Great grandson of Theodore Roosevelt backs the sacked captain of the aircraft carrier named after his illustrious forebear...

....for writing controversial letter about virus threat - and details how the
former president did exactly the same thing

more at
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...us-letter.html

*Tweed Roosevelt has hailed USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain Brett Crozier a
'hero' after he sounded alarm about coronavirus threat on board the carrier

*Crozier was ousted after sending Navy bosses a letter urging them to let
sailors off the ship to stop them from becoming infected

*Tweed Roosevelt claims his great-grandfather did the same thing during
Spanish-American War

*In 1898, Roosevelt wrote a letter to Washington officials urging that soldiers
return home amid threats of yellow fever and malaria

*Navy bosses decided to oust Crozier claiming his letter put his crew 'at risk'
because America's enemies might think the aircraft carrier was 'crippled'

*Sailors from the USS Roosevelt posted video on social media showing massive
salute to Crozier on Friday as he left the ship

The ousted captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been hailed a hero by the
great-grandson of the ship's namesake for speaking up about the coronavirus
outbreak occurring on board the aircraft carrier.

Tweed Roosevelt penned an op-ed in The New York Times Saturday praising Captain
Brett Crozier after he sent a letter to Navy bosses earlier this week pleading
for permission to let his crew off the ship for fear that many of his sailors
could be sickened by COVID-19.

There were 1555 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the USS Theodore Roosevelt's
crew as of Saturday. Crozier had feared that many more of the 5,000 on board
would become infected if they did not move to dry land. However, after his
letter was leaked to media outlets, the Navy ousted Crozier from his position as
USS Theodore Roosevelt's captain.

'Captain Crozier is a hero,' Tweed Roosevelt wrote in his Times op-ed, adding:
'My great-grandfather would agree'.

Tweed continued: 'Captain Crozier joins a growing list of heroic men and women
who have risked their careers over the last few weeks to speak out about
life-threatening failures to treat the victims of this terrible pandemic.'

'Many of them are doctors and nurses, and many of them, like Captain Crozier,
have been punished. All of them deserve our deepest gratitude.'

In the op-ed, Tweed stated that Crozier's actions had eerie similarities to an
incident involving Theodore Roosevelt in 1898, whilst he was commanding the
'Rough Riders' in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

Tweed explained that his great-grandfather penned a letter to the US government
urging them to bring the Rough Riders home due to the threat of yellow fever and
malaria.

'With the tacit approval of his fellow commanders, Roosevelt wrote a fiery open
letter and released it to the press.

'The letter, known as the 'round robin,' was printed in virtually every
newspaper in the country, creating an uproar demanding that the soldiers be
brought home immediately.'

Tweed continued: 'In this era when so many seem to place expediency over honor,
it is heartening that so many others are showing great courage, some even
risking their lives. Theodore Roosevelt, in his time, chose the honorable
course. Captain Crozier has done the same.'

Meanwhile, the parents of sailors on the USS Roosevelt have similarly described
Captain Crozier as heroic.

'He is a hero in my book who cares tremendously for the well-being of my
daughter and all her shipmates,' one concerned father, who did not wish to be
named, told The Washington Post Saturday.

Another parent spoke to the publication and said her daughter is one of the 147
people who were on board the ship and tested positive for COVID-19.

They claimed to be 'horrified' at Crozier's dismissal, and believed he was
protecting the best interests of her daughter.

'I think it was outrageous that he would be relieved of duty while trying to
protect the sailors under his command. It just seems against the values of the
Navy,' they said.

While the Navy did dismiss Crozier, they are moving to disembark the USS
Roosevelt's crew from the ship.

On Saturday, the number of crew on the arcraft carrier who have tested positive
for the coronavirus has risen 13% in the past 24 hours to 155.

The Navy said 44% of the carrier's nearly 5,000-strong crew had been tested and
1,548 sailors from the crew have moved ashore. In a statement, they claimed that
none of the infected sailors have been hospitalized.

The same day, the US Navy Twitter account shared photos which showed sailors
preparing to leave the vessel.

