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Navy Secretary Upbraids Aircraft Carrier’s Captain Over Intercom
Wall Street Journal ^ | April 6, 2020 | Lucy Craymer and Ben Kesling

Posted on 04/06/2020 10:49:56 AM PDT by billorites

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly addressed the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Monday to defend his decision to fire the aircraft carrier’s commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, who wrote a memo last week demanding more urgent action to address an outbreak of coronavirus.

According to a recording of the address and descriptions by relatives of crew members and by U.S. officials, Mr. Modly delivered the remarks to the crew of the ship, which is now docked in Guam as crew members undergo a quarantine because of the Covid-19 outbreak. More than 150 of the approximately 5,000 members of the crew have tested positive.

The remarks, over the vessel’s public address system, were tinged with profanity, according to the recording and the descriptions of the remarks, with Mr. Modly saying that sailors were expected to “keep their shit together and take care of each other.” At another point, Mr. Modly, addressing fears over the virus, said: “If the ship was in combat and there were hypersonic missiles coming at it, you’d be pretty f------ scared too.”

Many crew members on the Roosevelt were critical of the Navy’s decision to fire Capt. Crozier, who drew cheers and applause from sailors as he walked off the ship’s gangplank last week for the last time. President Trump has backed the decision to fire the commander.

But Mr. Modly, referring to Capt. Crozier in his remarks Monday, said: “If he didn’t think, in my opinion, that this information wasn’t going to get out into the public, in this information age we live in, then he was either too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this.”

“The alternative is he did this on purpose, which is a serious violation” of military law, he said.

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


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: modly; navy; usnavy
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To: billorites

TINGED!!!

With PROFANITY!!!

LOL!!!!!


41 posted on 04/06/2020 11:28:31 AM PDT by Fury
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To: billorites

Since you can’t put 5000 people in hotels, he or (obviously) his replacement will have to find a way to deal with it on the ship. Coming up with a solution was his job. Instead he complained publicly about having to do his job.

Since its a nuke, it has to be manned flu or no flu.

Since in theory there is no safer place to be during an epidemic than aboard a ship in the middle of the ocean, how it got aboard may be his fault too.


42 posted on 04/06/2020 11:29:09 AM PDT by marron
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To: Don Corleone

Sec. Modly outlined everything in this statement he made on 4/2 explaining the circumstances, to whom he spoke, and his reason for relieving Crozier of command.

https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=112537

https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3832049/posts

This was the same, but given directly to the sailors who were involved in this and seemed to support Crozier’s actions of publicly releasing his views on readiness and support. The buck stops with the the Secretary.


43 posted on 04/06/2020 11:29:41 AM PDT by VanShuyten ("...that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable animals.")
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To: JoSixChip

Had a senior enlisted type always say:

“Anyone north of the Florida / Georgia line is a #$% damn Yankee”

He was not shy about that belief.

He seemed like he was joking.

Most of the time.


44 posted on 04/06/2020 11:32:51 AM PDT by Fury
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To: billorites

So, now we have leaks from shipboard intercom messages? THIS is a major job for NIS and DIA. How was this obtained?

And, take a look at the ARMY mechanized armor general who served under Schwartzkopf in Iraq war I-— now retired and a Council on Foreign Relations Biden’s “VP” supporter apparatchik along the lines of General Wesley Clark. A.... tool. Look at who is tweeting— CNN posts. Knows NOTHING about Carrier Groups, or operation of a modern aircraft carrier-— in a Strike Group-— but his “tanker”mind is commanding his stupid tongue. He does know better about Chain of Command— but now he’s a tool and paid DNC payee obviously. What an embarrassment, the John McCain downline, leftover from the GHWBush era Kuwait operation. A TOOL.

Ignoring the FACTS of 30 emails of this letter that was released-— leaked to press, and we have yet to know how this was possible. Hey, Barry— would you have BROADCAST your “end run” Storm.. before Schwartzkopf’s national broadcast well after the attack (on a 3rd rate holy terror Iraqi Republican Guard.... honestly, paper tiger).

“Barry R McCaffrey
@mccaffreyr3
·
2h
Acting Navy secretary blasts ousted aircraft carrier captain as ‘stupid’ in address to ship’s crew - CNNPolitics. (ACTING SEC NAVY MUST RESIGN. This is the worst judgment by a defense official possible. Terrible signal to sailors.)”


45 posted on 04/06/2020 11:33:28 AM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: DoodleDawg

It does not matter. They ALL need to think before jumping on board the stupid train. (Ship)


46 posted on 04/06/2020 11:34:12 AM PDT by madison10 (Wash your hands & say your prayers cause Jesus & germs are everywhere)
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To: billorites
But Mr. Modly, referring to Capt. Crozier in his remarks Monday, said: “If he didn’t think, in my opinion, that this information wasn’t going to get out into the public, in this information age we live in, then he was either too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this.”

