USS George Washington suicides (Navy, officers, enlisted, veterans)
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The last link has a great bit of details the other two are sorely lacking. The Navy has had issues with enlisted quarters and substandard conditions but this is on a whole other level. I seriously doubt any senior leaders were required to live on the carrier or in toxic barracks. 3 suicides in one week is a huge red flag that there’s something wrong with the command and yet the Master Chief of the Navy basically told them “at least your not in a foxhole” so get use to it.
The last link has a great bit of details the other two are sorely lacking. The Navy has had issues with enlisted quarters and substandard conditions but this is on a whole other level. I seriously doubt any senior leaders were required to live on the carrier or in toxic barracks. 3 suicides in one week is a huge red flag that there’s something wrong with the command and yet the Master Chief of the Navy basically told them “at least your not in a foxhole” so get use to it.
What a disgrace.
We don’t have the money? To finish the refurbishing of the ship? $322 million is gone?
Quote
“As a result, sailors who were able to get into these barracks had on average 85 square feet in shared rooms -- in a building that the Navy believed likely had lead paint, asbestos and other toxic substances. The use of the 149-room building cost the Navy about $4.36 million per year.
Meanwhile, according to a prior investigation into the suicides aboard the carrier, sailors were resorting to sleeping in their cars or paying for rent out of paychecks that are typically less than $2,000 a month.”
Yet we spend freely on our overseas shenanigans
Disgrace, just disgrace.
Why do I think that nothing will change unless there will be a public outcry?
Do major broadcasters pick up and run this story? For weeks on end as they do for some other crimes with the titillating details?
It is a criminal
Suicide is a problem all over the military, and everywhere else nowadays. Not to downplay the obvious lack of planning on several levels in the case of the GW, the Master Chief spoke the truth. Everyone serving in the Navy today is there because they chose to enlist. And they chose the Navy on purpose over the other branches.
What a disgrace.
We don’t have the money? To finish the refurbishing of the ship? $322 million is gone?
Quote
“As a result, sailors who were able to get into these barracks had on average 85 square feet in shared rooms -- in a building that the Navy believed likely had lead paint, asbestos and other toxic substances. The use of the 149-room building cost the Navy about $4.36 million per year.
Meanwhile, according to a prior investigation into the suicides aboard the carrier, sailors were resorting to sleeping in their cars or paying for rent out of paychecks that are typically less than $2,000 a month.”
Yet we spend freely on our overseas shenanigans
Disgrace, just disgrace.
Why do I think that nothing will change unless there will be a public outcry?
Do major broadcasters pick up and run this story? For weeks on end as they do for some other crimes?
I was in ship yards for two ships, both amphibs. I could not imagine spending my entire tour of duty in a shipyard. The barracks we had were much better than what is described but when we were forced to return to the ship it was horrible because the yard work wasn’t complete. Welding, grinding, banging, hammering, and other loud work just kept going on. Some people worked overnight and had to try to sleep in the day when all this was going on. Sleeping on a floating barracks barge isn’t much better than sleeping on the ship. Seems like everything on the barge constantly breaks and the smell is horrible. Officers and chiefs can afford to live off the ship so they were well rested and well fed while junior enlisted sailors had no choice but to remain on the ship. For sailors, being in the shipyards is more stressful than being at sea on deployment. During deployment you’re doing the job you signed up for and would occasionally see foreign ports. In the yards it feels like everything is so far away, it’s never quiet, and the command puts the crew under pressure to get things done quickly instead of safely.
Suicide is a problem all over the military, and everywhere else nowadays. Not to downplay the obvious lack of planning on several levels in the case of the GW, the Master Chief spoke the truth. Everyone serving in the Navy today is there because they chose to enlist. And they chose the Navy on purpose over the other branches.
You are downplaying the situation on the GW. Read the last link in detail. I’ve been in shipyards and it’s more horrible than being at sea for 6 months and the description in the article was worse than the yards I endured.
I was in ship yards for two ships, both amphibs. I could not imagine spending my entire tour of duty in a shipyard. The barracks we had were much better than what is described but when we were forced to return to the ship it was horrible because the yard work wasn’t complete. Welding, grinding, banging, hammering, and other loud work just kept going on. Some people worked overnight and had to try to sleep in the day when all this was going on. Sleeping on a floating barracks barge isn’t much better than sleeping on the ship. Seems like everything on the barge constantly breaks and the smell is horrible. Officers and chiefs can afford to live off the ship so they were well rested and well fed while junior enlisted sailors had no choice but to remain on the ship. For sailors, being in the shipyards is more stressful than being at sea on deployment. During deployment you’re doing the job you signed up for and would occasionally see foreign ports. In the yards it feels like everything is so far away, it’s never quiet, and the command puts the crew under pressure to get things done quickly instead of safely.
Thanks for the details. Don’t know how the sailors endure it.
Those sensory attacks you describe and a lack of restful sleep definitely could lead to suicides..
The government spends so much and so stupidly - and there is no accountability.
We may need some veterans organizations or even parents to organize and advocate for the enlisted.
Perhaps some civil oversight may stop these criminal attitudes and nonsense..
Should we start a petition on Change.org or some other site?
There gotta be a quick solution to help the sailors
Suicide is a problem all over the military, and everywhere else nowadays. Not to downplay the obvious lack of planning on several levels in the case of the GW, the Master Chief spoke the truth. Everyone serving in the Navy today is there because they chose to enlist. And they chose the Navy on purpose over the other branches.
But you just did downplay the situation. 3 in one week would be akin to 3 kids in a high school; it’s quite alarming.
Recommend removing commanders this weekend to signify the critical aspect of leader involvement.
The top 3 levels of command along with all senior enlisted should be forced to live in the same conditions as the junior enlisted when the ship is in the yard.
The former ship commander should have put his career on the line and said NO when told to move sailors back on board.
The Navy is paying over $2,000 per room per month for substandard accommodation in that building that averages 85 sq feet per sailor(that's 10 feet by 8.5 feet). That's indicative of how badly defense contractors are ripping off the military.
You are downplaying the situation on the GW. Read the last link in detail. I’ve been in shipyards and it’s more horrible than being at sea for 6 months and the description in the article was worse than the yards I endured.
I read the link. It's bad. Leadership at several levels should be ashamed and fired. But still and all, it's a volunteer force... and ultimately, that's the bottom line.
You are downplaying the situation on the GW. Read the last link in detail. I’ve been in shipyards and it’s more horrible than being at sea for 6 months and the description in the article was worse than the yards I endured.
Shipyards are not Horrible, I was in when you were in. I spent time in the yards on 3 different ships, in 3 different yards, and was much happier in the yards than being at sea sometimes. I lived on a WW2 troop transport ship at one time.
Shipyards still count as sea time. I would rather be in a yard anytime over the med.
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