Navy acknowledges suicides of 7 sailors assigned to the USS George Washington
CBSN
Seven Navy sailors assigned to the USS George Washington have died by suicide during the time the aircraft carrier has been undergoing a yearslong overhaul in Newport News, Virginia, the Navy said Thursday.
The Navy acknowledged Thursday that in addition to the four suicides in the past year that CBS News has reported, three more sailors assigned to the carrier died by suicide in 2019 and 2020.
The three suicides from 2019 and 2020 occurred while the USS George Washington was under the command of Capt. Kenneth Strong. According to the Navy, Strong left the ship three months ahead of schedule because of "individual incidents of poor judgment and leadership acumen." Despite his early departure, Strong was awarded a Legion of Merit for, among other things, winning a score of 98% on the 2019 Safety and Occupational Health Management Evaluation.