'Seabees coordinate transportation of Sailors assigned to the
#USSTheodoreRoosevelt, who've tested negative for #COVID19 and are asymptomatic,
from Naval Base Guam to Govt. of Guam and military-approved commercial lodging.
Sailors are required to quarantine for at least 14 days,' the post read.

On Friday, Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly that Crozier has not been fired
from the Navy, and will instead be 'reassigned'.

Investigators are considering whether he should face disciplinary action after
his letter was leaked to the media.

Modly also said Friday that the Navy has no plans to suspend operations over the
pandemic, which has killed more than 7,000 Americans, despite more than 250
active members of the Navy being struck down with the virus.

Crozier was turfed off the Roosevelt on Thursday over the leaked letter, with
the Navy claiming he had put the crew 'at risk' because America's enemies might
think the aircraft carrier was 'crippled'.

The Navy has come under fire for the move and videos have emerged of the
captain's crew giving him a raucous farewell cheering and chanting his name as
he was ordered off the warship.

An online petition calling for him to be reinstated had reached more than
120,000 signatures by Friday.

Modly is standing by his decision and has now said Crozier will be 'reassigned'
while the Navy decides what further action to take on the matter.

An internal probe will be launched into issues around 'communications' and the
chain of command that led to the incident to decide if Crozier should face
disciplinary action over the letter, he confirmed.

Modly insisted he only wants the 'facts' and would not sway the investigation.

'I'm not going to direct them to do anything [other] than to investigate the
facts to the best of their ability. I cannot exercise undue command influence
over that investigation,' he said.

Modly had previously said Crozier would 'absolutely not' face retaliation for
writing the letter - unless officials found that he was the one who leaked it.

'The fact that he wrote the letter up to his chain of command to express his
concerns would absolutely not result in any type of retaliation,' Modly told
reporters on Wednesday.

Asked repeatedly about how the letter came to light publicly, he said: 'I don't
know who leaked the letter to the media.

'That would be something that would violate the principles of good order and
discipline, if he [Crozier] were responsible for that. But I don't know that.'

Modly also said Friday that he will not be pausing operations on board ships to
stop the spread of coronavirus among service men and women, despite at least 250
active members of the Navy testing positive for the killer virus and Crozier's
cries for help over an outbreak on board the Roosevelt.

'Generally speaking, we have to keep these ships ready just in case they're
needed,' Modly said.

He added that the news had been 'extremely well received when it was explained'
to the crew.

However, a crew member on board the Roosevelt cast doubt on Modly's assertion.

'With them firing our (commanding officer) it feels like they are saying they
don't care about us,' they told Reuters Friday.

This comes as Crozier was given thunderous applause from his now-former crew as
he left the aircraft carrier for the last time after being fired.

The Roosevelt's 5,000-strong crew came out in a show of support for their
captain, 'chanting and cheering his name.

Video of the footage shows one sailor saying: 'And that's how you send out one
of the greatest captains you ever had.'

The decision to fire Crozier has divided the Navy, public and politicians.

Modly earlier Friday said he was standing by his move, adding that 'loose lips
sink ships'.

'One of the first things I learned as a midshipman was this phrase that I think
became popular in World War II, which is loose lips sink ships,' he said.

'I had wished that I would never have to make a decision like this, but my
responsibilities extend beyond just that individual officer.

'And they go to the safety of that crew, our national security objectives, all
the other ships that are out there in the Pacific that are now perhaps on higher
standard of alert because our adversaries in the region think that one of our
warships might be crippled, which it's not.'

He gained the backing of the Defense Secretary Mark Esper Friday, who
'supported' his decision, and by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark
Milley.

Gen. Milley said if the Navy secretary had lost trust in Crozier 'Then that's
it. It's target down and we're moving on to the next task'.

He was also backed by Rear Admiral John Menoni, the region's US Navy commander,
who disagreed with Crozier's assertion that all but 10 percent of the ship's
crew could be removed from the vessel if necessary.

Modly became acting secretary in November after Richard Spencer was sacked
because he wanted to demote and strip shamed Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher of his
Trident pin - against President Trump's wishes.

