Navy Captain Booted For Caring More About 4,000 Sailors' Lives Than About Trump's Sad F*cking Ego

Oh, was that harsh? File a fucking complaint with Wonkette's chain of command.

You knew it was coming, even though the Navy's top officer, Admiral Michael Gilday, said on Wednesday that they certainly were not going to "shoot the messenger."

For some reason, US Navy Captain Brett Crozier felt the need to take a bold step to protect the 4,000 sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, the site of the US military's largest coronavirus outbreak (so far). So he wrote a four-page letter up the chain of command that might as well have said, "Hey, just do what I am fucking saying right now! Evacuate the ship! Ever tried to social distance on an aircraft carrier? IT IS NOT A THING. You don't even have to make a plan, because I made it for you! Fucking do it fucking do it fucking do it!" And that letter somehow made it to the San Francisco Chronicle , and PRESTO CHANGE-O, the Trump Navy finally said it would do what Crozier was saying, to protect those 4,000 sailors.

Shame works. But in the Trump administration, whistleblowers must be punished, for exposing the incompetence and/or criminality of the Trump administration, so they relieved Crozier of his command, because of course they did. Because he was trying to save his sailors' lives, which is fine according to the (acting) secretary of the Navy, except for he tried to save their lives the wrong way .

We need to point out something right now: We don't have a confirmed secretary of the Navy, because Trump fired that guy for refusing to follow an illegal order. Just feel like this news should be viewed through that lens.

Before we get to the enraging quotes from the (acting) secretary of the Navy, here are some videos of sailors on the Roosevelt saying goodbye to their beloved captain:

The send off for Captain Brett Crozier who was relieved from duty for TRYING TO SAVE THE LIVES OF HIS CREW https: //t.co/EEDG1U3rYE

— Danny Ocean (@Danny Ocean) 1585914727.0 

We are not military, but we have family who has served. We don't claim to know all military traditions, but do you know who does? All those sailors up there, who are pissssssed .

But sure, let's hear the man out. Thomas Modly, (acting) secretary of the Navy (because the confirmed one was fired for refusing to obey an illegal order from Donald Trump), what say you? 

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) commander Capt. Brett Crozier showed "extremely poor judgment" in how he sent a message asking his chain of command for more resources to treat and isolate the sailors who had contracted the virus over the last month and continued to spread it amongst the carrier's crew.

Oh yes, what poor, poor judgment.

Modly told reporters he didn't know if Crozier leaked the letter to the paper, but the manner in which he handled the information called into question his ability to lead the carrier.

"I'm not trying to suggest he leaked information… What I will say is that he sent it out pretty broadly, and he didn't take care that it couldn't be leaked."

Why, it's almost like Crozier was at his wits' fucking end and made a calculation on his abacus, concluding that the 4,000 sailors in his keep were more valuable than the PR wound it would cause for Donald Trump's ego.

The way he sent the letter "demonstrated extremely poor judgment in the middle of a crisis," Modly said. "Because what it's done is, it's created a firestorm."

 Hate a firestorm, just hate it. It's almost as if Crozier knew the only thing that would spur these fuckers to action would be firestorm .

"It's created doubts about the ship's ability to go to sea if it needs to. It's created doubt among the families about the health of their sailors, and that was a completely unnecessary thing to do in the midst of the crisis."

Maybe there needed to be some doubt. Here's what a Navy mom of a kid on the Roosevelt who has coronavirus told the Washington Post :

"My husband and I are still grateful that he asked for help, and said that what was going on wasn't adequate. In our eyes, he saved I don't know how many people on his ship," the mother said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid identifying her child.

But hey, all Crozier's chain of command agrees that Crozier did a bad, bad thing, and needs to be spanked right on his bottom and relieved of his duties:

Several sources told USNI News ahead of the announcement that Navy leaders in the Pacific did not recommend Crozier's removal from command.

Or maybe they do not feel that way.

To be clear, Modly was the one who made the decision to relieve Crozier of duty. According to the Washington Post 's sources, they are just pretty sure Crozier at least helped leak the letter, or facilitated it, which was totally unnecessary except for how he was trying to protect his sailors' lives.

Tell us the real reason you had to punish the very bad man, (acting) Secretary Modly:

"The captain's actions made his sailors, their families, and many in the public believe that his letter was the only reason help from our larger Navy family was forthcoming, which was hardly the case."

Pfffffft, HARDLY.

"It creates a panic, and it creates the perception that the Navy is not on the job, the government's not on the job, and it's just not true," Modly said.

Who among us would accuse the Trump administration of not being on the job, especially when Jared Kushner is overseeing so much of the American COVID-19 response? Surely not us!

Modly also said Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Robert Burke would lead "an investigation into the circumstances and climate of the entire Pacific Fleet to help determine what may have contributed to this breakdown in the chain of command."

What is "the Trump administration's incompetence"? Did Wonkette win the game of Jeopardy! right now?

"While we may not be at war in a traditional sense, neither are we truly at peace. … Perhaps more so than in the recent past, we require commanders with the judgment, maturity, and leadership composure under pressure to understand the ramifications of their actions within that larger dynamic strategic context," Modly said.

START WITH THE COMMANDER-IN-FUCKING-CHIEF.

Give us a dissenting opinion from that whiny-ass bullshit, Joe Biden:

"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."

Know who else is pissed? Veterans. 

The U.S. Navy will fire a commander for standing up for the safety of his sailors. It’s not the first time Trump… https: //t.co/LuaZDBTDsO

— VoteVets (@VoteVets) 1585859126.0 

.@realDonaldTrump will pardon war criminals that killed innocent Iraqi girls, but won’t protect a Navy Captain tryi… https: //t.co/b0y5awGeZm

— Ruben Gallego (@Ruben Gallego) 1585864617.0 

OK, that is enough of this maddening story.

Here, watch another video of sailors saying goodbye to Captain Crozier while we make some coffee and get ready to write another maddening fucking story:

Watch this video of the send off of Captain Crozier, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt who was fired… https: //t.co/OMduSrzVvG

— Amber Smith (@Amber Smith) 1585916956.0 

[ USNI News / Washington Post / US News & World Report ]

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