The captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after a letter he wrote pleading for help with a coronavirus outbreak on his ship made it into the press.
The San Francisco Chronicle obtained a letter written by Capt. Brett Crozier:
“This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do,” Crozier wrote. “We are not at war. 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.”
…..
“Due to a warship’s inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this,” Crozier wrote. “The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating.”
He asked for “compliant quarantine rooms” on shore in Guam for his entire crew “as soon as possible.”
“Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. … This is a necessary risk,” Crozier wrote. “Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care.”
The Navy responded by relieving Crozier of his duties:
The Vice CNO's closing words in a letter to commanders that night were (his caps) "WE HAVE YOUR BACK"
I guess the "in our crosshairs" part got left out https://t.co/qpLyx0L0RX
— David Burbach (@dburbach) April 2, 2020
Reuters reported that it was because the letter got leaked (and Trump hates bad press):
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Navy is expected to relieve commander of coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier after a letter was leaked https://t.co/FkbOU5CKvQ pic.twitter.com/E5wI0fhFhY
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 2, 2020
Capt. Crozier is a hero who was willing to lose his career to save young sailors from needlessly dying from their Commander In Chief’s incompetence.
The pattern has repeated itself throughout the Trump presidency. Anyone who speaks out, or says anything less than Trump is doing a great job gets punished.
Here is hoping that the next president after Trump corrects this grave injustice.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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