The Navy has decided not to reinstate the former captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Brett Crozier.
Crozier was dismissed from his position on April 2 by former Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly after a four-page letter written by Crozier leaked to the media. The letter was a desperate plea for help in the fight against coronavirus that had broken out onboard the carrier.
In a bizarre twist, Modly flew to the USS TR after dismissing Crozier to defend his decision to do so. The speech Modly delivered to the crew over the TR's speaker system was similarly leaked. Modly called Crozier "too stupid" to his former crew. Modly soon after apologized and resigned.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 continued to spread rapidly through the USS TR's crew. The carrier was forced to dock in Guam, the U.S. was forced to negotiate with the island's leadership to reach an agreement on housing the majority of the ship's crew on land while the outbreak was mitigated, and 1,273 sailors eventually tested positive. One of the Department of Defense's three total COVID-related active-duty deaths is USS TR crewmember Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr.
An investigation into the handling of the outbreak on the USS TR was launched shortly after. The initial results of that investigation were returned by the end of April -- with recommendations that Crozier be reinstated as the USS TR's commander.
However, Acting Secretary of the Navy James McPherson responded to those initial results by asking for a "deeper" review.
"After carefully reviewing the preliminary inquiry into the events surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, provided me with his recommendations," McPherson said in a statement at the time. "Following our discussion, I have unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review."
Now, first reported by Politico, the Navy has reversed its course. After receiving the results of that further investigation, the Navy determined Crozier will not be reinstated.
Crozier is currently serving in a temporary duty capacity as special assistant to the Naval Air Forces chief of staff in San Diego.
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