Navy Removes Captain of Coronavirus-Plagued Carrier Who Wrote Letter Pleading for Help

The U.S. Navy has removed Capt. Brett Crozier from his command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, after the media obtained a letter he wrote begging for help for sailors amid a spreading COVID-19 outbreak on the aircraft carrier. . .

Last week, the ship was forced to dock in Guam with its roughly 4,800 crew members on board after roughly 100 tested positive for coronavirus. On Monday, Capt. Crozier sent a letter to senior military officials, pleading for help and pushing for a coordinated effort to remove most of the crew from the ship, warning that “the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating.”

“This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do,” Crozier wrote. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors.” . . .

On Thursday, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced Capt. Crozier had been removed from command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

“I don’t know who leaked the letter to the media,” Sec. Modly said during a briefing. “That would be something that would violate the principles of good order and discipline, if he were responsible for that. But I don’t know that.” (Read more from “Navy Removes Captain of Coronavirus-Plagued Carrier Who Wrote Letter Pleading for Help” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE