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Navy commander fired after pleading for help for his sailors returning to his alma mater, Santa Rosa High School

The Press Democrat - 6/6/2023

Jun. 6—Brett Crozier, the longtime Santa Rosa resident who was relieved of his command of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier after raising the alarm about an onboard COVID-19 outbreak, will return to his high school alma mater on June 16.

Crozier, a 1988 graduate of Santa Rosa High, will talk about his new book, "Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain," scheduled for release on June 13. The event will be moderated by longtime Press Democrat columnist Chris Smith, who retired in 2021.

An outbreak of the coronavirus on the USS Theodore Roosevelt in March 2020 forced the ship to stop in Guam to offload half of its 5,000 sailors. Crozier's email to superiors, pleading for help, was leaked to media, leading to his firing by then-Navy Secretary Thomas Modly — who was later forced to resign after making remarks critical of Crozier to the ship's crew.

In a viral video clip, thousands of those sailors cheered Crozier and chanted his name during his final walk down the ship's gangplank.

Some of the book's chapter titles — "When In Doubt, Be Kind," "Surf When You Can" and "Take A Stand" — provide clues as to why Crozier was beloved by his crew.

"We are really looking forward to this one," said Jamie Madsen, director of events for Copperfield's Books, who reached out to publisher Simon & Schuster "six or eight months ago," to request that Crozier kick off the book's publicity tour in Santa Rosa.

"I had my fingers crossed, and had to wait a few months," said Madsen. "When they came back and said they'd love to do that, we were thrilled.

"His book is so inspiring, and we loved his commitment to doing the right thing."

Originally scheduled to be held at the Copperfield's in Montgomery Village, the venue for the event was switched to Santa Rosa High, in anticipation of a larger crowd. The high school's auditorium holds 1,000 people. Admission is free. Crozier will sign books after the conversation.

"It'll be a reunion of sorts for me," said Crozier, the subject of an upcoming Press Democrat feature. "I don't think I've made it to any reunions since I graduated. I'm definitely overdue."

"And there's no better place for me" to celebrate the book coming out. "This is going to be fun."

You can reach Staff Writer Austin Murphy at 707-521-5214 or austin.murphy@pressdemocrat.com or on Twitter @ausmurph88.

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