ER doctor fired for criticizing hospital's preparedness

[deleted171991]

Just to get a better understanding what a spineless human being Modly comes across as:

"The acting Navy secretary defended his decision in an interview with The Washington Post, where he explained he fired Crozier because he thought that was what President Trump would want.
'I didn't want to get into a decision where the president would feel that he had to intervene because the Navy couldn't be decisive,' Modly said: 'If I were president, and I saw a commanding officer of a ship exercising such poor judgment, I would be asking why the leadership of the Navy wasn't taking action itself.'
He said he did not speak to anyone in the White House before he made his decision.
But Modly also recounted how his predecessor, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, 'lost his job because the Navy Department got crossways with the president' in the case of former Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher.
'I didn't want that to happen again,' Modly said. "

Acting navy secretary trashes fired captain as 'naive or stupid'

Thomas Modly, President Trump's acting Navy secretary, told sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt that their fired captain was 'naive' and 'stupid' for the missive he wrote about coronavirus.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Per the Washington Post ,"Navy sources had said Modly told a colleague that Trump “wants him [Crozier] fired,” and though Modly denied getting any direct message to that effect, he clearly understood that Trump was unhappy with the uproar surrounding the Roosevelt."

So it was not about doing the right thing. It was about sycophantism and protecting his own position. He killed the messenger because he didn't like the (true) message, as a public warning to anybody else who would consider speaking truth to power.

Btw, here's the original letter (below). I couldn't find any fault with it. BLUF means Bottom Line Up Front.

TR COVID 19 Assistance Request

Source document contributed to DocumentCloud by Jason Lloren (Hearst Newspapers).

www.documentcloud.org

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MirrorTodd]

And now Modly is gone...
Navy Secretary resigns after calling fired captain behind coronavirus letter 'stupid' and 'naive'

The acting US Navy secretary who fired an aircraft carrier commander for raising concerns about coronavirus spreading through his crew then called him "stupid" and "naive" in a profanity-laced speech to those sailors has resigned, the latest scandal to rock the Trump administration.


Donald Trump, the commander in chief, appeared to side with the ousted captain on Monday night, calling him a good man with stellar service record. Modly fired the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett Crozier, after a letter he wrote about the virus infecting his crew leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. As he left his ship, Mr Crovier's crew gave him a rousing send-off, prompting Mr Modly's appearence on Monday.

The president on Monday declined to comment on Mr Modly "stupid" allegation, other than saying it was a "strong statement."

Thomas Modly came under fire from many sides after his handling of the matter, with top congressional Democrats calling for his resignation.


"Sadly, Acting Secretary Modly's actions and words demonstrate his failure to prioritize the force protection of our troops," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "He showed a serious lack of the sound judgment and strong leadership needed during this time. Acting Secretary Modly must be removed from his position or resign."

It was not long before he did just that, with the Trump White House deciding this was one fight with Democrats it did not want to start.


The White House did not immediately name a permanent nominee, which would require Senate confirmation at a time when senators are back home, riding out the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Trump, who prefers "acting" secretaries, could opt to merely name another temporary top Navy civilian leader.

 

[ShockIndex]

The email didn’t contain any classified information

Sudden changes in combat readiness and troop movements are always classified until declassified by a controlling authority as this LTC explains here:

Letters: Crozier’s mistake was not classifying his letter Confidential; and more from readers

Capt. Crozier Capt. Brett Crozier really should have classified his letter as Confidential (possibly Secret) National Security Information, which would have steered it toward classified communicati…

www.capitalgazette.com

The controlling authority for declassification on something as important as a carrier movements would come at or above the TF command level.

 

[ShockIndex]

And now Modly is gone...
Navy Secretary resigns after calling fired captain behind coronavirus letter 'stupid' and 'naive'

He offered his resignation but it’s unclear to me that it will be accepted. To be honest, I hope that it is. The past several years has shown us a serious erosion in professional standards and training in the Navy that probably crosses all branches. We’ve seen incidences of ships crashing into ships because officers didn‘t having basic familiarity with at sea operations as well as break downs in training and command that have cost sailors their lives.

