ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Dr. Kimberly McLear (U.S. Coast Guard Commander, Retired)

On December 11, 2019, I testified on Capitol Hill before a Joint Hearing by the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, called  Righting the Ship: The Coast Guard Must Improve its Processes for Addressing Harassment, Bullying, and Retaliation.  This was 12 months after the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General released a report about the wrongdoing I reported. I remain deeply concerned about the state of the Coast Guard with respect to these topics, including our handling of sexual assault. In my case I was bullied and harassed for more than 4 years and also was retaliated against, in violation of multiple Coast Guard policies and the Military Whistleblower Protection Act.

I have given interviews to The Day, Associated Press, New York Times, and Forbes. I have shared my experiences with Members of Congress on several committees, the DHS Inspector General, Protect Our Defenders, National Whistleblower Center, Modern Military Association of America, and the Service Woman's Action Network. Despite these opportunities to share quotes and answer questions for the record, my full story has never been captured. I was thriving in my career before I reported to the Coast Guard Academy. I served at a variety of very challenging and high-profile assignments, excelling in a wide range of communities within the Coast Guard, such as Marine Safety, Engineering, Enterprise Management and Cybersecurity. Even while enduring ongoing harassment, bullying, and retaliation, I was instrumental in standing up the Coast Guard's new Cyber Systems major and also leveraged innovation and social media to assist in operational response efforts for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. I also, however, experienced harassment at every Coast Guard unit since 2005. I will share more about my story in upcoming blog pieces. 

When I made the decision to take the personal and professional risk to become a whistleblower, I did not solely speak out against the injustices in my case - which was egregious because it reached the highest levels of the Coast Guard. In 2016, I suffered suicide ideation after two years of abuses and psychological injuries, the Command's refusal to investigate my allegations, and intimidation from admirals if I filed additional complaints. My Coast Guard physician had also written to the Coast Guard Academy Superintendent (2-star Admiral) to remove me from the toxic work environment, and he refused. I ultimately blew the whistle on our culture: racism, sexism, misogyny, failed reporting systems, unlawful discrimination, the psychological destruction to complainants, bystanderism, lack of transparency, lack of justice - and how all of this weakens our workforce. I elevated concerns for years to the Coast Guard leadership on how cases at the Coast Guard Academy  (and above) were being mishandled (now validated by the June 2020 DHS OIG Report) by senior officers and officials. I also articulated why diversity and inclusion efforts are superficial if we do not hold ourselves accountable for violations of policies and laws.

The December 2018 DHS OIG Report not only substantiated my claims of retaliation (unlawful discrimination), but it also revealed that a Coast Guard Headquarters investigator did in fact substantiate my claims of bullying, hostile work environment, and retaliation in violation of two Coast Guard policies.  Two Deputy Commandant for Mission Support Admirals, however, provided correspondence to me that stated that none of my claims were substantiated. When I asked the DCMS Staff Judge Advocate if the investigator had substantiated my claims, he responded “no.” Thanks to the efforts of the DHS OIG, we know this is a lie and it symbolizes why we must “Right The Ship.” Out of all of the dozens of parties that have perpetuated our culture of inaction and injustice, as highlighted in the DHS OIG report and the Righting The Ship report, not a single person has ever been held accountable, despite the harassment I endured for more than 9 years and the permanent damage to my career and deleterious impact to my health.  Senior officers and civilians involved in my case have gone on to be promoted, protected, and otherwise rewarded by the Coast Guard, despite the standard that "anyone subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) who violates military whistleblower protection can be prosecuted by court-martial with a maximum punishment that includes bad conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, three years confinement, or total forfeiture of pay and allowances. Civilian employee violators are subject to administrative discipline that could include firing the employee."

In February of 2019, I was  invited as Congressman Joe Courtney's State of the Union Guest of Honor and used that as an opportunity to advocate for change and be visible as a survivor of workplace bullying, harassment, and retaliation. I had the honor of meeting Congresswoman Judy Chu, whose nephew died by suicide after hazing in the Marine Corps. She pushed for all military branches to have policies prohibiting hazing and bullying. Unfortunately, even with polices, when there is an avoidance of justice, accountability, and dignity, this will increase the likelihood of suicides.  Among many other members of Congress, I've also had the honor of meeting the late Chairman Elijah Cummings and he shared with me about the importance of restoring integrity in public service.

Tragically, many people across the service have and continue to contact me to share similar patterns and stories of harassment, discrimination, bullying, assault, and retaliation. Many have expressed pain and frustration from the egregious lack of justice which continues to perpetuate a chilling effect for anyone reporting any type of alleged wrongdoing. Our future as a service is at stake and we must Right The Ship.

We deserve better. 

Thank you to my family and friends for your endless support and unconditional love.