John Sandor and Mary Graft, the parents of 19-year-old U.S. sailor Xavier Sandor assigned to the USS George Washington aircraft carrier who died by suicide in April, told CNN on Wednesday that living conditions aboard the ship were “awful” and called the Navy’s response to the crisis "ridiculous."
Four crew members stationed aboard the USS George Washington have died by suicide in the past year, including three in one week in April. One of the world’s largest warships, the USS George Washington has been docked at the Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, where it is undergoing an overhaul.
The Navy has removed 200 sailors from the ship to a nearby Navy facility since Monday and opened an investigation into the command climate and culture on board.
"Knowing what was going on with the crew before him, this could have happened a long time ago and my son would still be alive," John Sandor told CNN.
"I don’t know why it took so long for the Navy to act on it ... it’s ridiculous and his higher-ups, a master chief petty officer that came and spoke on the ship, he said something to the crew on the ship that was very disrespectful and very hurtful to our family and friends of how 'at least you’re not in the foxhole like the Marines.' Well, this was not any better than a foxhole."
Hundreds of sailors who live out of state or don’t have off-site housing stay on the ship. The conditions are uninhabitable, according to John Sandor. He said his son slept in his car after his 12-hour shift and didn’t have access to hot water or electricity. Loud construction noises make sleeping after long shifts difficult.
“Xavier was alone,” his father said. “There wasn’t much to do there at his age. He’d go to his car and isolate himself.”
When asked about the conditions, “He always said it sucked, and I’d always say to ask for help,” John Sandor said. “He’d say, ‘Dad, they don’t give a [expletive]. They don’t care.’ That was always his response to me.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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