As protests over the death of George Floyd and against racism and police brutality continue across the nation and parts of the globe, the leadership of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet has issued a letter titled “Respect, Dignity and Inclusion.” The letter is signed jointly by the Sixth Fleet Command Master Chief Johannes J. Gonzalez; U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Fleet Master Chief Derrick A. Walters; Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, Vice Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti; and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, Admiral James Foggo and reads as follows:
Dear CNE/CNA/C6F Teammates,
As we continue to watch the demonstrations and violence playing out in cities across America and here in Europe, it is important to take time to reflect upon the situation and acknowledge the impact this is having on us, our shipmates, and our families. The catalyst for the current situation may have been the death of Mr. George Floyd, but we should all understand that the outrage sparked by his death goes much deeper across many communities in our great Nation.
We encourage you to have the courage to discuss this challenging situation with your colleagues, so we can all gain a better understanding of underlying concerns, as well as find ways to work together to develop and put in place lasting solutions.
It is also time for each of us to redouble our personal efforts to create – and ensure – a climate and a culture that is based on respect, dignity, and inclusion in every corner of our organization. At the most basic level, the strength of our Navy is our people. We are the world’s strongest Navy and Marine Corps team BECAUSE of our diversity, BECAUSE we value the contribution of each person and empower them to be their best, and BECAUSE we treat others the way we want to be treated. Bias, prejudice, and intolerance have no place on our team.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” Today, and every day, the right thing to do is to live up to our core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment, lead by example, and build trust across our team. In service to our nation, we entrust our lives to one another each and every day. The foundation of our service is trust; we must eradicate any attitude or behavior that destroys these bonds of trust. Our actions must demonstrate that we uphold our most solemn responsibilities to our shipmates and the nation.
As Americans serving overseas, we represent a beacon of hope, freedom, and democracy to people in countries all around our Region. Let’s continue to be that light shining brightly for them – and for ourselves.
Nice.
Good that the original text is archived here and elsewhere.
Something that seems to continue eluding our full collective cognition: a President who feverishly promoted the “birther” myth established and cemented his own history of tapping into instincts entirely different than what the letter describes, enthusiastically and arguably even maniacally. A more xenophobic appeal more energetically pursued is hard to imagine. The man has described himself to us with perfect accuracy.