Suicide Watch, Navy investigating 7 deaths aboard USS George Washington in past year

The US Navy has launched an investigation into the climate and leadership culture aboard the USS George Washington after seven sailors have been confirmed dead in the past 12 months, four of whom are suspected of suicide.

On April 11, the carrier’s commanding officer, Captain Brent Gaut, announced over the ship’s intercom that sailors should call for assistance if needed and that resources were available to assist them.

The announcement came after two sailors were found dead on April 9 and 10 due to suicide. Anonymous sailors who heard Gaut’s announcement said that’s what they “say after killing themselves every time”.

Four days later, another sailor was found unconscious aboard the aircraft carrier. The ship’s crew sent the sailor to the base hospital but sadly died there. The Navy identified the most recent fatality as rookie Coxswain Xavier Hunter Mitchell-Sandor.

Mitchell-Sandor “was treated by the onboard medical team before being transported to Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News where the serviceman died,” the Navy said. They added that his death was an apparent suicide.

The Navy also identified the other two deaths in April. Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Mika’il Sharp died April 9 and Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Natasha Huffman died April 10. Again, both deaths were marked as suicides. Sharp is believed to have died at an undisclosed off-base location in Hampton, Virginia, while Huffman was also found dead off base in Virginia.

The cases of Mitchell-Sandor, Sharp and Huffman are among 7 Navy personnel sent to the USS George Washington who have died in the past 12 months.

“We can confirm seven total deaths of service members assigned to the USS George Washington over the past 12 months – 4 in 2021 and 3 in 2022. Circumstances surrounding these incidents vary and it is premature to make assumptions as some incidents remain under investigation,” Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesman Lt. Cmdr. said Robert Myers.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said investigations were still ongoing, but added they saw no indication the suicides were linked. He also offered his condolences to the families of the deceased sailors.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families for those Sailors who are no longer in the ranks… These will now be families who will receive the worst possible news and face untold grief,” Kirby said.

Poor living conditions aboard the USS George Washington

The USS George Washington has been undergoing an overhaul in Newport News, Va. since 2017. Maintenance on Nimitz-class aircraft carriers like the George typically lasts four years and is done after 25 years in service. This is done to perform repairs, upgrades, and refuel the nuclear reactor that powers the massive ship.

The ship was due to complete maintenance in 2021, but the pandemic and other disruptions pushed the date back to 2022. This meant that crew members who had not received housing allowance or were living offboard were forced to live on the carrier while it was being repaired in port.

“They live in a construction zone,” said one sailor. “There’s grinding, there’s always needle-punching, there’s always ventilation issues, there’s always hot water issues.”

Fellow sailors recalled that the lack of ventilation would cause the ship’s floor to creak during the winter months.

“It’s not like a big glaring problem, it’s just a bunch of little things that add up and add up and add up, but it never goes away,” they added.

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Dealing with rising cases

Suicide rates in the military have risen sharply in recent years. In 2020, 580 soldiers committed suicide, according to the Ministry of Defense. This year, 15 military suicides have been recorded in the Navy alone. That doesn’t include April’s three new cases, bringing the total to 18 before we’re even halfway through the year.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has stressed the need to tackle the rise in suicide cases in the military. Last month, the Department of Defense established the Independent Review Panel on Suicide Prevention and Response, which intends to monitor and reassess Pentagon programs to deal with suicides.

The Committee is expected to begin visiting military installations in May and is expected to produce a first set of recommendations by the first quarter of 2023.

“One death by suicide is one too many,” Austin wrote in a memo announcing the formation of the Committee. “And suicide rates among our Service members are still too high. So clearly we still have work to do.