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U.S. NEWS Saturday 20 June 2020
Continued from Front investigation determined
In summarizing his find- that the likely source of
ings, Gilday told a Penta- the coronavirus infection
gon news conference that was obtained during a port
Crozier, as the ship's skip- visit in Vietnam in March.
per, and Crozier's immedi- He said investigators were
ate boss, Rear Adm. Stuart unable to determine who
Baker, "failed to tackle the among the crew was the
problem head on and take first person to be infected.
charge," as the virus spread The investigation, done by
throughout the ship, and Adm. Robert Burke and
their actions "fell well short endorsed Friday by Gilday,
of what we expect" of found that Crozier failed
those in command. to stem the outbreak or
"They did not do enough, properly communicate the
soon enough," Gilday said. escalating crisis to senior
Gilday's decision to hold commanders. It also con-
both Crozier and Baker ac- cludes that the ship's slow
countable is confirmation response to the virus was
of concerns expressed by not his fault alone, and that
top Pentagon officials who Baker also failed to take
demanded a deeper in- decisive actions to address
vestigation when the Navy the problem.
presented the results of a Gilday's recommendations
preliminary probe in April. cap a drama that has en- In this March 18, 2020, photo provided by the U.S. Navy, an F/A-18F Super Hornet launches from
the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the western North Pacific
On the basis of that ini- gulfed the Navy for nearly Ocean.
tial probe, Gilday recom- three months, sidelining Associated Press
mended that Crozier be re- the carrier for 10 weeks in
stored to command of the Guam, and setting off a that in several instances secure and running. nomination to be secre-
Roosevelt. That move was dramatic series of events he believes Crozier put More broadly, it put out of tary was still pending at
not acted upon, however, that led to Crozier's dismiss- the crew's comfort ahead commission a massive war- the time. He took over ear-
pending the outcome of al, the abrupt resignation of its safety. He said the ship vital to the Navy's mis- lier this month after he was
the deeper investigation of the acting Navy sec- commanders were slow to sion of countering China's confirmed by the Senate.
released Friday. retary who fired him and move the sailors off the ship power in the Asia-Pacific In the report Friday, Gilday
"Had I known then what I the push for a broader re- and released sailors from region. concluded that Crozier did
know today, I would have view of the Pacific fleet's quarantine in one area of When the coronavirus out- not intentionally leak the
relieved him" of command top commanders and how the ship too quickly. break was discovered on email.
in April, Gilday said. they handled the virus out- Braithwaite, the Navy sec- the Roosevelt, Crozier sent The Roosevelt, meanwhile,
Navy Secretary Kenneth break. retary, told a Senate com- an email to several com- spent weeks in port in
Braithwaite, who took of- Based on the findings, Cro- mittee in early May that manders pleading for more Guam, as crew members
fice after the deeper probe zier and Baker would be the service was in "rough urgent Navy action, includ- rotated ashore for quar-
was begun, told the news able to remain in the Navy waters" and suffering from ing the removal of nearly all antine and isolation at the
conference that "emo- and move on to other jobs leadership failures. sailors from the ship to pro- military base and in hotels
tions got in the way" of de- at their current rank, but The COVID-19 outbreak tect their health. That email around the island. After
termining the full story of the admonishments are on the Roosevelt was the was leaked to the media, about two weeks of train-
what happened aboard likely career-enders for most extensive and con- and Modly accused Cro- ing at sea, the carrier re-
the Roosevelt, resulting in both men. Gilday said Cro- centrated spread of the zier of bad judgment and turned to operations at sea
a too-narrow initial investi- zier will not be eligible for virus across the U.S. mili- directed that he be re- with a reduced crew on
gation. He said there had command again. tary. It eventually sent all lieved of command April 2. June 4. Sailors have contin-
been "a rush to judgment," Crozier's firing upset the car- of the 4,800 crew members Days later, amid an uproar ued to fly back to the ship
but he did not say who he rier's crew at the time, and ashore for weeks of quar- of his handling of the mat- from Guam after they have
blamed for that. he received cheers and antine, in a systematic pro- ter, Modly resigned and recovered from the virus or
Among other findings, as applause as he walked off gression that kept enough was replaced by James completed two weeks of
described by Gilday, the the ship. Gilday said Friday sailors on the ship to keep it McPherson. Braithwaite's quarantine.q
Congressman: Remove Confederate

traces from West Point

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — shouldn't be facilities at The letter did not provide
The U.S. Military Academy West Point named for those examples, but West Point
has been asked again to who "betrayed their Coun- has a cadet barracks and
rename buildings honoring try during the Civil War." "It a gate named for Lee, the
Confederate officers like is because of that deep Confederate general who
Robert E. Lee by the Dem- respect for the school and is one of the academy's
ocratic congressman who its mission, we believe we most famous graduates.
represents the area. must correct the hurtful Lee also served as West
Rep. Sean Patrick Malo- and outdated practice Point's superintendent. A Cadet listens during a commencement ceremony for the
ney sent a letter co-signed of honoring at West Point Maloney had sought the Class of 2020 on the parade field, at the United States Military
by 21 other members of certain Americans who en- barracks name change Academy in West Point, N.Y., Saturday, June 13, 2020.
Congress to the secretaries gaged in armed rebellion before, but the issue has Associated Press
of the U.S. Army and the against the United States in become more promi-
Department of Defense support of racism and slav- nent since George Floyd's reexamination of statues as streets and buildings
on Thursday saying there ery," read the letter. death spurred an intense of historical figures, as well named for them. q