Now this silly ****. This is not a time for chicken**** BS from this captain or Trump‘s Sec Nav appointee. If they were going to evacuate that carrier, it should have been done without anyone knowing about it until the families were made aware through the proper channels and the boat properly secured. If they were going to disciple the captain, then that should have been done without publicly shaming him before his UCMJ action.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

He offered his resignation but it’s unclear to me that it will be accepted. To be honest, I hope that it is. The past several years has shown us a serious erosion in professional standards and training in the Navy that probably crosses all branches. We’ve seen incidences of ships crashing into ships because officers didn‘t having basic familiarity with at sea operations as well as break downs in training and command that have cost sailors their lives.

Now this silly ****. This is not a time for chicken**** BS from this captain or Trump‘s Sec Nav appointee. If they were going to evacuate that carrier, it should have been done without anyone knowing about it until the families were made aware through the proper channels and the boat properly secured. If they were going to disciple the captain, then that should have been done without publicly shaming him before his UCMJ action.

Edit: his resignation was accepted.

They’ve already announced who will take over for Modly so I doubt it won’t be accepted.

As for the CO jumping the chain of command, have you never worked for a CO who doesn’t act in the best interest of the crew? I was not onboard and have clue what happened there, like none of us do. But I know I have certainly worked for COs who would willingly put their crew in unnecessary danger for a chance at a(nother) star. I think just assuming things without the facts is unhelpful. OPSEC is important, and so are the lives of our Sailors. A real investigation needs to be done.

 

[deleted171991]

He offered his resignation but it’s unclear to me that it will be accepted. To be honest, I hope that it is. The past several years has shown us a serious erosion in professional standards and training in the Navy that probably crosses all branches. We’ve seen incidences of ships crashing into ships because officers didn‘t having basic familiarity with at sea operations as well as break downs in training and command that have cost sailors their lives.

Now this silly ****. This is not a time for chicken**** BS from this captain or Trump‘s Sec Nav appointee. If they were going to evacuate that carrier, it should have been done without anyone knowing about it until the families were made aware through the proper channels and the boat properly secured. If they were going to disciple the captain, then that should have been done without publicly shaming him before his UCMJ action.

Read the captain's letter. Seriously, I cannot figure out what was wrong with it, except for possibly being sent outside the proper channels.

I am not so sure it deserved to be classified, as long as it was on the Navy servers all the time. The answer to it - probably yes.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Read the captain's letter. Seriously, I cannot figure out what was wrong with it, except for possibly being sent outside the proper channels.

I am not so sure it deserved to be classified, as long as it was on the Navy servers all the time. The answer to it - probably yes.

The problem is that he put out information on material condition of the ship and crew through public channels. Whether that’s because he leaked it himself or he sent it through insecure channels, he still did that. I’m not saying he didn’t do what he thought he needed to do, but I am sure he knew he would likely be relieved for it.

 

[deleted480308]

The problem is that he put out information on material condition of the ship and crew through public channels. Whether that’s because he leaked it himself or he sent it through insecure channels, he still did that. I’m not saying he didn’t do what he thought he needed to do, but I am sure he knew he would likely be relieved for it.

oh yeah, he knew....and good on him for it.

 

[ShockIndex]

Edit: his resignation was accepted.

They’ve already announced who will take over for Modly so I doubt it won’t be accepted.

As for the CO jumping the chain of command, have you never worked for a CO who doesn’t act in the best interest of the crew? I was not onboard and have clue what happened there, like none of us do. But I know I have certainly worked for COs who would willingly put their crew in unnecessary danger for a chance at a(nother) star. I think just assuming things without the facts is unhelpful. OPSEC is important, and so are the lives of our Sailors. A real investigation needs to be done.