Crozier was fired four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders
calling for stronger action to address the COVID-19 outbreak he said was
threatening his sailors lives.

Navy sources told Foreign Policy on Friday that Crozier had been given Modly's
personal cell phone number on Monday.

The sources claim Modly was encouraged him to 'call us any time day or night' if
he had any concerns.

Modly said: 'I just can't have a commanding officer who gets overwhelmed and
uses that type of judgment in the middle of a crisis.

'And this is not an indictment of his entire career. He's had an absolutely
incredible career. I'm envious of it. He's done some amazing things.

'But at this particular time, I needed a CO there that could help manage us
through this crisis. And I just didn't think based on those actions that I could
do that.'

Modly said that Crozier 'put the spotlight on the Navy in a negative light when
all the things he was asking for we're surging for him.'

The acting secretary said that it was 'sort of most disappointing' to him that
the letter from Crozier leaked to the press after he had 'set up a direct line'
to the captain.

Crozier should have turned to Modly directly 'if he felt anything wasn't going
well and he needed help,' he said, adding: 'And he did not do that.'

But the Navy's claims are being treated with skepticism by at least one parent
of a sailor on board the Roosevelt, who told Foreign Policy that hundreds of
troops were being quarantined and checked for high temperatures and that the
military was not doing enough to keep them safe at the time the letter was sent.

'It felt like a lot of politics to me and not enough action,' the mother of a
Roosevelt sailor told Foreign Policy.

'I believe that the Crozier memo expedited the whole thing.'

The mother added: 'When I hear the secretary of the Navy say that [the captain]
made a bad judgment call I don't necessarily agree.

'This was not a man who made bad judgment calls.'

Modly told Hewitt that Crozier should have reported his concerns directly to his
immediate superior, Rear Admiral Michael E. Boyle, who assumed command of the
Carrier Strike Group Twelve, which includes the USS Roosevelt, last year.

'He instead of going to that particular admiral's cabin and sitting down and
talking with him about his concerns and coming up with a strategy with him on
how to address them, he decided to send an email and copy that email to a large
list of other people who were not in the chain of command, and sent it up also
through the chain of command skipping people in the chain of command,' Modly
said.

'And that, to me, just represented just extremely poor judgment, because once
you do that in this digital era, you know that there is no way that you can
control where that information's going to go.'

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docked in the Pacific island of Guam, where
hundreds of sailors suspected of being exposed to the coronavirus will be
quarantined in several hotels.

Up to 500 sailors are expected to be housed in seven different hotels by the end
of Friday while quarantined and plans are in place to send even more sailors
that are being evacuated from the ship.

About 1,000 sailors, or 20 percent, have already been removed from the ship and
another 2,700 were expected to be removed by the weekend as officials scrambled
to secure enough hotel rooms to house them near US Naval Base Guam.

Local islanders, meanwhile, are unhappy about plans to house soldiers possibly
infected with coronavirus in hotels.

'I am disturbed by the reckless double-standard of potentially placing
potentially exposed military personnel in local hotels,' Senator Sabina Flores
Perez wrote in a letter to Guam's governor, Lou Leon Guerrero.

'If sailors are placed in our hotels, we will be exposing lower-wage employees
to greater risk, many of whom are older and have limited or no health benefits
for themselves and their families.'

The senator continued: 'Our medical facilities are strained, and we have yet to
experience the peak of this outbreak, at which point the island will find itself
in an even more compromising situation.'

Guam, which relies on tourism, has seen its hotels remain empty as flights to
and from the island have been grounded due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The first group of sailors will be housed at a beachfront Sheraton hotel which
offers rooms for $200 a night, according to The Guam Daily Post.

To allay concerns of locals over the possible spread of coronavirus, the
military has pledged that sailors would not be allowed out of their hotels
during quarantine.

'I know my decision to allow the restricted housing of sailors who have tested
negative for COVID-19 off base has left a few of you uneasy,' the governor,
Guerrero, said.

'This decision was not made in haste.'

