Leadership

...and casualties of war.

Brett Crozier (Capt, USN), leaving the USS Teddy Roosevelt.

The send off for Captain Brett Crozier who was relieved from duty for TRYING TO SAVE THE LIVES OF HIS CREW pic.twitter.com/EEDG1U3rYE

— Danny Ocean (@The_UnSilent_) April 3, 2020

 

Newsweek:


Veterans Denounce 'Unforgivable' Decision to Remove U.S. Navy Captain Brett Crozier, Who Asked for Help With Ship's COVID-19 Outbreak

Veterans have spoken out against the decision to relieve the captain of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt after he sent a letter to the Navy pleading for help after his ship was stricken with the coronavirus.

Thomas Modly, the acting secretary of the Navy, accused Capt. Brett Crozier of having "poor judgment" for using a "non-secure, unclassified" email address to write an email to his immediate chain of command which also included "20 or 30" additional recipients.

Crozier's letter, which was then leaked and published by the San Francisco Chronicle, asked officials for help in isolating more than 4,000 sailors onboard the aircraft carrier docked in Guam, after a COVID-19 outbreak was detected among its crew. A day after the letter was published, around 1,000 sailors were removed from the Theodore Roosevelt. A total of 114 crew have since tested positive for COVID-19.

Crozier said the move was necessary as the warship's "inherent limitations of space" meant the virus was spreading rapidly despite the other crew members distancing themselves.

"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."

There are regulations against doing what Crozier is accused of doing, and we have to pay heed to the rule of law at all times and in all instances - and sometimes you have to say, "Fuck the regs. This is what I have to do to honor my oath - to serve the best interests of my command."

There's no real difference here between what Crozier has done and the kind of civil disobedience in the 60s that led to some positive changes in the way society functions.

A leader is required to serve the greater good no matter the consequences for himself.

Crozier has to stand before the man and account for his actions, but the Navy has to get its head out of its ass and find a way to honor the actions of a sailor who put himself at risk to do his duty as he saw it.