SAN DIEGO — Brett Crozier was the captain of the USS Roosevelt, one of only two ships to go through a COVID-19 outbreak while at sea.
Crozier made headlines when an email he sent to his superiors was leaked, calling on the Navy to do more to save lives as the virus spread on the ship in late March 2020.
Crozier said with a warm smile, "I was in the best job in the world. I was the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. My background in the military was flying helicopters, flying fighters, driving ships. So it was a culmination in a great job and I swear until this day is the best job I've ever had or will have."
Now retired Navy Captain Brett Crozier says at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, "We ran into the same problem the rest of the world was going thru as COVID was spreading around the world and we were trying to figure out how to deal with that. Anytime someone tested positive we had to get them off the ship. We tried to quarantine those that had been exposed from close contact. But by that time everyone had been exposed. Everybody on a ship that size had been in close contact. We were doing all we could to stop the spread of the virus which is hard to do on a ship."
Crozier’s now infamous email to his superiors cost him his job effectively, ending his decades-long service to the Navy.
"I knew when I hit send on the email that was a possibility. As the CEO of a ship, you're accountable for what happens on your ship," Crozier said.
Crozier explained his decision saying, “I knew that they needed help. I knew that they were in a position where they couldn't get the help that they needed."
Crozier was relieved of his duties and retired, leaving the ship and the job he loved with a bit of a surprise. His crew came to the deck to see him off and cheered calling his name.
Crozier remembers the moment fondly. "It was an impromptu farewell from the crew as I left. Kind of their way of maybe saying thanks. And I think their way of saying, 'We're going to continue to fight on," he said.
These days, Crozier is still serving those who served our country at The Veterans Village of San Diego and with a new book, “Surf When You Can.”
Crozier says the book is about the lessons he's learned in life, loyalty and leadership from a maverick navy captain.
"Even if you're in, my case, a conscience versus career moment, and you have to make a decision, I'm always going to er on the side of conscience which in my case was taking care of my sailors," Crozier said.
WATCH: Former Navy Captain Brett Crozier talks leadership and loyalty | Full Interview
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