefs. Screengrabs of the images were later used for laughs at an end-of-deployment party, sources said.
“Any actions or behavior that do not embody our values and principles are not tolerated within the Air Force,” said AFGSC spokesman Lt. Col. Uriah Orland to Military.com.
Noteworthy, according to a source familiar with the incident, penis drawings were repeatedly created by members of the unit and were captured as screengrabs for a CD montage during the 69th Bomb Squadron deployment to Al Udeid Air Force Base, Qatar, between September 2017 and April 2018. The montage was played at the end of the deployment, and then left behind and later turned in to officials. The suggestive material prompted an investigation.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) said that Goossen was removed “due to a loss of trust and confidence from his failure to maintain a professional workplace environment.”
Goossen took over as 69th Bomb Squadron commander in summer 2017.
He was commander of the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron when the B-52 flew its last missions against the Islamic State before the B-1B Lancer took over the mission in the Middle East.
According to a USAF news release during its eight-month deployment the 69th launched “834 consecutive B-52 missions without a maintenance cancellation,” while targeting ISIS and Taliban fighters across the U.S. Central Command region.
Crews, including Goossen, even took part in a holiday conference call with President Donald Trump Dec. 24 while on station. Goossen was photographed speaking to the president during the conference call.
Even though the 69th’s drawings were restricted to the cockpit, the latest incident follows a spree of aerial maneuvers from various units over the last year throughout the military involving illustrated penises.
Most recently, two West Coast-based U.S. Marine Corps aviators under investigation for executing a flight pattern that resembled a phallus in late October have been restricted to ground duties.
It was suspected Air Force crews over Ramstein Air Base, Germany, attempted their own sky penis drawing in April.
Two U.S. Navy aviators flying an EA-18G Growler in November 2017 over Washington state were also disciplined for their infamous incident that went viral across the internet.
Photo credit: U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Patrick Evenson
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
