Posted on 04/03/2020 4:01:15 PM PDT by Libloather
Hundreds of Navy officers gathered on board the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt's hangar deck to cheer for and applaud their commander, hours after he was dismissed.
Capt. Brett Crozier was relieved of duty on Thursday due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and for not following the chain of command to voice his concerns about coronavirus on the ship to service leaders.
A video was posted to Michael Washington’s Facebook page, that has since been reposted on several platforms, along with the hastags #MYCO and #WEARETRSTRONG.
“That’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had,” someone says in the video. “The GOAT, the man for the people.”
The ship docked a week earlier in Guam after several cases of coronavirus were reported aboard the ship. Crozier wrote a letter to senior military officials, which was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle and published Tuesday.
The letter discussed conditions on the ship, particularly regarding the danger it posed to the sailors. Crozier warned that “if we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset – our sailors.”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Halsey also blundered horribly on October 25th, 1944 when he took his entire fleet with him to chase empty Japanese carriers while Kurita led three battleships and a huge supporting fleet to assault the support ships at Luzon. It was only the incredible bravery of the destroyer and Destroyer escort captains and the determined courage of their air component that saved MacArthur’s landing.
That’s one of those “can neither confirm nor deny” questions.
Read how many ships we had!
The Battle of Samar: How 6 U.S. Aircraft Carriers Battled Japanese Battleships
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/battle-samar-how-6-us-aircraft-carriers-battled-japanese-battleships-60392
Battle of Leyte Gulf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf
300 ships in total
8 fleet carriers
8 light carriers
18 escort carriers
12 battleships
24 cruisers
166 destroyers and destroyer escorts
Many PT boats, submarines, and fleet auxiliaries
About 1,500 planes
You spelled “executed” wrong.
Reread my post and what do you know, you’re quite correct. My apologies. :>)
I understand what you’re saying and I didn’t command combat units. I was one of the guys a good CO “paid” to help him navigate the bureaucracy and get things done.
I invented ways to make the bureaucracy work for rather than against.
More on that later.
I earnestly believe that his actions could precipitate a challenge to our forces abroad that could result in deaths and injured by projecting weakness to our enemies. He’ll have to live with that.
But his chain of command certainly considered that possibility in not taking his ship offline at his request and I honor their judgment. It’s not politics driving their decision. It’s weighing all factors in balance.
You haven’t shown any angst about cutting naval airforces on the front lines by half and what vulnerabilities the Taliban or Iranians might try to exploit let alone the Chinese pushing us and our allies around in the South China sea, or I’ve missed it. That’s what puzzles me.
As far as CASREP 4 goes, his letter effectively made that declaration.
BTW I have the highest and deferential regard for Marines and yourself as well as airdales. Ship’s company - the jury is still out :-).
If I were advising that CO I’d have given him a reaming before sending that letter out. I was a respected airdale ground pounder because I had aviation readiness as my obsession and was instrumental in having the highest airwon mission readiness in the fleet ever up to that point. I knew how and when to bend regulations or use them to our advantage including addressing readiness. And I had their absolute trust so I could stand there and punishingly advise my CO to get him to do the right thing correctly or even the wrong thing correctly. Rule one. Never insert emotion in formal correspondence to the Naval chain of command. It creates immediate doubt about suitability.
I would have helped him craft a message that would get attention. I got JCS attention while deployed using Navy regs and chain of command and a well crafted message. They released the war reserve for my CV, something that until then was deemed impossible. We had to go borderline CASREP 4 without actually saying it. Everybody’s egos along the way were preserved, including CAG, Ship’s CO, task force Admiral, CINCPACFLT, COMNAVAIRPAC, all of whom were briefed along the way. In fact I strongly suspect JCS was waiting for the message.
All the above were cc’d with endorsements. Incidentally the cause of our unreadiness was political, in the abstract public, and sensitive. We kept our unique situation “secret”. I stood by the crypto msg guy as he sent the message. No one else ever saw or even knew about the msg. They did marvel when JCS gave an affirmative reply. We completed our Navy Expedition successfully and our CV CO was promoted to Rear Admiral.
This CO could have asked for volunteers to sail with reduced manning knowing they’d be working double duty. In my time nearly the whole airwing would have volunteered and likely the more senior enlisted ship’s company. Then instead of going up the chain of command with just a problem he’d (rule 2) have provided a viable solution. Rule 3 don’t show incompetence in recommending what is not viable. Rule no 4 respect the chain of command scrupulously. You can work that to your favor.
