Capt. Brett Crozier’s Book: Scary Good

Review by Bill Doughty––

It’s almost frightening how good and relevant this book is.

“Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain” by Captain Brett Crozier with Michael Vlessides (Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, 2023).

This book about lessons of leadership would make a great gift for anyone who loves the Navy and the sea. Here’s an excerpt to show why.

“If my wife, Mary, is my one true love, then the ocean is my mistress. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated with its power, its beauty, and its possibilities.

As a Navy captain, I had the privilege of experiencing the ocean in all her moods. At times it was so calm we could carve slow circles in the water with the carrier and eventually catch up with the white and blue mosaic of the ship’s wake before it faded into the depths below. At other times, the sea was an unforgiving bedfellow, with waves so massive they crashed over the flight deck, sixty feet above the surface. (In some cases, fighter jets have actually been damaged by water crashing over the flight deck.)

Yet no matter what the sea threw at me over the course of those thirty years, I never stopped appreciating the perspective she offered: from my place on the bridge, with the horizon stretching forever before me, I realized just how small I was in the world.

The excerpt is reminiscent of some of the works of Adm. James Stavridis (ret.), who speaks about Crozier in one of his own books. Also like some of our favorites such as Stavridis and Adm. William McRaven (ret.), Crozier offers terrific life lessons and superb leadership advice.

Stavridis blurbs: “Surf When You Can” is utterly compelling, authentic, and relatable –– simply superb advice in life and leadership!” Here on Navy Reads we have featured several posts related to Crozier and the challenges he faced.

Saluting TR's new CO Capt. Crozier, Nov. 1, 2019. (MC3 Sean Lynch)

Crozier, who was inspired to attend the U.S. Naval Academy after watching the original Top Gun movie, reflects on lessons learned as a junior officer, a helicopter pilot, a jet pilot, the executive officer of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), the commanding officer of USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) and the CO of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). He became CO of TR exactly four years ago from tomorrow, Nov. 1, 2019.

What shines through in this book are the sometimes eye-watering sea stories that help Crozier make his points about what it takes to be a good leader and, in fact, a good person of character.

Unintentionally relevant to what’s happening now between Netanyahu’s Israel Defense Force and Islamist Hamas in Gaza, Crozier shares a story about going out of his way to prevent civilian casualties while flying his jet in combat over Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Using creative and flexible tactics, he and his wingman came to the aid of Marines while preventing collateral damage to innocent people who had no where else to go.

In “Surf,” Crozier teaches about humility, being willing to apologize, and the need to praise in public and reprimand in private. One key story is about his role as XO aboard USS Ronald Reagan, showing the importance of empathy and kindness in a recounting of a “pot-positive” captain’s mast. He tells humane stories about authorizing Sailor parents to attend their sons’ and daughters’ high school graduation in Yokosuka, Japan, ensuring his ship’s softball teams received the support they needed, and supporting a junior Sailor who took the initiative of immediately reporting what he thought was a “man overboard.”

Far from being angry because a young Sailor took initiative to do the right thing, Crozier showed compassion and appreciation for the young man’s courage to stand up and speak out. In another sea story he shows how a wingman’s failure to inform him of something he observed almost cost Crozier his life. Though angry over the incident, Crozier framed it as a teaching moment and one he kept for the rest of his career: If a thing is “not quite right,” see something, say something. His creative way of making this point, learning about “NKR,” is worth a read.

Capt. Brett Crozier, then-CO of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), addresses the crew at an all hands call in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. (MCSN Kaylianna Genier)

But his key leadership point is this: Take care of your Sailors and they will take care of the rest.

I started this book at the last few chapters (before reading and re-reading from the beginning) because I wanted Crozier’s take on what happened to him: being fired at the direction of then-President Trump, Secretary of Defense Esper, and acting Secretary of the Navy Modly for actions Crozier took to minimize the spread of Covid aboard his ship. Trump even ridiculed Crozier in public.

At the time, during the early days of the pandemic, the Trump administration did not take the outbreak seriously and was offended when a Navy captain in the forward-deployed naval forces did. The vindictive response that followed was and is a warning.

When Captain Crozier saw something not quite right and spoke out to get help for his Sailors, he was removed from his position and ultimately forced to retire. What a tragedy. What a loss.

Not surprisingly, Crozier does not hold a grudge against the Navy he loves. He expresses no animosity to the feckless chain of command that facilitated his removal and then failed to reinstate him.

