Now more than ever we need heroes. Navy Capt. Brett Crozier spoke up, stood up and did the right thing. He is a hero.
Crozier was relieved of command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on April 2 after sounding the alarm that more than 150 of the crew’s 4,800 sailors were infected with COVID-19.
“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” he wrote, pleading for help.
The letter became a Trump administration PR nightmare. Crozier was fired. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Crozier hadn’t gone through the chain of command. Others said he had and was ignored.
On April 5, Modly flew to the Roosevelt, docked in Guam, at a cost to taxpayers of $243,000. He blasted Crozier and the crew and told them to get back to work. Modly later apologized and quit.
Crozier later tested positive for COVID-19, along with 500 of his crew, one of whom died.
Norfolk, Virginia, is home to the largest Navy base in the free world. I was a longtime editor at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk and have little doubt sailors there agree Crozier is a leader – and a hero. Too bad their commander-in-chief is not one.
Connie Sage Conner
Harpswell
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