Navy Sub Commander Accused of Adultery, Faking Own Death

Have you heard about this story? This text is directly from The Washington Post:

For the past four years, Navy Cmdr. Michael P. Ward II lived with his wife and children in the Burke area of Fairfax County, just off Rolling Road. Ward and his family sold their house last month and moved to Connecticut when Ward was awarded command of the submarine USS Pittsburgh, based in Groton, Conn., which he assumed on Aug. 3.

Seven days later, he relinquished command of the USS Pittsburgh, which, if it isn’t a record, has to be in the top five shortest commands. A woman from Chesapeake came forward and said she’d had an affair with Ward after meeting him on an online dating Web site, The Day newspaper of New London, Conn., reported Monday. That is not the worst part.

The woman said Ward told her he was separated from his wife and was assigned to ”special ops.” And on July 6, the woman said she received an e-mail from Ward’s address, but written by a man named Bob. “He asked me to contact you if this ever happened,” The Day reported the e-mail said. ”I am extremely sorry to tell you that he is gone. We tried everything we could to save him him. I cannot say more. I am sorry it has to be this way...He loved you very much.” And technically, he was “gone.” From Burke.

So the woman drove to Burke on July 9 to pay her respects, and learned that Ward was alive and well — in Connecticut. She told The Day she became ill, found out she was pregnant, and then miscarried.

The woman contacted the Navy, which issued a statement on Friday, Aug. 10, saying Ward had been relieved of command “due to lack of confidence in Ward’s ability to command based upon allegations of personal misconduct on the part of Ward.”

Ward declined to comment to The Day. He has served in the Navy since 1987 and had been assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. The rest of the article is here.

What an incredible story! Who knew that there was a USS Pittsburgh or that it was based in Groton, Connecticut? Plus, any chance that Michael Ward has a nickname of Hines?