Sailors stationed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt gave a warm send-off to their captain after he was removed from duty for criticizing the Navy’s response to a coronavirus outbreak on the ship.
Capt. Brett Crozier was removed from the command of the 5,000-person vessel after a scathing letter he wrote asking the Navy for stronger measures to control the outbreak got leaked to the public.
But he still has the support of his crew. Numerous videos posted on social media showed sailors loudly chanting “Captain Crozier” as he disembarked from the ship.
A group of sailors on the ship gave a statement to NBC News defending Crozier’s letter.
“There was nothing alarming or sensationalist in Capt. Crozier’s letter,” the statement said. “It was simply a recitation of the bleak facts facing this warship. Capt. Crozier has the full faith and confidence of this crew, who would sail with him again at a moment’s notice.”
The USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently docked in Guam while the crew gets tested for the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, The Hill is reporting that more than 60,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Crozier’s reinstatement.
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told Reuters on Friday that Crozier will not be thrown out of the Navy but rather reassigned after an investigation determines if disciplinary action is appropriate.
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