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| Crew of aircraft carrier with coronavirus outbreak cheers ousted captain | Crew of aircraft carrier with coronavirus outbreak cheers ousted captain |
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| Videos that emerged on social media showed crew members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier cheering their captain in a walloping send-off, after the Navy removed him Thursday for speaking up in a leaked letter to his superiors about what he saw as insufficient measures to contain a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel. | Videos that emerged on social media showed crew members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier cheering their captain in a walloping send-off, after the Navy removed him Thursday for speaking up in a leaked letter to his superiors about what he saw as insufficient measures to contain a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel. |
| The footage — posted on Facebook and Twitter — appears to show hundreds of service members crowding into a hangar around Capt. Brett Crozier as he makes his way off the vessel over a gangway to Guam, a single backpack slung over his shoulder. The sailors chant “Captain Crozier!” over and over, clapping their hands and cheering. In one of the videos, a voice in the background says: “And that’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had!” | The footage — posted on Facebook and Twitter — appears to show hundreds of service members crowding into a hangar around Capt. Brett Crozier as he makes his way off the vessel over a gangway to Guam, a single backpack slung over his shoulder. The sailors chant “Captain Crozier!” over and over, clapping their hands and cheering. In one of the videos, a voice in the background says: “And that’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had!” |
| Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors. #navy @UncleChaps @katebarstool @ZeroBlog30 @CaptainCons pic.twitter.com/M0aZhHNMXT | |
| The video footage not only demonstrated the support for Crozier aboard the aircraft carrier but also showed what appeared to be hundreds of sailors gathering closely in a large group -- the sort of environment health officials have warned can lead to rapid transmission of the virus. | |
| The groundswell of support for Crozier — which extended to comments from crew members and their families — came as the latest episode in a drama over the coronavirus outbreak on the Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier. The saga has shined a harsh spotlight on Pentagon leadership accused of failing to act swiftly and aggressively enough to stop a rapid spread of disease among the carrier’s nearly 5,000-person crew, of which 113 members had tested positive as of Thursday. | The groundswell of support for Crozier — which extended to comments from crew members and their families — came as the latest episode in a drama over the coronavirus outbreak on the Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier. The saga has shined a harsh spotlight on Pentagon leadership accused of failing to act swiftly and aggressively enough to stop a rapid spread of disease among the carrier’s nearly 5,000-person crew, of which 113 members had tested positive as of Thursday. |
| In a March 30 letter to senior officials, subsequently leaked by an anonymous source to the San Francisco Chronicle, Crozier asked that 90 percent of the ship’s crew be moved into isolation for two weeks on Guam, warning that if the leadership didn’t take such extraordinary measures, “we are failing to take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.” | In a March 30 letter to senior officials, subsequently leaked by an anonymous source to the San Francisco Chronicle, Crozier asked that 90 percent of the ship’s crew be moved into isolation for two weeks on Guam, warning that if the leadership didn’t take such extraordinary measures, “we are failing to take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.” |
| The Pentagon has rejected the type of full-scale evacuation Crozier sought, saying the ship must remain ready at any time and needs about 1,000 service members aboard to safeguard the ship and its weapons. The situation aboard the Theodore Roosevelt is by far the U.S. military’s largest coronavirus outbreak to date in the pandemic. | The Pentagon has rejected the type of full-scale evacuation Crozier sought, saying the ship must remain ready at any time and needs about 1,000 service members aboard to safeguard the ship and its weapons. The situation aboard the Theodore Roosevelt is by far the U.S. military’s largest coronavirus outbreak to date in the pandemic. |
| Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. | Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. |
| Comments from acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly to the crew during his announcement of Crozier’s dismissal on Thursday were posted to the ship’s official Facebook page early Friday. | |
