RALEIGH—Taking personal responsibility when tragedy strikes may not be easy or popular, but it is still the most honorable course of action, says the captain of the submarine USS Greenville when it struck and sunk a Japanese fishing boat two year ago.
Cmdr. Scott Waddle (Ret.) was in charge of the nuclear-powered submarine when it collided with the Ehrime Maru on Feb. 9, 2001. Nine of the boat’s crew were killed as it sank in a matter of minutes off the coast of Pearl Harbor. The tragedy made international headlines and thrust Waddle into a media firestorm. Waddle described the tragedy and the path his life has taken since the incident to a John Locke Foundation luncheon Monday.
“I had millions of questions,” he said. “The odds are much greater than winning any type of lottery. Those few minutes were the greatest challenge of my life. I can live with the loss of a ship, but not the loss of life. In the end, a horrible wrong occurred.”
Waddle’s book, “The Right Thing,” details the tragic event and the difficult days that followed. While a military investigation ensued and the newly inaugurated President George W. Bush faced his first major foreign-policy challenge as president, Waddle hired private legal counsel and traveled to Japan to meet with some of the family members of the crewmen who died.
Describing the collision as an accident, Waddle accepted full responsibility and spurned the advice of those advocating for him to stay silent or to disperse blame. Although there were excuses available, duty and responsibility demanded full, open disclosure. “It was important to tell the truth,” he said, “because it must be heard to determine what happened and why.”
Admitting mistakes and taking responsibility, especially in the most public of forums, was not easy, Waddle said. But it was the way he was raised, and more important it was the right thing to do. The actions of others often have profound influence on the shaping of values and leadership ability, he said, because we often learn to do what is right by imitating those we admire and respect.
When he took command of the Greenville in March 1999, Waddle said, it was vital he firmly establish his authority and set a positive example for his crew. Leading the crew of a submarine required self-reliance and the setting of a model others would want to follow. Waddle spent many months building a team of 140 military personnel that he took great pride in. It all came crashing down, however, in a matter of minutes, he said.
“Everything good was brushed away following the incident,” he said. As a Navy commander, his accountability was absolute. Anything that went wrong was ultimately a reflection of his performance of professional duty. Waddle said that being a leader, both in public service and private life, requires responsibility not only when “riding the crest of the wave,” but also when the unthinkable occurs.
He described the collapse of his Navy career as “devastating.” Without his strong faith in God, Waddle indicated all hope might have been lost in the wake of the ensuing investigation, now closed with his honorable discharge. His will to move forward continuously draws strength from a deeply rooted Christian faith as well as the unconditional love of his wife and daughter, he said.
These days, Waddle works as a senior project manager for A.B.B., Inc. of Raleigh. He also devotes his time to a variety of community service interests, the Boy Scouts in particular. He said someone could still offer many meaningful contributions to the service of others despite seemingly insurmountable personal distress.
“When you get knocked down, it’s all about how you get up and endure the crisis,” he said. And doing the right thing.
Jones is an editorial intern at Carolina Journal.