{"id":41950,"date":"2021-01-28T04:37:18","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T04:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/01\/28\/laywer-forrest-sherman-co-was-fired-for-turning-rusted-ak-47-into-war-trophy-for-his-ship\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:44:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:44:50","slug":"laywer-forrest-sherman-co-was-fired-for-turning-rusted-ak-47-into-war-trophy-for-his-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/01\/28\/laywer-forrest-sherman-co-was-fired-for-turning-rusted-ak-47-into-war-trophy-for-his-ship\/","title":{"rendered":"Laywer: Forrest Sherman CO was fired for turning rusted AK-47 into war trophy for his ship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The commanding officer of the warship Forrest Sherman<\/a> was fired Wednesday due to what a Navy press release deemed a \u201closs of confidence in his ability to command.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Cmdr. Frank Azzarello\u2019s attorney told Navy Times Wednesday night that there is more to the story than the vague \u201closs of confidence\u201d line that Big Navy puts out for every CO relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azzarello was fired because he turned an old AK-47 rifle into a ship trophy following an at-sea raid of a weapons cache believed to be heading from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen and didn\u2019t follow the proper U.S. Defense Department procedures, his attorney, Timothy Parlatore, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regs exist when a commander wants to make a war trophy, and Azzarello was not aware of those regs, the attorney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. 2nd Fleet officials declined to comment on the particulars of the firing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forrest Sherman\u2019s November 2019 boarding and seizure of the weapons from a dhow in the Middle East \u201cwas a big one,\u201d Parlatore noted, and U.S. Central Command put out a press release<\/a> highlighting the massive weapons seizure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A U.S. Central Command press release showcases the variety of weapons seized from a dhow in the Middle East by sailors aboard the warship Forrest Sherman. (U.S. Central Command)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CENTCOM laid out the weapons seized by Forrest Sherman and noted that they included \u201canti-tank missiles, sections of land-attack cruise missiles, sections of an anti-ship cruise missile, surface-to-air missiles, high-explosive warheads, blasting caps, unmanned aerial system components, and various electronic devices,\u201d according to a command release last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the things left over was a rusted AK-47,\u201d Parlatore said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c(Azzarello) said, \u2018let\u2019s make it into a plaque. Let\u2019s (de-militarize) it and mount it. Put it up on the ship, boost morale.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a DoD procedure exists when a commander wants to do that, and Parlatore said it was not something that surface warfare officers are frequently trained on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t follow the procedure,\u201d Parlatore said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azzarello was relieved of command of the guided-missile destroyer Wednesday morning by Carrier Strike Group 8 commander Rear Adm. Ryan Scholl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parlatore said Azzarello was slated to hand the ship\u2019s helm over to his successor at a change of command ceremony next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sailors assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron 1 drive their 34-foot Dauntless class patrol boat to rendezvous with the guided-missile destroyer Forrest Sherman on Nov. 17 in the Gulf of Tadjoura. Forrest Sherman recently interdicted what officials believe is a cache of smuggled missile components that originated in Iran. (Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Kenji Shiroma\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Azzarello\u2019s failure to follow the regs prompted an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, according to Parlatore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a pretty simple investigation,\u201d Parlatore said. \u201cWhen they asked him, he said, \u2018yeah, here it is.\u2019 He gave it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It remains unclear whether Azzarello will face further administrative discipline or criminal charges, the attorney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azzarello had commanded Forrest Sherman since September 2019, according to his service record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t expecting this to happen today,\u201d Parlatore said. \u201cHe did everything that he could to get the crew ready and to get out there and do the job. They did a fantastic job. The raid was a really big win \u2026 so for this to happen right at the end is very unfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n