A Navy investigation into the suicide of a sailor on the USS Roosevelt reveals a toxic culture aboard the carrier.
ADRIAN MA, HOST:
A Navy investigation into the suicide of a sailor on the USS Roosevelt reveals a toxic culture aboard the carrier. Dozens of sailors have left the ship for mental health reasons, and Steve Walsh with member station WHRO in Norfolk explains why.
STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: One year ago this month, Jacob Slocum died by suicide. The 23-year-old was a nuclear electrician’s mate on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Kim McInerney can’t stop thinking about what her son said.
KIM MCINERNEY: He felt that he made the wrong choice. Like, I screwed up, mom. I screwed up. I should have got out. I should have never gone nuke.
WALSH: Never gone nuke. Working with a nuclear reactor on board an aircraft carrier is one of the most demanding jobs in the Navy. Experts say the staff is under tremendous pressure. Former Petty Officer Caitlin Ross remembers Slocum looking depressed near the time of his death.
CAITLIN ROSS: A lot of people were struggling. It was a really hard time during shipyard. Like, it was hard on everybody.
WALSH: On top of 12-hour days, sailors must pass a number of demanding tests to remain qualified to work around the ship’s two nuclear power plants. Slocum had fallen months behind, which meant he would have to receive mandatory counseling from the chiefs in the department. The report says some supervisors created a toxic work environment. One chief berated Slocum in front of the crew the day he died. Ross says some leaders put a strain on the whole department.
ROSS: Yeah. The chiefs would counsel, but then they would go way harder than they needed to. I hated counselings (ph), but I heard they were pretty tough on them, especially Jacob.
WALSH: The Navy is trying to get at the root cause of suicides, especially after three sailors died in one month in 2022 onboard the USS George Washington. Teresa…
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