He should have demanded his Admin Officer find a way to work the system or gone to the Supply Officer who usually has a special knack for “working the system” and a special knack for interpreting regs creatively. One of his problems was not challenging his staff or worse not having confidence in them. Not the signs of a good CO.
And then demand adequate medical supplies. It takes just a few days to work the system in that regard. That’s back in my day when things were slower. That’s the SUPOs job.
Again, my regards. I don’t relish disagreeing with a Marine CO, but if I were your guy on the ground I’d make sure you succeed and expeditiously figure out the best way to communicate outward, advising you accordingly and forcefully if necessary so you could command effectively and not worry about repurcussions. Communication with the chain of command was my forte.
As my own airdale COs always knew I had their backs. I never took “no” as an answer from the bureaucracy ever. And my COs knew I would keep them out of trouble and looking good at all times. And we judiciously did what some would deem unsavory things but “by the book”. Knowing the book was our job not his but he had to follow our advice.
I don’t believe in the no win scenario. There is no such thing as a dilemma. Every problem has a solution. And there is always a win win solution lurking in the background if not in the open. That was/is my creed and it has never failed me.
It took him a long time to rise up to the point where he was put in charge of an aircraft carrier, easily enough time to learn what the chain of command is. He broke it and lost his job. So now he will be replaced by someone who may not be as compassionate, putting his crew in more danger than if he had stuck around to do things the right way. So no, he didn't put the lives of his crew first. He put his own ego first.
Nope - the type you are talking about stand in front of their commander and move up the chain - they don’t use complaining w/o actual action as the main attempt and blindside leadership to boot - he would have crucified any sailor that did that to him....and rightly so.
I was stationed with COMNAVSURFLANT for a couple of years -an unhappy Marine captain on the admiral's staff - and came away with a deep respect for the navy and the training and commitment of its sailors.
The perspective I developed was how complex a ship was and how dependent it was that everyone from the Captain on down knew what they were doing and could do it in the face of anything.
I suspect that it is that value that I place on the individual sailor that would make me sympathize with the Skipper in this situation: yes, a Nimitz-Class carrier is an awesome piece of warfighting power but absolutely useless if the crew is disabled. I strongly suspect that during those three weeks since the portcall to Vietnam, the message traffic grew in intensity until it became absolutely critical to get help.
Did the top levels offer help like you suggest? Their public press release that they sent on the 23rd just said that they would continue the mission.
I think that the Captain's message was a last chance to save his crew and given the disastrous results of using sick men to manage air operations or maintenance or any of the hundreds of specialties on a carrier, other even worse disasters.
Anyway, glad to finally have a clearer picture of who you are and what you've done for our country.
Semper Fi!
No. He was right to ask Big Navy for help, he was wrong to blast out to the world that one of our key strategic assets was potentially combat ineffective.
Really? Are you really that thickheaded as to why they would come out with this statement?
Yeah. If the captain hadn’t used proper channels to request aid and they were therefore unaware then why would they make that statement, you mincing effeminate little martinet.
Explain how they made that statement, as post 19 asks. As I asked. As you have failed to do.
Yeah. I really truly fail to see how a command structure makes that statement at all if they haven’t been informed of the state of the ship through proper channels.
Your boy f***ed up. He’s a pussy and lost his command.
Defend him and you’re no different.
Exactly. How hard is that for others to understand?
Yes yes.
You had us at the strawberries.
Now, if high command hadn’t been addressed through proper channels, how did they issue a public statement about the ship?
You have not even attempted to explain that in any way.
Yet that was the only question which you have been asked.
You have no honor, and no integrity.
You are unfit for command at any level and you have advanced your position entirely through your knob polishing skills.
LOL! Thanks. And if that was a reply I'd gotten in a video game I'd have to chuckle over it.
You talk like you're over 80yo. If so, I apologize for my responses. I can understand why you take up for this guy; perhaps you're Navy also.
My sole position on this is that this commander compromised his readiness and let the world know he was not combat effective. THAT more than anything is just wrong and he should be punished.
Out of all our other ships, how many commanders have done the same? Hmmmm, I have not yet heard of any.
Your sole position refuses to answer the only question you have been asked.
As expected of a mincing little nancy boy.
Great post!
I agree
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