Sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt cheered for Captain Brett Crozier as he departed the ship in Guam. Captain Crozier was removed from duty by the Navy after he raised concerns about the spreading coronavirus on his ship in a letter that was leaked to the media. Hundreds of cheering and applauding sailors showed their appreciation, chanting the captain’s name, as they bid him farewell.
A week ago, the USS Theodore Roosevelt was diverted to Guam after an outbreak of the coronavirus on shipboard. Reports of three sailors with the infection quickly grew to “dozens.” Since then there have been reports that over 100 sailors have come down with the virus.
Last Monday, Captain Crozier wrote a four-page letter pleading with the Pentagon for help in combatting the spreading outbreak. In the letter, which was leaked to The San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday, Captain Crozier recommended offloading his entire crew of approximately 4,000, and then quarantining and testing them while the ship was professionally cleaned. Crozier said the move was necessary as the warship’s “inherent limitations of space” meant the virus was spreading rapidly despite the other crew members distancing themselves.
“We are not at war,” Captain Crozier wrote. “Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.”
On Thursday, Captain Crozier was fired. Thomas Modly, the acting secretary of the Navy, accused Capt. Brett Crozier of having “poor judgment” for using a “non-secure, unclassified” email address to write an email to his immediate chain of command which also included “20 or 30” additional recipients.
Later Modly was quoted saying, “Let me emphasize that this is exactly what we want our commanding officers, our medical teams, to do,” though he later lamented that the letter went public. The letter was most likely the result of a misunderstanding about how quickly the process would move, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday told reporters.
The Navy is moving forward with Crozier’s recommendation to remove as many sailors as possible from the beleaguered ship. At least 1,000 have been moved ashore, so far and the Navy has announced plans to move sailors who test negative for the virus into isolation in vacant hotel rooms on the island.
Veterans and members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) were also unhappy with Captain Crozier’s firing. Yesterday the committee released a statement which read in part:
“While Captain Crozier clearly went outside the chain of command, his dismissal at this critical moment – as the Sailors aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt are confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic – is a destabilizing move that will likely put our service members at greater risk and jeopardize our fleet’s readiness.
“The COVID pandemic presents a set of new challenges and there is much we still do not know. Captain Crozier was justifiably concerned about the health and safety of his crew, but he did not handle the immense pressure appropriately. However, relieving him of his command is an overreaction.
“Throwing the commanding officer overboard without a thorough investigation is not going to solve the growing crisis aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. What’s more, we are very concerned about the chilling effect this dismissal will have on commanders throughout the Department of Defense. Dismissing a commanding officer for speaking out on issues critical to the safety of those under their command discourages others from raising similar concerns.”
A petition to reinstate Captain Crozier currently has almost 200,000 signatures.
never, ever shoot the messenger.
Indeed Peter from Peter !! This is a good Captain making a poor decision going past the chain of command but understandable when looking after his crew. Clearly this was also a hasty decision by the Acting SECNAV who may well be dismissed himself. One feels the CO felt there was not a very positive response to his chain of command communications about the rapidly developing situation with COVID-19 on board his ship. There was an interview with General Keene a retired USAF officer who explained all sides of the incident excellently. One has no doubt it will be sorted out and the Captain given a new posting but not a ship commend.
Good Watch
Hand salute to a skipper who cared.
Peter, can you supply a link. All I can find is:
“He was described by Politico last year as a “shadow foreign policy adviser” to Trump who declined two separate offers to join the administration as defense secretary for personal reasons. The retired general, a contributor for Fox News, “has not hesitated to tell the president when he thinks he’s wrong,” Politico reported.”
Peter Wright.
General Keene USAF (ret’d.) was on FOX’s “The Story with Martha” last evening – that is Fridays broadcast.
Good Watch
This skipper was criticized for copying in a number of additional recipients, as though it were a poor choice.
Unheard urgent pleas via email in large organizations tend to grow recipients. That’s what happens when one is being ignored and it’s a feature of email, not a bug.