I am an infantryman - first enlisted out of high school and then an officer. Since enlisting in 1992, I’ve been in combat more times than people have teeth. Of course I’ve had commanders who didn’t act in my best interests - that was their job. In fact, I’ve put missions over my soldier’s interests on a daily basis too - that was my job. Good commanders act in the best interests of the mission and obey lawful orders. My boss got promoted for doing this to me, and I got promoted for doing this to my soldiers. That doesn’t mean that we were chasing rank in doing so or didn’t care about our soldiers.

This CO wasn’t relieved for simply jumping the chain of command. He was relieved for jumping the entire Navy. He had an open line directly to the Chief of Naval Operations and didn’t use it. Instead, he decided to bring public pressure to bear to speed up what he thought was a slow response from the entire fleet. The fleet seemed more concerned about the security of their $5 billion dollar boat than the lives of his sailors, and he was going to fix that. A very noble act right up until some unintended consequence that he didn’t foresee and his chain of command can’t prevent thanks to his cowboy approach kills a bunch of his sailors (terrorist attack because proper security not established, increased transmission of disease because proper garrison not established, etc.). Of course, the internet assumes that he was the genius looking out for the sailors and the entire chain of command is incompetent or chasing rank.

His bosses had a different assessment of the risk:reward, needed more time to do an adequate threat assessment, or wanted to evacuate the ship in a different manner, and he disagreed. So, he cowboyed it. While this approach has no place in the military, he should really consider becoming a nurse practitioner.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I am an infantryman - first enlisted out of high school and then an officer. Since enlisting in 1992, I’ve been in combat more times than people have teeth. Of course I’ve had commanders who didn’t act in my best interests - that was their job. In fact, I’ve put missions over my soldier’s interests on a daily basis too - that was my job. Good commanders act in the best interests of the mission and obey lawful orders. My boss got promoted for doing this to me, and I got promoted for doing this to my soldiers. That doesn’t mean that we were chasing rank in doing so or didn’t care about our soldiers.

This CO wasn’t relieved for simply jumping the chain of command. He was relieved for jumping the entire Navy. He had an open line directly to the Chief of Naval Operations and didn’t use it. Instead, he decided to bring public pressure to bear to speed up what he thought was a slow response from the entire fleet. The fleet seemed more concerned about the security of their $5 billion dollar boat than the lives of his sailors, and he was going to fix that. A very noble act right up until some unintended consequence that he didn’t foresee and his chain of command can’t prevent thanks to his cowboy approach kills a bunch of his sailors (terrorist attack because proper security not established, increased transmission of disease because proper garrison not established, etc.). Of course, the internet assumes that he was the genius looking out for the sailors and the entire chain of command is incompetent or chasing rank.

His bosses had a different assessment of the risk:reward, needed more time to do an adequate threat assessment, or wanted to evacuate the ship in a different manner, and he disagreed. So, he cowboyed it. While this approach has no place in the military, he should really consider becoming a nurse practitioner.

I mean that’s one way to look at it, and I don’t necessarily disagree with you. But I was addressing why he may have felt he needed to jump the guy who was two doors down from him. I’ve had a CO recklessly endanger our entire ship, and it ended with it almost sinking and almost ended with a lot of deaths, including my own. If I had been the XO and known what he was going to do, I absolutely would have jumped the chain if he wouldn’t listen.

But this guy didn’t have a commodore or a CSG commander to go to. He had already been in contact with SECNAV and felt like he was being ignored from the top down. I can understand why he may have felt that bad PR was the only way to get the Navy to move, especially when he felt they were in more danger from COVID than an ambiguous possible terror attack.

I’m not defending his actions, nor am I saying I agree with them. I’m just saying I understand his mindset.

 

[vector2]

It’s Hardly Shocking the Navy Fired a Commander for Warning of Coronavirus Threat. It’s Part of a Pattern.
In dismissing the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy once again punished the messenger, a frontline leader brave enough to tell the unvarnished truth to superiors about a threat to his sailors.

...
As part of our 2019 investigation into the incidents in the Navy’s 7th Fleet, its largest overseas presence, ProPublica found repeated instances of frontline commanders warning superiors of risks the fleet was facing — a lack of training, exhausted crews, deteriorating ships and equipment. Those warnings, all sent through the normal chain of command, were met with indifference.