“The alternative is he did this on purpose, which is a serious violation” of military law, he said.


I've never been in the military, but I can't find any flaw in Modly's statements. Crozier was in command of a US aircraft carrier - one of the most important military assets the US has. He undermined US security with his actions.
47 posted on 04/06/2020 11:35:24 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Don Corleone

Why did the SecNav jump over 4 senior admirals in the chain of command . . .


Not to say you don’t have a point, bc you most certainly do. But maybe . . .

Because the C of C is clearly not working and he doesn’t trust them to get his words out properly. Maybe because 4 senior admirals are about to be zero.

Clearly, on this ship, drastic action is called for.


48 posted on 04/06/2020 11:37:08 AM PDT by StAntKnee (Add your own danged sarc tag)
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To: bigbob

One other possibility-— a “perfumed prince” installed in the obamaumao era .... Green Fuel Navy that has obvious leftovers still in place. Only thing worse would be political “Bushie” era political general officers (are there any other types of general officers?). People like “Adm” McRaven with his “hooke m horns” speech to Univ of Texas-— while the gun running a@@ lives in Qatar (”more secure for my family”), who refused Trump’s request for an appointment as Nat Sec.Advisor.

But then— Trump got Bolton. It is hard to find unaligned soothsayers in a swamp filled with all species of critters in the swamposphere.


49 posted on 04/06/2020 11:38:05 AM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: Fury
“Anyone north of the Florida / Georgia line is a #$% damn Yankee”

Most people with common sense, believe the same.
50 posted on 04/06/2020 11:46:01 AM PDT by TexasGunLover
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To: snoringbear
Can’t do it in mass. Replacing over 4,000 highly skilled and specialized sailors would take awhile....

If they're all stupid and naïve then the sooner the better I would think.

51 posted on 04/06/2020 11:47:29 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: billorites

Navy seems pretty weak. Guess not seeing any major action since WW2 does that


52 posted on 04/06/2020 11:50:58 AM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
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To: billorites

This story if total BS. As a senior enlisted Navy retiree I can tell you that NO SECNAV would get on the general announcing system of a U.S. Navy Ship and use profanity when addressing 5,000 men and women. Do you people believe that SECNAV flew all the way to Guam just to explain his actions in firing that idiot CO? He is neither obligated nor does he owe those sailors ( and i use that term loosely) an explanation. What those sailors should be doing is getting their ass in uniform, then STFU and get back to doing their jobs.

FYI there are no “gangplanks” in the Navy anymore. That CO was not walking the gangplank. He was walking off the ship on the forward BROW.

If SECNAV did so what this story describes, then he would be next to walk the so called plank.


53 posted on 04/06/2020 11:56:58 AM PDT by submarine571
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To: DoodleDawg

A judgment has to be made about the ship’s readiness. If it were me, I’d require some sea trials before sending it back on the line. At a minimum it should outchop from 7th Fleet back to 3rd Fleet and return to home port or at least to Pearl Harbor to go through re-certification.

The protocol would be to deem the ship as not mission ready, return it to a suitable port. Then begin the process of transferring the unsuitables off, and of re-certifying those who remain, as well as replacement crew. I’d request volunteers from the next CV in the deployment pipeline.


54 posted on 04/06/2020 12:02:20 PM PDT by wiley (John 16:33: "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.")
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To: bigbob

If a crew likes their CO it usually means he breaks the rules to be liked. When I was in either the XO or CO played the by the book jack wagon. The other got to play nice. Good cop bad cop if you will. Never did they commit a treasonous act of letting our enemy know of a reduction in strength. It was usually used for holiday skeleton crew, 1/2 day off or some such thing.


55 posted on 04/06/2020 12:07:46 PM PDT by spudville
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To: billorites

Telling it like it is. Not the limp Mabus, the Secy of the Queens Navy of Obama.


56 posted on 04/06/2020 12:10:08 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: billorites

He did not follow the rules but saved his crew.


57 posted on 04/06/2020 12:10:56 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (homeless guy. He just has more money....He the master will plant more cotton for the democrat party)
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To: billorites

I bet the morale on that ship is rock bottom right now. Captain Crozier challenged the swamp and the swamp is unforgiving, even in victory.


58 posted on 04/06/2020 12:11:37 PM PDT by Midwesterner53
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To: billorites
Absolute agreement with SECNAV Modley .. verbatim !
59 posted on 04/06/2020 12:12:48 PM PDT by tomkat
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To: Don Corleone
That decision should have been left to lower echelon brass.

Probably because he was concerned that the "lower echelon brass" would just do a wrist-slap and a finger wag. He understands how at this level of command there is a strong protect each other attitude.
He also sent a very strong message to the "lower echelon brass" that the normal BS way of doing business in the Navy is OVER.

Just my guess.
QM2, USN, 1965-1968

60 posted on 04/06/2020 12:13:31 PM PDT by Cuttnhorse (Never fear the cow)
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