The Roosevelt was on a scheduled deployment to the Pacific Ocean when it was
forced to divert to Guam, a US-held territory in the Western Pacific republic of
Micronesia, due to the on-board outbreak of COVID-19.

Captain Daniel Keeler, the ship's executive officer, is now serving as acting
commander.

Captain Carlos Sardiello, Crozier's predecessor who stepped down in November, is
making preparations to travel to Guam to once again assume full-time command of
the ship, according to Stars and Stripes.

Joe Biden, the former vice president and the leading contender for the
Democratic nomination, criticized the Trump administration and the military for
showing 'poor judgment' in relieving Crozier of his command.

Biden said the military was wrong to remove the captain of an aircraft carrier
who sought stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak on board and that
they had 'shot the messenger'.

'Donald Trump's Acting Navy Secretary shot the messenger - a commanding officer
who was faithful to both his national security mission and his duty to care for
his sailors, and who rightly focused attention on a broader concern about how to
maintain military readiness during this pandemic,' Biden said in a statement to
Reuters.

'And the Navy sent a chilling message to the rest of the fleet about speaking
truth to power. The poor judgment here belongs to the Trump Administration, not
a courageous officer trying to protect his sailors.'

The US Navy on Thursday relieved Crozier, the captain of the
coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt, days after his plea for
help for his sailors went public.

Modly announced on Thursday afternoon that Crozier had been relieved of his
command of the nuclear aircraft carrier, four days after he penned a scathing
letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the COVID-19
outbreak he said was unnecessarily threatening his sailors lives.

Modly said that the decision was driven by the fact that Crozier shared his
letter with at least 20 people before it was leaked in the media on Tuesday.

The secretary insisted that he was not accusing Crozier of leaking the letter
himself.

But he did say that the people Crozier shared the letter with included ones
'outside the chain of command'.

Modly said the decision to send the letter 'raised alarm bells unnecessarily'
and accused Crozier of 'extremely poor judgment' and creating a 'little bit of a
panic' on the ship.

He also accused Crozier of undermining the effectiveness of one of the United
States' most important strategic assets in the Pacific.

The Roosevelt is nuclear-powered but it is not known if nuclear weapons are
aboard. It is operating in the Pacific where China is the primary naval threat
to the US.

Modly said: 'It [sending the letter] raised concerns about the operational
capabilities of that ship... that could have emboldened our adversaries to seek
advantage.

'For these reasons I lost confidence in his ability to lead that warship.

'We should expect more from commanding officer of our aircraft carriers.

'Captain Crozier allowed the complexity of the COVID outbreak on ship to
overwhelm his professionalism.

'Relieving him of command was in the best interest of the US Navy and the
nation.'

Modly said that Admiral Robert Burke, vice chief of naval operations, will
conduct an investigation into the matter to determine why there was a breakdown
in the chain of command.

There was considerable backlash to the Navy's decision to fire Crozier. An
online petition titled 'Reinstate Captain Crozier as Commanding Officer'
garnered more than 64,000 signatures on Change.org.

Several pro-Crozier memes have popped up on social media site Reddit critical of
the Navy's decision.

Modly said hundreds of sailors would eventually test positive but insisted that
none of them would need hospitalization.

He also accused Crozier of creating panic by suggesting sailors would die.

And he insisted that the Department of Defense was already taking the necessary
action to protect the sailors of the USS Roosevelt before Crozier sent his
letter.

The USS Roosevelt was in the middle of a deployment to the Philippine and South
China Seas when the Navy ordered it to cease sail on March 26 after at least 25
crew members tested positive.

In his four-page letter to Navy leaders, Crozier warned that the outbreak was
'ongoing and accelerating' and called for the immediate evacuation and isolation
of 90 percent of the USS Roosevelt crew.

'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,' the
captain wrote.

Crozier's extraordinary plea was made public on Tuesday - putting the Pentagon
on the defensive about whether it was doing enough to keep the USS Roosevelt's
crew safe as lawmakers and families of military members express concerns that
other ships could be vulnerable to outbreaks.



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