Disaster in the fleet struck in June 2017, after the USS Fitzgerald, a destroyer, collided with a cargo ship in the Sea of Japan. Two months later, a second destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, collided with an oil tanker in the Singapore Strait. The two accidents cost the Navy 17 sailors — the biggest loss of life in maritime collisions in more than 40 years.

Navy investigations laid blame on nearly the entire chain of command in the 7th Fleet, punishing commanders and sailors for failing to properly train and equip its crews and ships.

Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the head of the 7th Fleet, was fired. Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, who oversaw training, was forced from his job. Cmdr. Bryce Benson, captain of the Fitzgerald, was recommended for court-martial.

But ProPublica reported that all three men had repeatedly tried to warn higher-ups of dangerous safety issues in the vaunted fleet, based at Yokosuka, Japan. They argued to their superiors that the Navy was running ships in the 7th Fleet too hard, too fast. Their warnings were dismissed.

...

It’s Hardly Shocking the Navy Fired a Commander for Warning of Coronavirus Threat. It’s Part of a Pattern.

In dismissing the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy once again punished the messenger, a frontline leader brave enough to tell the unvarnished truth to superiors about a threat to his sailors.

www.propublica.org

 

[ShockIndex]

I mean that’s one way to look at it, and I don’t necessarily disagree with you. But I was addressing why he may have felt he needed to jump the guy who was two doors down from him. I’ve had a CO recklessly endanger our entire ship, and it ended with it almost sinking and almost ended with a lot of deaths, including my own. If I had been the XO and known what he was going to do, I absolutely would have jumped the chain if he wouldn’t listen.

But this guy didn’t have a commodore or a CSG commander to go to. He had already been in contact with SECNAV and felt like he was being ignored from the top down. I can understand why he may have felt that bad PR was the only way to get the Navy to move, especially when he felt they were in more danger from COVID than an ambiguous possible terror attack.

I’m not defending his actions, nor am I saying I agree with them. I’m just saying I understand his mindset.

He didn’t jump the guy above him; he jumped the entire DOD. Everyone from the carrier task force commander up to the Chief of Naval Operations and SecNav were aware and involved in the response before this guy went all Leroy Jenkins. Suggesting that this is one CO jumping his boss is not an accurate description of what happened.

 

[MirrorTodd]

He didn’t jump the guy above him; he jumped the entire DOD. Everyone from the carrier task force commander up to the Chief of Naval Operations and SecNav were aware and involved in the response before this guy went all Leroy Jenkins. Suggesting that this is one CO jumping his boss is not an accurate description of what happened.

I've never seen proof of that. Which article did you get that from?

 

[deleted162650]

I’ve had a CO recklessly endanger our entire ship, and it ended with it almost sinking and almost ended with a lot of deaths, including my own. If I had been the XO and known what he was going to do, I absolutely would have jumped the chain if he wouldn’t listen.

Ok, be honest. Did that really happen to you, or did you just finish Netflixing Crimson Tide?

 

[deleted171991]

He didn’t jump the guy above him; he jumped the entire DOD. Everyone from the carrier task force commander up to the Chief of Naval Operations and SecNav were aware and involved in the response before this guy went all Leroy Jenkins. Suggesting that this is one CO jumping his boss is not an accurate description of what happened.

Just FYI, the Navy leadership must be SO incompetent that 230 (!) sailors on that ship were Covid-19 positive as of yesterday. Food for thought.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/acting-navy-secretary-resigns-after-insulting-aircraft-carriers-ousted-captain/2020/04/07/263ba574-78f7-11ea-b6ff-597f170df8f8_story.html

It's one thing when the enemy kills you. It's totally different when your country does and your president approves.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

He didn’t jump the guy above him; he jumped the entire DOD. Everyone from the carrier task force commander up to the Chief of Naval Operations and SecNav were aware and involved in the response before this guy went all Leroy Jenkins. Suggesting that this is one CO jumping his boss is not an accurate description of what happened.

