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In reply to the discussion: Lawmakers call for removal of Navy Secretary over USS Roosevelt debacle [View all]scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)20. Here's the full statement from the VoteVets website:
https://www.votevets.org/press/statement-of-captain-ret-larry-seaquist-on-acting-navy-secretary-modleys-address-to-the-uss-teddy-roosevelt
Statement of Captain (Ret.) Larry Seaquist on Acting Navy Secretary Modley's Address to the USS Teddy Roosevelt
"If he took his own advice he would apologize and resign today. If he wont, then Secretary Esper should immediately fire him."
Seattle, WA -- In a truly bizarre moment, acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modley addressed the sailors of the USS Teddy Roosevelt, about his decision to relieve Captain Brett Crozier of his command of the ship, in a rambling speech that caused sailors listening to the speech to react in shock.
The audio of the statement (heard here: https://soundcloud.com/paul-szoldra/acting-secnav-modley-criticizing-capt-crozier-to-sailors-onboard-uss-theodore-roosevelt) is met with one sailor asking, "What the {expletive}?!"
In response to the address, former commander of the USS Iowa, Captain (Ret.) Larry Seaquist of VoteVets released the following statement:
"If he took his own advice he would apologize and resign today. If he wont, then Secretary Esper should immediately fire him."
Seattle, WA -- In a truly bizarre moment, acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modley addressed the sailors of the USS Teddy Roosevelt, about his decision to relieve Captain Brett Crozier of his command of the ship, in a rambling speech that caused sailors listening to the speech to react in shock.
The audio of the statement (heard here: https://soundcloud.com/paul-szoldra/acting-secnav-modley-criticizing-capt-crozier-to-sailors-onboard-uss-theodore-roosevelt) is met with one sailor asking, "What the {expletive}?!"
In response to the address, former commander of the USS Iowa, Captain (Ret.) Larry Seaquist of VoteVets released the following statement:
"According to Acting Secretary of the Navy, he was forced to fire the CO of USS Theodore Roosevelt when it became clear back in Washington that Captain Crozier had "panicked" and "cracked under pressure." Now it seems it was Mr. Modly who cracked under pressure, apparently from a White House angry that the Captain's attempt to take care of this crew was making the President and his team look bad. Mr. Modly didn't stop with reaching down to fire Captain Crozier personally. Apparently panicked by the wave of public disapproval, the Acting Secretary has again bypassed all the admirals in the operational chain of command. Jumping over the heads of the new CO and the ships officers he spoke directly to the crew still aboard the ship in Guam.
In a long, unhinged, and rambling rant he accused Captain Crozier of "betrayal," attacked the Chinese, dipped into presidential politics by going after Joe Biden, and whined at some length about his own situation.
Bizarre and inappropriate as Mr. Modlys actions may be, vets will recognize a second, bigger problem: So far, the Navy chain of command has been silent, invisible. That is also very wrong and very dangerous. From George Washington on down, Americas military has been totally non-political, insulated by law and tradition from partisan politics. Captain Crozier put duty before career. We need to see our flag officers follow his example.
Ultimately, though, the Secretary and the White House that is pushing him continues to place their own image over the well-being of the crew, the integrity of our non-political chain of command, and the devotion to their duty that our active duty commanding officers deliver every day. Thats wrong. Every American needs to be confident that our civilian leaders are bringing as much professionalism to their high appointments as every American military man and woman brings to their duty every day. When not dropping the f-bomb and misrepresenting what had happened, Mr. Modly told the crew to do their duty.
If he took his own advice he would apologize and resign today. If he wont, then Secretary Esper should immediately fire him."
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Lawmakers call for removal of Navy Secretary over USS Roosevelt debacle [View all]
crickets
Apr 2020
OP
There is a process to discipline anyone who beaks the rules in the Navy, Captains included
Chainfire
Apr 2020
#8
Actually, I *do* have a partly analogous story, re: the brute force response of some top brass.
UTUSN
Apr 2020
#13
I'm not through. You might be moved when I am. I have to Post because sometimes the text disappears
UTUSN
Apr 2020
#17
Waiting with bated breath for the next part. What you have written so far has been an
erronis
Apr 2020
#36
Thanks, but guess what. A Vietnam vet of the Army persuasion, when I told him this story,
UTUSN
Apr 2020
#41
So the skipper sided with the crew? ZUMWALT was fairly popular, let beards be grown (all I can think
UTUSN
Apr 2020
#68
Yea, the personal lifestyle loosening of the rules, but I don't know what big systemic things he did
UTUSN
Apr 2020
#72
You can use any of the transcript comments or see the 250,000 signatures over at Change.Org
ffr
Apr 2020
#9
WTF. All these kiss ass enablers are there for 1 thing. To destroy the agency they are representing
Evolve Dammit
Apr 2020
#11
You're welcome! I had the page saved because I wanted to post it - I was glad you gave me
scarletwoman
Apr 2020
#26
I believe that audio file has been successfully disseminated quite widely already,
scarletwoman
Apr 2020
#67
"All Democrats, naturally." Well the Republicans take their marching orders from Russia these days
cstanleytech
Apr 2020
#21
Because they do not have Putins approval yet to come out against this action but just as soon as
cstanleytech
Apr 2020
#40
This is just part of appointing political commissars to oversea federal agencies and military
erronis
Apr 2020
#38
Other aspect of this I haven't seen mentioned: The combat readiness of the Roosevelt
sarge43
Apr 2020
#43
Blah, blah, blah. They can't even get people to adhere to a legally issued subpoena.
Firestorm49
Apr 2020
#63