| “I am entirely convinced that your Commanding Officer loves you, and that he had you at the center of his heart and mind in every decision that he has made,” Modly said. “I also know that you have great affection, and love, for him as well. But it is my responsibility to ensure that his love and concern for you is matched, if not exceeded by, his sober and professional judgment under pressure.” | “I am entirely convinced that your Commanding Officer loves you, and that he had you at the center of his heart and mind in every decision that he has made,” Modly said. “I also know that you have great affection, and love, for him as well. But it is my responsibility to ensure that his love and concern for you is matched, if not exceeded by, his sober and professional judgment under pressure.” |
| In earlier comments, Modly said Crozier had shown “poor judgment” by sending his letter to top officials by email to 20 or 30 people. Modly didn’t directly accuse Crozier of leaking the letter to the San Francisco Chronicle but noted it appeared in the captain’s hometown newspaper. | In earlier comments, Modly said Crozier had shown “poor judgment” by sending his letter to top officials by email to 20 or 30 people. Modly didn’t directly accuse Crozier of leaking the letter to the San Francisco Chronicle but noted it appeared in the captain’s hometown newspaper. |
| Modly argued that Crozier’s letter undermined more senior Navy leaders and could have emboldened adversaries of the United States in the Pacific region. The acting Navy secretary added that Crozier had been told that he could communicate directly with Modly’s office. | Modly argued that Crozier’s letter undermined more senior Navy leaders and could have emboldened adversaries of the United States in the Pacific region. The acting Navy secretary added that Crozier had been told that he could communicate directly with Modly’s office. |
| “It creates a panic, and it creates the perception that the Navy is not on the job, the government’s not on the job, and it’s just not true,” Modly said. | “It creates a panic, and it creates the perception that the Navy is not on the job, the government’s not on the job, and it’s just not true,” Modly said. |
| Modly took over as the Navy’s top civilian leader after his predecessor was fired amid President Trump’s personal intervention in a Navy SEAL war crimes case. | Modly took over as the Navy’s top civilian leader after his predecessor was fired amid President Trump’s personal intervention in a Navy SEAL war crimes case. |
| Crozier was relieved of his duties but remains a captain in the Navy. | Crozier was relieved of his duties but remains a captain in the Navy. |
| By the time Crozier’s letter was written, the Navy had already made public the fact of a coronavirus outbreak on the Theodore Roosevelt, confirming publicly on March 24 that three sailors had tested positive and been quarantined. What the letter revealed, when it leaked, was dissatisfaction on the carrier with the pace at which the Navy was removing sailors from the ship and taking other measures. | By the time Crozier’s letter was written, the Navy had already made public the fact of a coronavirus outbreak on the Theodore Roosevelt, confirming publicly on March 24 that three sailors had tested positive and been quarantined. What the letter revealed, when it leaked, was dissatisfaction on the carrier with the pace at which the Navy was removing sailors from the ship and taking other measures. |
| It captured concerns that family members of sailors on the ship had been expressing for days. | It captured concerns that family members of sailors on the ship had been expressing for days. |
| “I thought his letter touched on all the points that us, as family members, were feeling,” said the mother of a sailor on the vessel who has since tested positive for coronavirus. | “I thought his letter touched on all the points that us, as family members, were feeling,” said the mother of a sailor on the vessel who has since tested positive for coronavirus. |
| More broadly, family members of Theodore Roosevelt sailors, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of concerns about retaliation against their sailors, have expressed support for Crozier and gratefulness for his willingness to speak up. | More broadly, family members of Theodore Roosevelt sailors, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of concerns about retaliation against their sailors, have expressed support for Crozier and gratefulness for his willingness to speak up. |
| The father of another sailor told The Washington Post that he thinks the crew understands the decision to relieve Crozier of his command, but the video of sailors chanting his name as he departed “speaks loudly of how much they appreciate what a true Navy commanding officer is all about.” | The father of another sailor told The Washington Post that he thinks the crew understands the decision to relieve Crozier of his command, but the video of sailors chanting his name as he departed “speaks loudly of how much they appreciate what a true Navy commanding officer is all about.” |
| “He is a hero to my book who cares tremendously for the well-being of my daughter and all her shipmates on board TR,” the father said. | “He is a hero to my book who cares tremendously for the well-being of my daughter and all her shipmates on board TR,” the father said. |