When a 2019 Mancos High School graduate decided to join the U.S. Navy, he never imagined that he would battle a virus.
Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Chase Rose, 18, is one of almost 800 crew on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier who tested positive for COVID-19 during an outbreak in March and April. The disease killed one crew member, a shipmate of Rose’s.
Because of the outbreak, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which has a crew of 5,000, docked at a base in Guam and was mostly evacuated. Infected crew members are quarantined on the island, and the outbreak, which became a scandal that shook the Pentagon, is being investigated by the Navy and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rose is under a 14-day quarantine at a base gymnasium along with 300 other shipmates who tested positive.
In a phone interview with The Journal from Guam, Rose said despite testing positive, he is asymptomatic and “feels fine.”
Dealing with a pandemic “was something I never expected to see serving in the military,” he said.
The ship’s outbreak could yield a wealth of data for researchers trying to learn more about the virus.
The Navy said Wednesday the rate of asymptomatic infection on the ship was about 50%, according to the Washington Post. In contrast, the rate among the general population rate is as high as 25%.
The sailors can be encouraged to submit to follow-up tests, which would find antibodies created by their immune system. The antibodies’ presence would help researchers determine whether immunities can be developed.
The crew currently is receiving medical attention and has access to the outdoors for “fresh air and sunshine,” Rose said, but being in quarantine for the past week has been “pretty boring.”
Rose said the Roosevelt’s medical center began testing crew members showing symptoms for COVID-19 after they sailed from Vietnam. At first, just a handful of them tested positive, and they deboarded or were quarantined to the extent possible on the ship.
“Then more and more kept testing positive, including those in my squad, so I felt it was inevitable I would test positive,” he said.
As the number of positives grew, Roosevelt Capt. Brett Crozier, who was later relieved of his command after he raised concerns about the outbreak, was granted a request to dock in Guam to deal with the medical crisis.
Those who tested positive remain quarantined in gyms and schools on the Navy base. Those who tested negative were isolated in hotel rooms off base.
“The ship is currently being deep cleaned, and part of the crew is still onboard to maintain operations,” Rose said. “We’re focused on getting back on the ship to continue with our jobs.”
Rose will be retested in a week and if found negative, will return to the ship, where he works in the weapons department.
Social distancing ‘impossible’He said the crew wore masks, washed hands frequently and cleaned the ship and their living quarters three times per day with a bleach solution.
“But social distancing is impossible on an aircraft carrier,” Rose said, adding that how the virus got on the ship has not been determined.
The fatality was a shipmate he worked with in the weapons department, and was the first active duty service member to die of the disease.
Rose’s parents and friends learned about the COVID-19 outbreak on the aircraft carrier from news reports.
“It worried me sick there for a little while,” said his father, Jason, who lives in Dolores. “His first deployment turned into a heck of a show. He’s tough, and said he’s feeling alright.”
In a Facebook post, Chase Rose reassured his friends and family that he was OK, and so are his fellow shipmates.
“Never would’ve have imagined the events that unfolded in the last month, but here we are,” he said. “With that said ... we remain ready.”
Chase works as an aviation ordinance technician and signed up for five years.
“We’re real proud of him,” said his dad.
A can-do, positive attitude is typical for Rose, said his mother, Jennifer Bell-Marchase, who works in the nursing field.
He has wanted to join the military since he was a boy, she said, and went to boot camp at age 17 after graduation.
“He’s always been an amazing kid with a good head on his shoulders,” Bell-Marchase said. “He’s got a hard-core job for a such a young man, and is looking forward to getting back to his duties on the ship. He’s my hero, and I’m thankful he’s safe.”
She found out about the situation via a coworker who saw the first newscasts of the outbreak on the ship.
The incident made headlines because of the severity of the outbreak, and because Crozier was fired after he sent out a letter March 30 to military officials seeking assistance and warning of the outbreak danger. The letter, obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, was dispersed in a way that broke the chain of command, which led to his dismissal.
“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” Crozier’s letter states. “If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors.”
The four-page letter explains that COVID prevention guidelines of social distancing and quarantines are not possible on the ship, and that quarantine facilities were needed immediately for the crew on Guam.
“The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating,” Crozier wrote.
The email set off a series of actions including the decision by acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly to relieve Crozier of command and Modly’s own resignation after a recording captured him insulting Crozier while addressing the Roosevelt crew.
News video shows hundreds of the ship’s crew cheering and applauding their captain as he deboarded. News reports Friday said senior Navy staff were recommending that he be reinstated.
Chase told his family Crozier had the respect of the crew and was a good captain.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com