A massive crowd of sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt threw coronavirus-related caution to the wind to send off their captain — standing by their former commander after he was abruptly relieved of his duties.
Capt. Brett Crozier — the ship captain who was reassigned because the Navy said he broke protocol by alerting higher-ups about a coronavirus outbreak on his vessel — received a prideful, raucous farewell Friday morning, footage of his exit posted on social media shows.
Hundreds of service members ignored social distancing protocol and packed the hangar deck of the Roosevelt to pay tribute to their erstwhile leader, a day after he was ousted by top Navy brass.
The decision clearly wasn’t water under the bridge for the large crowd of sailors, as they signaled their opposition to Crozier’s superiors who made the decision to send him packing to dry land.
“Captain Crozier!” the crew shouted to rhythmic clapping, one video shows.
“That’s how you send off one of the greatest captains you ever had!” a man can be heard in another video proudly proclaiming. “The GOAT! The man for the people!”
The dramatic farewell to the commander comes after Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced Thursday that Crozier would be relieved of command, though he will remain in the Navy.
View Slideshow
Source: Read Full Article