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| USS Yorktown docked in Charleston, South Carolina |
In the military, the correct thing to do is to obey orders from above, even if it costs many lives.
But Teddy Roosevelt made the decision, after getting stonewalled by the Secretary of War in Washington, to send an open letter to newspapers in the Spanish-American War of 1898.
The battlefield commanders, including Roosevelt, wanted to bring the soldiers home. But the leadership in Washington — in particular Russell Alger, the secretary of war — refused, fearing a political backlash. A standoff ensued.
Now a great-grandson of TR supports Captain Crozier by using the example of his great-grandfather in this op-ed in the New York Times, April 3:
You decide:
Was TR right or wrong in sending this letter?
Was Captain Crozier right or wrong in sending his letter?
Was Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly right or wrong in relieving Captain Crozier of command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt?
You decide. Write your congressional representative and your senators.
Without public intervention, Captain Crozier could face further discipline and lose his pension.
And also vote on November 3.
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