John Sandor and Mary Graft, the parents of recruiter Xavier Hunter Mitchell Sandor, told CNN’s Brianna Keiler on New Day that their son did not provide much detail about the carrier’s conditions, but said the experience was “terrible.” “
“People shouldn’t live like this,” John Sandor told his son, adding that Xavier would call them from his car and that there was no hot water to take a shower.
As of Monday, more than 200 sailors have been relocated by a carrier to a nearby Navy facility after a number of crew suicide deaths, including three in less than a week in April, the Navy said. The deaths came amid a major overhaul and long-term refueling process at a Newport News shipyard in Virginia. The Navy has launched an investigation into the command climate and culture aboard the Nimetz.
“He loved his job. He worked his 12-hour shifts. And how do you sleep on an aircraft carrier with a hammer, smoke and smells during the day? So he would sleep in his car, “John Sandor said of his 19-year-old son.” It’s just awful. No sailor should even live on this ship in these conditions. “
John Sandor later said: “Knowing what was happening to the crew before him, it could have happened a long time ago and my son would still be alive. I don’t know why it took so long for the Navy to act on the issue. Did they have to wait until the seventh to make changes? This is funny.”
CNN turned to the Navy for comment Wednesday.
Captain Brent Gaut, the carrier’s commanding officer, decided to allow the sailors living on board the ship to move to other accommodation, according to a statement from the Atlantic Navy. Although the carrier does not have a full staff of approximately 5,000 seafarers, the ship still has around 2,700 seafarers on board during the overhaul process. About 420 sailors live on board the ship during its major repairs.
The ship’s command is working to identify sailors who could “benefit from and desire maintenance and morale, well-being and recreation (MWR) services” available at local Navy facilities. The Navy is in the process of setting up “temporary accommodation” for these sailors, according to an earlier statement from the Atlantic Navy.
The results of the Navy’s investigation into the death are expected this week, the reporter told reporters on Tuesday. John Mayer, Commander of the US Navy in the Atlantic.
“We have appointed an investigator to investigate this and to really investigate the immediate cause. Was there an immediate trigger? Was there a connection between these events? I expect him to report this week and they will not predict the outcome of this report, “Mayer said.
The investigation is one of two conducted by the US Navy. The second investigation, Mayer said, has a “much wider scope” and focuses on “command climate, command culture”.
In response to the three suicides in April, the Navy added resources to the ship, including “ship psychologist”, “sustainability consultants” and “a 13-person sprint team that is a special intervention team for cases like this,” Mayer said.
Editor’s note: If you or a loved one have considered suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255 or send an SMS to 741741.
CNN’s Oren Lieberman contributed to this report.
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