Glenn R. Brindel (born 1943) is a former United States Navy officer. He was the commanding officer of USS Stark and was in command when the ship was attacked and struck by two Exocet missiles in the Persian Gulf on May 17, 1987. The incident review board, led by Rear Admiral Grant Sharp, recommended he be court-martialed for his actions.[1] However, he was relieved of command and given non-judicial punishment by Adm. Frank B. Kelso II, commander of the Atlantic fleet. According to the New York Times, in 1987 he received a letter of reprimand and elected to retire early. He had not served as a captain long enough to retire at that grade, so he had to retire at the rank of commander.[2] The U.S. Naval Register, however, lists Brindel as retiring October 2, 1990, as a captain.[3] 37 sailors were killed in the attack.
Glenn R. Brindel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 5, 1943 |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1965–1987 |
| Rank | Captain, retired as commander |
| Commands | USS Chehalis USS Stark |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Bronze Star Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry Meritorious Service Medal |
Early life and education
editBrindel, a native of Dormont, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, was born in 1943 and was 43 at the time of the attack.
Career
editBrindel was commissioned in 1965 after graduating from Pennsylvania State University. He served as weapons officer on USS Garrett County from October 1965 to March 1967 during part of Operation Game Warden. He received his first command in 1973, USS Chehalis, and received medals for bravery during the Vietnam War, including the Bronze Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and Meritorious Service Medal. He had served as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy for more than three years until 1978. He was the executive officer of USS Bigelow for two years starting in 1978.[4] After that, he served two years with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations working on the staff of the director of Research, Development, Test and Evaluation. Then he served two years as a project manager with the Naval Sea Systems Command. He took command of Stark in June 1984 and was relieved of command and received non-judicial punishment for the 1987 Iraqi missile attack incident.[5][6][7][8]
Later life
editBrindel has been a real estate agent in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area since his retirement from the Navy.[9]
References
edit- ^ Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Attack of the USS Stark in 1987 Archived 2013-02-10 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ The New York Times. Navy Forgoes Courts-Martial for Officers of Stark. July 28, 1987.
- ^ U.S. Naval Register Archived 2008-03-04 at the Wayback Machine lists Brindel as retiring October 2, 1990, as a captain.
- ^ Skipper is veteran of Vietnam; The Patriot - News. Harrisburg, Pa.: May 19, 1987. p. A.2.
- ^ Associated Press. Captain is war hero from PA. May 19, 1987. Page 4, Philadelphia Daily News.
- ^ Associated Press. Commander Pennsylvania Native. Titusville Herald. Titusville, Pennsylvania. Tuesday, May 19, 1987. Page 9.
- ^ Associated Press. Stark Captain Veteran Seaman. Journal-Tribune. Marysville, Ohio. Tuesday, May 19, 1987. Page 5.
- ^ Cushman Jr, John H. (28 July 1987). "Navy Forgoes Courts-Martial for Officers of Stark". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ http://www.roseandwomble.com/Agent/GlennBrindel/ Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine Personal website. [dead link]
Further reading
edit- Levinson, Jeffrey L. and Randy L. Edwards (1997). Missile Inbound. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-517-9.