Boeing communications chief Niel Golightly abruptly resigned Thursday.
Golightly’s resignation came after an employee filed a complaint about him regarding an article he wrote in 1987, while he was serving in the military, in which he argued that women should not be in combat, according to a press release from the company.
“My article was a 29-year-old Cold War navy pilot’s misguided contribution to a debate that was live at the time. My argument was embarrassingly wrong and offensive,” he said in a statement.
“The dialogue that followed its publication 33 years ago quickly opened my eyes, indelibly changed my mind, and shaped the principles of fairness, inclusion, respect and diversity that have guided my professional life since,” Golightly continued. “The article is not a reflection of who I am; but nonetheless I have decided that in the interest of the company I will step down.”
Golightly had worked for Boeing for about six months. The company said it does not support Golightly’s views as they were expressed in the 33-year-old article.
“At issue is not whether women can fire M-60s, dogfight MiGs, or drive tanks,” Golightly, then a Navy lieutenant, wrote in a U.S. Naval Institute magazine. “Introducing women into combat would destroy the exclusively male intangibles of war fighting and the feminine images of what men fight for — peace, home, family.”
David Calhoun, the president and CEO of Boeing, thanked Golightly for his work and said he respected the decision to resign.
“Niel and I discussed at length the article and its implications for his role as the company’s lead spokesman,” Calhoun said. “I greatly respect Niel for stepping down in the interest of the company. I thank him for his contributions to the Boeing Company, which have been substantial even in a short time. Our executive council and I thank him and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Mr. Calhoun added, “I want to emphasize our company’s unrelenting commitment to diversity and inclusion in all its dimensions and to ensuring that all of our employees have an equal opportunity to contribute and excel.”
