The former captain of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt who was fired last month after sounding the alarm to help his coronavirus-stricken crew has left Guam and taken a temporary staff job with Naval Air Forces in San Diego, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Capt. Brett Crozier was relieved April 2 after the San Francisco Chronicle reported the contents of a leaked letter he wrote to superiors in March pleading for help as his crew battled an outbreak while underway.

The carrier docked in Guam, where Crozier tested positive for Covid-19 shortly before leaving the ship and joining his former sailors in quarantine on the island.

Crozier arrived in San Diego Monday night, according to Naval Air Forces spokesman Cmdr. Ron Flanders.

He will serve as special assistant to the Naval Air Forces chief of staff in a temporary duty assignment, Flanders said.

Despite Navy brass recommending late last month that Crozier be given back his job, Acting Navy Secretary James McPherson recently ordered a secondary investigation into Crozier’s firing, POLITICO reported last week.

Flanders declined to comment on whether this temporary duty reflects any decisions made regarding Crozier’s reinstatement as captain of the Big Stick.

“That’s above us,” Flanders said.

Geoff is the editor of Navy Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.

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