The statement "A Petty Officer which is a non college degree" is wrong. There are a lot of PO's who have college degrees.
I think he meant petty officer is a noncom rank; as opposed to someone who went to officer school.
I'm not military; but my understanding is that officer school is the equivalent of "a degree" in leadership.
Like in corporates; some people get MBAs and jump right into leadership/management where other people get degrees in specific fields but can still work their way up to leadership/management.(Such as a petty officer)
At any rate; regardless of pedigree. An officer is an officer and all held to the same high standards whether they went to officer school or were promoted up.
And so, the severity of the punishment has everything to do with the fact that, as an officer, this individual was supposed to be a role model for his subordinates.