First Female USAF F-16 Demo Team Commander Fired After Two Weeks

[Airbubba]

Originally Posted by falcon900

Joining the dots together, something binary like DUI sounds the most plausible. Timeframe too compressed otherwise, as 99% of other reasons to remove a commander would take a little time to percolate, and ironically, given O'Malleys history, I suspect he might be on the less hasty side when it comes to such a drastic step. An infringement of that nature, involving external authorities would leave him little choice, a judgement which I am sure he would have "road tested" up the line before implementing.

Author Tyler Rogoway interviewed Col. O'Malley about his own road to redemption after the raunchy Gold Bond video inadvertently went viral in the pre-YouTube era.

We Talk Mistakes, Redemption, And Leadership With Commander Who Fired First Female Demo Team Leader

Long before removing F-16 pilot Zoe Kotnik from her post, Colonel O'Malley faced his own controversy and he's finally ready to talk about it publicly.

BY TYLER ROGOWAY FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Derek "Maestro" O'Malley was a young fighter pilot rising quickly in the ranks when he decided to make a particularly crass gag video. What came next was nothing he ever imagined. All that he had worked for was suddenly at stake. But the Air Force gave him another chance, one that he ran with and has since achieved incredible heights of success, becoming the wing commander of the prestigious 20th Fighter Wing based at Shaw Air Force Base. Then, just days ago, it was his turn to make a disciplinary decision just like his superiors had in regards to his mistake a decade and a half ago. This one would be far more publicized. Now Colonel O'Malley relieved the first female demonstration team leader the Air Force ever had, Captain Zoe Kotnik, after just two weeks on duty. His decision made international headlines and the details surrounding it are still shrouded in secrecy.

After the video he created years ago, which is infamous in the fighter pilot community, was published on this site in relation to the ongoing story about the dismissal of Zoe Kotnik, O'Malley made the decision to reach out to us to share his story publically for the first time. And an amazing and intimate one it is. It speaks to the failings in all of us and how it's not necessarily how you fail, but how you redeem yourself and use your experiences, no matter how unpleasant, to become a better person and a more thoughtful leader.

Judging by his responses alone, we need more people like O'Malley in the top echelons of the USAF's leadership, ones who have learned to see the potential in people even when it is highly inconvenient to do so. For a force that is struggling to retain personnel, including pilots and maintainers—those who are absolutely critical to its core mission—giving people a second shot when it is possible to do so is really a necessity not a luxury.

The interview is here, it's a good read in my opinion:

We Talk Mistakes, Redemption, And Leadership With Commander Who Fired First Female Demo Team Leader - The Drive