Posted on 04/07/2020 9:04:50 AM PDT by Enlightened1
President Trump said Monday he is “going to get involved” in settling a heated dispute between Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly and former USS Theodore Roosevelt Capt. Brett Crozier, who was fired last week after writing a letter about a worsening coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship that was later published by the San Francisco Chronicle.
During a press conference at the White House, the president praised both men and said he doesn’t want Capt. Crozier’s career to be ruined because of a “bad day.”
“I’ve heard very good things about the gentleman, both gentlemen,” Mr. Trump said. “I may just get involved … you have two good people and they’re arguing. And I’m good, believe it or not, at settling arguments.”
Capt. Crozier’s “career prior to that was very good,” the president continued, “so I’m going to get involved and see exactly what’s going on there. Because I don’t want to destroy somebody for having a bad day.”
Mr. Trump did not specify exactly how he’ll get involved or what steps he’ll take to settle the controversy.
The president’s comments came on the heels of Mr. Modly addressing the 4,000 crew members of the Roosevelt — which is now docked in Guam after more than 150 sailors tested positive for COVID-19 — and blasting Capt. Crozier.
“If he didn’t think, in my opinion, that this information wasn’t going to get out into the public in this day and information age that we live in, then he was either ‘A’ too naive or too stupid to be commanding officer of a ship like this. The alternative is that he did this on purpose,” Mr. Modly said, according to a transcript and recording of his message over the ship’s public address system.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Face saver give him another position, but not his old one.
Trump already knows what he will do and what will fly or he wouldn’t entertain any further discussion for the press.
I for one am enjoying his nightly put downs on some of the idiotic attempts they try on him...
No more sit back and take it.
“If he didn’t think, in my opinion, that this information wasn’t going to get out into the public in this day and information age that we live in, then he was either ‘A’ too naive or too stupid to be commanding officer of a ship like this.”
Absolutely correct. And especially when you CC 22 people, including people outside your chain of command and even outside the Navy.
This grinning idiot had no place commanding a carrier. His crew was so untrained and so undisciplined that several hundred of them gathered close together to cheer him goodbye. They live streamed it.
Yeah, never heard of distancing, and streaming video from a warship.
Good riddance.
Wouldn’t they be on their backs and not able to breath well then ?
Well, except they all young
Sounds pretty fair to me.
They aren’t supposed to gather together in a crowd.
If past experience is any predictor, the last thing one wants is an officer with a damn Constellation on his lapel going through your crap. It’s just about a guarantee the outcome won’t be to your liking.
“I was thinking along those lines too. It might be the reasoning to reinstate him and save face for everyone.”
Bullcrap. That is the dead last thing that should be done. He has already been passed over twice. His official photo alone tells you he doesn’t have the temperament to command a carrier.
And last I hear mild coronavirus doesn’t make you have a psychotic break and send out crazed emails.
My uncle drove a truck with Patton. He always spoke glowingly. But I noticed that was AFTER the war. I knew my uncle pretty well. He was definitely “keep you ass down and your mouth shut.”
I hope he uncovers all that was attempted prior to the infamous email. That said, the Captain well and truly screwed the pooch.
And not only that, in his whining email, he whined on and on about how testing doesn’t help, and how he needed to get 90% of the crew ashore and into individual CDC approved quarters. That’s 4000+ on Guam.
What he never mentioned was keeping the ship fully combat ready except some plaintive “if we have to fight we will go, even though we are sick, and do our best”. Not exactly a powerful statement.
He never asked for emergency replacements for his lost crew. Never warned them a carrier in port might need to speed up it’s deployment calendar, never asked for more medical staff or supplies. Never discussed him implementing a decontamination plan.
This guy is a joke.
You take the actions you need. You don’t need to publicly belittle a person. You say exactly what things were done wrong that require consequences, you implement the consequences, and you move on.
There was no real value in going around trashing the guy. He is fired. It is over.
How many of the 5000 tested positive for pregnancy?
Publising a letter stating the ship is weakened is not good policy, I wouldn’t think.
Right, they should each remain in their individual staterooms on the carrier.
True.
“why not simply test everyone onboard regularly, to track the spread? “
In his letter he specifically opposed that and said testing is useless.
Modly needs to go. He was right - and the message he delivered to the crew was 100% wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and did I say wrong?
Crozier compromised national security. Captains of major war fighting defense assets are not allowed to have a bad day like that. He may be sick, he may need to take a break or sit one out and hand things over to his exec but that is all he is allowed.
Trump is opening a can of worms that are going to get all over him on this one.
Crosier also allowed liberty in Vietnam during the epidemic. Not a smart move. Not smart at all. I would never have even put in. The ship is there for national defense. That is the primary if not only mission. Keep the ship and crew in fighting trim recognizing and avoiding risk to the mission.
Crosier made bad decisions with bad outcomes. He needs to count himself lucky to get off with a lack of confidence charge and not much worse. Bad stuff happens when people make bad decisions under stress. Ice water for blood is a requisite.
I don’t see how they guy ever got the command. Something in the system slipped up.
If Trump does get involved then will his first action to be to fire Modly and Esper? Because if he can’t trust their judgement, and getting involved indicates he doesn’t, then they shouldn’t be in their current jobs.
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