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There’s another side to the story of the fired Navy Captain
American Thinker ^ | April 4, 2020 | Andrea Widburg

Posted on 04/04/2020 9:30:04 AM PDT by jazusamo

Everyone is up in arms about the fact that the Navy brass fired Captain Brett Crozier, of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, after Crozier complained about people on his ship being infected with COVID-19. To many people, he was a lone man fighting a hardened bureaucracy on behalf of the men and women in his care. To others, though, he was a dangerous malcontent who placed his entire ship at risk by ignoring rules that exist for a reason.

The report about Captain Brett Crozier, whose ship, the USS Roosevelt, was docked in Guam, broke like a bomb on March 31. Here’s the Stars and Stripes report on that day:

The captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt has requested permission to remove most of the aircraft carrier’s crew from the ship and isolate roughly 4,000 sailors to help curtail a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel.

Capt. Brett Crozier wrote in an unaddressed letter Monday to Navy leadership that the ship’s environment is “most conducive to spread of the disease” with open shared sleeping areas, shared restrooms and workspaces, and confined passageways to move through on the ship. He wrote the Roosevelt’s crew is unable to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Navy procedures to protect the health of sailors through individual isolation on the ship for 14 or more days.

“Due to a warship's inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating,” Crozier wrote.

Crozier was an instant hero for taking a stand on behalf of his crew. Indeed, the Navy’s initial response was to say that Crozier would not be punished for being so candid about conditions aboard his ship.

However, two days after the Crozier story broke, the Navy removed him...

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: brettcrozier; captaincrozier; chainofcommand; coronavirus; crozier; guam; navy; relievedofcommand; usnavy; ussroosevelt; worstexcerptever
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To: CondorFlight

If his recommended course of action was rejected after all legitimate appeals within the chain of command were exhausted, the honorable course of action would be to submit the following letter:
“I cannot in good conscience carry out the orders I have been given, as I believe them to be detrimental to the health and well-being of my crew and ultimately, to the mission of my ship. Therefore, in good conscience, I must resign my command, effective immediately.”

Leftists cannot fathom relinquishing power under any circumstances.


41 posted on 04/04/2020 10:29:42 AM PDT by CaptainMorgantown
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To: jazusamo

Remember that under Obama thousands and thousands of our military officers were thrown out because they refused to accept political correctness directives, including the homosexual agenda and tranny directives. They were replaced with pajama boys, brown nosers and kiss ups. Our local Marine base lost 3 CO’s in less than six months for “failure to inspire confidence” while the homosexual directives were being implemented. Note also that the Pentagon under Obama inserted political correctness officers and spies to report any politically incorrect behavior by officers.


42 posted on 04/04/2020 10:30:58 AM PDT by kaehurowing
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To: Nifster

Additionally, he created an appearance of cowardice which could have been as communicable as Coronavirus. Along time ago I ran into a phrase I embraced as a turnaround CEO - The Captain Can Show No Fear. Doesn’t mean that the leader can’t have fear, just that he can not display it to followers without undermining the confidence of his followers.


43 posted on 04/04/2020 10:39:16 AM PDT by TheConservativeBanker
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To: snoringbear
But, I’m guessing a Nimitz class carrier commander would be at least a one star admiral?

He was an O-6 with the Bird insignia and scrambled eggs on the cap... His next rank would have been Rear Admiral but he can kiss that good bye now! There was an Admiral on the same ship as him ... that Admiral oversees all the ships/subs in the carrier group.

44 posted on 04/04/2020 10:43:10 AM PDT by missnry (The truth will set you free ... and drive liberals crazy!)
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To: jazusamo

*SUPPOSEDLY* fired not because he sent the letter up the chain of command, but because the Navy conducted an investigation that supposedly revealed he also was the one who leaked the letter ...


45 posted on 04/04/2020 10:44:54 AM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Clutch Martin

Perhaps it’s all staged to find out how deep leaks go or to fake adversaries in thinking this is possible? Don’t know...probably grasping at straws but something just doesn’t seem right about the story.


46 posted on 04/04/2020 10:50:32 AM PDT by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man, a subject.")
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To: jazusamo

My crew is sick. Abandon ship (compromise nuclear assets). What a little bitch.


47 posted on 04/04/2020 10:51:24 AM PDT by semaj (We are the People)
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To: absalom01
What’s even stranger is that the captain didn’t discuss this with the admiral, on the same ship, whose quarters were next door to the captain.

I don't know if this is true or not. Do you have a link?

What if the admiral ordered him not to do anything beyond higher level orders, such as, "The Pentagon wants to keep this whole thing under wraps."?

I've seen such blind eyes turned away when the publicity looks bad to the higher echelons, also; even while the troops get screwed.

I certainly wouldn't state that as a fact, either. But we shouldn't state speculations as fact.

48 posted on 04/04/2020 10:52:56 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (The prisons do not fill themselves. Get moving, Barr!)
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To: CaptainMorgantown

Best reply yet.


49 posted on 04/04/2020 10:56:27 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (The prisons do not fill themselves. Get moving, Barr!)
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To: CondorFlight

There could not be a safer place on the planet during a pandemic, except that the Captain foolishly let his crew bring the infection on-board by giving them shore leave in Southeast Asia in the middle of a pandemic. What did he think would happen? Had he stayed safely out in the ocean this never could have happened.


50 posted on 04/04/2020 10:56:48 AM PDT by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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To: stanne

When the usual route seems not to be working and it’s a matter of life or death, the right thing to do is scream as loud as you can so you have a thousand witnesses and then be prepared to be fired.


51 posted on 04/04/2020 11:08:18 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: snoringbear

Admirals don’t command ships. Only Captains.


52 posted on 04/04/2020 11:10:05 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: jazusamo

Looks like he deliberately went outside of the chain of command and violated OPSEC, Operational Security.


53 posted on 04/04/2020 11:15:56 AM PDT by SubVet72
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To: jazusamo

He’s another guy who made the mistake of believing his own publicity.


54 posted on 04/04/2020 11:29:02 AM PDT by Captain Jack Aubrey (There's not a moment to lose.)
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To: jazusamo

All true if at it appears the commander of the carrier, before writing his memo and allowing it to be leaked had not noted his concerns to his immediate superior who was there present on the ship.

Time and further revelations will tell.


55 posted on 04/04/2020 11:31:26 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: brownsfan

Martial, Martial, Martial...


56 posted on 04/04/2020 11:35:15 AM PDT by dakine
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To: firebrand

If he did try.


57 posted on 04/04/2020 11:41:25 AM PDT by stanne
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To: wastoute

Smaller ships, known as “small boys,” are usually commanded by senior 0-5 surface warfare officers. Carriers are typically commanded by a senior 0-6 aviator. Carrier Strike Groups are groups of deployed ships and submarines that are typically commanded by an Admiral. The most senior ship in the carrier strike group, i.e., the carrier, holds the Admiral and his staff and is known as the flag ship.

The upshot of this is that the Admiral and the Captain were on the same ship. As a retired Navy officer, my educated guess is that the Captain went to the Admiral and the Admiral overruled him, whereupon he wrote the infamous letter and released it to the press.

There is a procedure for the Captain to appeal to higher authority that doesn’t involve revealing to the world the readiness (or lack thereof) of his carrier. IOW, if Crozier didn’t like the Admiral’s decision, he could take it higher privately, and possibly get it overruled. Instead he decided to whine to the world about it. That is an egregious violation of OPSEC.

He’ll be lucky if being allowed to retire at current rank is the worst thing that happens to him.


58 posted on 04/04/2020 11:44:02 AM PDT by elenvee ("...against all enemies, foreign and domestic..")
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To: stanne

He did try. We know that much.


59 posted on 04/04/2020 11:44:35 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: wastoute
I imagine the senior NCOs are in their 50s.

How do you imagine that?

The Military uses an "Up or Out" rank and performance system. Even with the more relaxed guidelines changed a few years ago, the Top NCO rank of E7 should be achieved in 26 years. If a recruit enlists at the age of 18 add 26 to that and you get the retirement age of 44. An older NCO would generally have been retired out of service before he reached the age of 50. As there are a limited number of Master Chiefs on the carrier, there would be almost no NCOs over fifty years old.

When I was in service the USAF program was called TOPCAP associated with WAPS.

60 posted on 04/04/2020 11:46:46 AM PDT by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken)
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