He had already been in contact with the acting SECNAV and the other folks in the chain of command per Modly. So no, he didn't jump the whole DoD apparently. And just to refresh your memory, I was responding to this specifically:

BTW, there was a Carrier Task Force Commander who was the captain’s immediate boss with an office two doors down the hallway ON THE ROSEVELT who would be responsible for a decision to evacuate the ship. The fact that the captain didn’t like his boss’ response is not a reason to pull such a stunt. Bye Felicia...

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Ok, be honest. Did that really happen to you, or did you just finish Netflixing Crimson Tide?

Cruiser sailors awarded for heroism after drone strike

If it had hit less than 10 feet lower, it would have blown up in my space, killing all 8 of us. If it had hit 10 feet higher, it would have blown up in CIC and killed our entire upper chain of command. The configuration of the space it hit protected the people in it, but the spaces above and below aren't configured like that. The CO stood down all our missile defense systems because he was afraid of accidentally shooting it down and really wanted to put on a star (not revealing anything classified here).

Edit: that isn't me in that article. That guy is a badass, and he had to be pulled away from the fire to be treated.

 

[ShockIndex]

Just FYI, the Navy leadership must be SO incompetent that 230 (!) sailors on that ship were Covid-19 positive as of yesterday. Food for thought.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/acting-navy-secretary-resigns-after-insulting-aircraft-carriers-ousted-captain/2020/04/07/263ba574-78f7-11ea-b6ff-597f170df8f8_story.html

It's one thing when the enemy kills you. It's totally different when your country does and your president approves.

I was in the Army. Are you really expecting me to defend the Navy’s competence?

He had already been in contact with the acting SECNAV and the other folks in the chain of command per Modly. So no, he didn't jump the whole DoD apparently. And just to refresh your memory, I was responding to this specifically:

By jumping the entire DOD, I was referring to his distributing his letter widely outside the chain, presumably with the intention of bringing public pressure to bear. While he had an open line to the chain of command, he never used it to voice a concern that the situation was being mishandled. If Modly is to be believed, everyone in his chain of command was blindsided by the message.

IMHO, What he should have done is used his line to fleet command and Adm. Gilday if necessary to say, “Sir, I’m worried about my sailors. I think X needs to happen. Here is how I want to make it happen.” He could have even sent an email over SIPERNet to document his concerns. Had he done that, I suspect that his request would have been honored and he would still be captain of that ship.

 

[Sushirolls]

This same health system has been in the national spot light before:

Doctors Unionize to Resist the Medical Machine (Published 2016)

An Oregon medical center’s plan to increase efficiency by outsourcing doctors drove a group of its hospitalists to fight back by banding together.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

By jumping the entire DOD, I was referring to his distributing his letter widely outside the chain, presumably with the intention of bringing public pressure to bear. While he had an open line to the chain of command, he never used it to voice a concern that the situation was being mishandled. If Modly is to be believed, everyone in his chain of command was blindsided by the message.

IMHO, What he should have done is used his line to fleet command and Adm. Gilday if necessary to say, “Sir, I’m worried about my sailors. I think X needs to happen. Here is how I want to make it happen.” He could have even sent an email over SIPERNet to document his concerns. Had he done that, I suspect that his request would have been honored and he would still be captain of that ship.

Ah, see there I agree with you.

 

[ShockIndex]

Ah, see there I agree with you.

I suspect that we agree on a great many things. I’ll go out on a limb that both of us would of handled that situation very differently and better than either the captain who lost his military bearing and Modly who lost his fricken mind.

 

[ShockIndex]

For those who love the classics, Duffleblog never fails to disappoint:

Ousted Navy Secretary Modly vows to find out who stole frozen strawberries

THE PACIFIC — Ousted Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Wednesday that he would continue to investigate the theft of one quart of frozen strawberries aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, sources confirmed today. Modly’s investigation, called “perfectly reasonable” by Navy insiders, has continued despite

www.duffelblog.com

For the benefit of GenX who may be unfamiliar with The Caine Mutiny, the book was outstanding and Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of Cpt. Queeg was a must see: