People serving this country must risk their careers, their reputation, and their dignity to work for the Donald Trump administration. Navy Captain Brett Crozier risked all three when out frustration he wrote a letter to the Navy’s command. Those under the captain’s command could die from the COVID-19 virus in the Petri dish ships present. Trump’s people stripped him of his ship the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, his career, and now this.
Captain Crozier has tested positive for COVID-19. His letter was leaked to The San Francisco Chronicle. In it, he pointed out the many acts that led to the Navy’s failure to give his sailors the resources that they needed to do their jobs and even save their lives. After some of his sailors caught the virus, he urged the Navy to hurry and remove his men and women off of his carrier and disinfect the ship.
POTUS knew he could do that which hurt Crozier the most — take his ship. That is what bullies are good at, finding people’s most vulnerable spots and jabbing them until the wound bleeds.
Trump only has a pyramid of acting secretaries, and as a result, they do what he demands. These individuals appear to be too weak to stand up as Crozier did.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly besmirched Crozier, indicating he had lost confidence in the captain’s ability to handle this crisis. To defend the lives of his men and women, Crozier sent 20 to 30 people letters through an unclassified email system.
Modly said it caused “unnecessary alarm.” Apparently, sailors’ lives have been deemed. “unnecessary” in Trump world. Modly said, according to The New York Times:
‘In sending it out pretty broadly, he did not take care to ensure that it couldn’t be leaked. And that’s part of his responsibility.’
The uncommander-in-chief said in a briefing:
‘He shouldn’t be talking that way in a letter. I thought it was terrible what he did.’
Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper appeared on CNN’s State of the Union and confirmed 155 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among sailors, and that more than half of the aircraft carrier had been tested. So far there have been no hospitalizations.
Esper said that over half of his sailors on the aircraft carrier had been tested. He commented on Crozier:
‘There is an investigation ongoing. All the services at times relieve commanders without the benefit of an investigation up front because they’ve lost confidence in them. It’s certainly not unique to the Navy.’
Crozier’s firing has also raised concerns among Democratic legislators. The Democratic leaders of the House Armed Services Committee condemned Crozier’s removal:
‘Captain Crozier was justifiably concerned about the health and safety of his crew, but he did not handle the immense pressure appropriately. However, relieving him of his command is an overreaction. Throwing the commanding officer overboard without a thorough investigation is not going to solve the growing crisis aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt.’
Vice President Joe Biden criticized the Navy’s command on ABC’s This Week:
‘I think it’s close to criminal the way they’re dealing with this guy. I think he should have a commendation rather than be fired.’
President of the Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association Mary Rhodes is helping the Navy with the logistics of removing people into hotels. She said:
‘This is an emergent situation and a humanitarian effort. We have 13 hotels to receive up to 4,000 military personnel.’
A Navy spokesperson would not comment on Crozier’s health status.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
