Five years ago, one of the Navy SEALs' rising stars, Rear Adm. Brian Losey, vowed to hunt down and "bury" a whistleblower who reported him for allegedly mismanaging his official travel expenses . Though he was cleared of the claims raised by the whistleblower, the admiral's actions against those whom he believed to be his accuser amounted to retaliation, the Defense Department Inspector General concluded. Yet senior Navy officials pushed hard to see him pin on a second star.

They even gave him a prestigious assignment overseeing all of the service's elite special operations teams. He made a mistake, Navy leaders argued. It wasn't misconduct, they said.

In fact, whistleblower reprisal is against the law.

Several members of Congress saw things differently, however, and moved to block Losey’s nomination. Had the Navy gotten its way, the promotion would have set a terrible precedent for the entire military.

Though Losey did not commit the misconduct for which he initially was accused, the whistleblower's claims go to the larger and serious issue of wasteful government spending. It's a multi-million dollar problem for the Pentagon. In 2014 alone, more than $450 million in improper travel payments were processed DoD-wide, according to a separate inspector general investigation.

More importantly, those who lobbied for Losey's promotion in spite of the IG's findings of retaliation betrayed the military's most basic values: to uphold the law, and always do what is right. Those who are granted the privilege to lead at any level — whether an Army sergeant in charge of a squad of grunts, or the commandant of the Marine Corps — must always set the right example for their subordinates to follow.

Leaders have an obligation to protect those who step forward and expose wrongdoing, not to crush them. No one should fear for their career for doing the right thing. And no one, not even a big shot Navy SEAL, should be above the law.

× Fear of missing out? Sign up for the Navy Times Daily News Roundup to receive the top Navy stories every afternoon. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to the Navy Times Daily News Roundup.

Certainly, this individual To be sure, Losey is a decorated combat veteran who otherwise served honorably for more than 30 years who once commanded the storied Naval Special Warfare Development Group and should be commended for his three decades of honorable service. But that doesn't give him — or any other individual in positions of leadership — a pass. Losey reportedly initiated a witch hunt for staffers who raised issues about his travel spending, saying he would "bury them." This personal and vindictive campaign was a toxic distraction from the vital mission of overseeing special operations forces.Incidents of whistle-blower retaliation are equally concerning. Indeed, Losey is not the only recent case. An Army three-star barred his subordinates from telling investigators about conditions at a military hospital in Afghanistan, according to a 2013 Defense Department inspector general report.

The Pentagon must redouble its efforts to protect whistleblowers and punish the bullies who threaten them. No one should be made to fear for their career because they did the right thing.