Speaker Retired Navy Captain Brett Crozier

Retired Navy Captain Brett Crozier appears to be a man who stands by the choices he made in 2020 to protect his sailors, even though those decisions led to the end of his military career. He was fully aware of the potential repercussions when he sent an email from Guam in March 2020 to higher authorities while commanding the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, which was grappling with COVID-19.

In that message, he urged Navy leadership to expedite efforts to evacuate his sailors during the early and uncertain stages of the pandemic. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die, Crozier emphasized in his correspondence. If we do not act now, we are failing our most valuable asset—our Sailors.

Following the leak of his letter to the press, Crozier accepted his dismissal in April 2020, despite a surge of public support for his concerns that prompted quicker action from the Navy, resulting in accommodations for nearly all 5,000 sailors aboard TR who were stranded on a Pacific island.

Just months after losing his position, Crozier witnessed a significant achievement: from a paddleboard near San Diego, he saw the Theodore Roosevelt and almost all its crew return home safely after their so-called COVID cruise.

Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Garrett Building, Brookwood Ave Entrance, Santa Rosa

Tickets $20 each — No cost to Veterans

Rotary and Kiwanis members are encouraged to host a veteran.

Members should contact your club representative for tickets.

Veterans may contact any Santa Rosa Rotary or Kiwanis Club to obtain tickets.

or call/text 707.484.5808.