Captain Brett Crozier Could Be Reinstated Following Review by Navy Admiral
RESURFACING
Capt. Brett E. Crozier, who was removed from command of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt after drawing attention to a coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship in an email to 20 Navy personnel that subsequently became public, could be reinstated. Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, is reviewing the case of Crozier with a view to bringing back the captain, who is viewed as a hero by his crew for putting their lives above his career. Crozier, who is in isolation on Guam with the coronavirus, was removed from command on April 2 by Thomas Modly, the acting Navy secretary at the time. The decision drew outrage among the carrier’s crew and across the country and led to Modly’s resignation. Gilday is said to be deliberately not factoring in the possibility that his decision could be reversed by President Trump, with Navy officials insisting that Gilday will make a decision based on the findings of the investigation into the affair, and not on what he believes the president wants him to do. Some 615 Roosevelt crew members have now tested positive for the coronavirus; five are in hospitals, with one in intensive care, and one has died.