Here are just a few of the thoughts of this good and great leader:

• “Rank isn’t as important as being true to yourself and the people you’ve sworn to take care of.”
• “Perfection is an elusive goal, and part of being a good leader is recognizing your mistakes and owning them.”
• “I have always operated on the fundamental belief that most people want to do good in the world.”
• “We are stronger when we pull together.”
• “I think we’re better people when we open our hearts and minds to others.
• “If you’re willing to take a risk and operate outside your comfort zone, you’re going to learn and grow … (and) achieve things you may not have imagined possible.”

There are many more words of wisdom and inspiration.

For Crozier, it’s most important for himself and his Sailors to find balance in life: Job, family, and self. It’s no accident that “Surf When You Can” is the title of the book.  He says people can and should take time for themselves to recharge, whether it be through sports, gardening, or reading!

I found special resonance in this book. My kids also attended school in Yokosuka. I was a military brat, as were Crozier’s kids and his resilient wife, Mary. 

I see how much Crozier valued PAOs (public affairs officers) –– and vice versa. He obviously respected the role of a free media, of Navy mass communication specialists, and of the lasting impact of photo ops. The same can be said of books. Books such as “Surf When You Can.”

There is also a personal connection for me in how Crozier talked about his time in Hawaii (my chosen home) earlier in his career. From his connection with Barber’s Point, Russ “Rusty” Keaulana, and surfing at White Plains Beach he learned about pono, the Hawaiian concept of righteousness, kindness, and respect for others.

Crozier praises Sailors. Big time. He respects petty officers and chief petty officers as well as junior enlisted and junior officer personnel. The three most important values as a Navy leader, which he learned from a Navy chief in Hawaii are: Take care of your Sailors. Take care of your Sailors. Take care of your Sailors.

That’s what Capt. Brett Crozier did.

Fearlessly.

According to the book, a portion of the profits from "Surf When You Can" will go to "nonprofit organizations focused on supporting our nation's service members and veterans. To learn more about these and several other outstanding charitable organizations please visit www.surfwhenyoucan.com."

40 Years Ago: Peacekeepers’ Sacrifice in Beirut

By Bill Doughty––

Religious war in the Middle East seems never-ending, with non-democratic Islamist extremists targeting Jews and other non-Muslims as infidels deserving of death. Hamas terrorists from Gaza inflicted a brutal attack on innocent Israelis and other civilians on October 7. Israel is retaliating and pledges to destroy Hamas. As a result of Hamas’s attack, innocent people living in Gaza, who terrorists use as human shields, are being killed in the crossfire.

Meanwhile, Iran fuels the flames of terrorism and destruction –– supporting not only Russia in its war in Ukraine but also Hamas in Gaza on Israel’s southern border and Hizbollah in Lebanon on Israel’s northern border. Iran also supports Islamic Jihad terrorists such as those whose misfired rocket killed hundreds at a Baptist hospital in Gaza.

Forty years ago today, Islamic Jihad bombers supported by Hizbollah and elements in Iran and Syria, attacked a multinational peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 U.S. military personnel, 58 French military personnel, and six civilians at the Marine barracks. Of the U.S casualties, 220 were Marines; 18 were Sailors, including 15 Navy corpsmen and one medical officer; and three were Army Soldiers.

Then-President Ronald Reagan sent the U.S. military to Lebanon to provide security, stability, and deterrence in the wake of Israel’s 1981 invasion of Lebanon, where Muslims and Christians were at war.

Instead, the presence of Western peacekeepers provoked the jihadists. According to Col. Timothy J. Geraghty, USMC (ret.), who commanded the U.S. Multinational Peacekeeping force, “The Beirut experience has an overarching lesson: force-building and peacekeeping do not mix, particularly in the Middle East.”

Geraghty is author of the definitive accounting of the Beirut MNF Bombing, “Peacekeepers at War: Beirut 1983 –– The Marine Commander Tells His Story” (Potomac Books, 2009). He contends, “The seeds of modern-day terrorism and suicide bombings were sown in Lebanon in 1983. The evolution of this insidious movement began with the suicide bombings of the U.S. embassy and the Marines’ Battalion Landing Team Headquarters and continued with the kidnappings, murder, torture, and intimidation of Americans and fellow Westerners.”

Geraghty says frankly, “The peacekeeping experience in Lebanon demands that we carefully review these events and learn how we can better prepare ourselves to preclude any recurrence of this tragedy.”

One lesson he calls for is appropriate retaliation, which did not happen after the Marine barracks bombing.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Patrick J. Sloyan praises Geraghty in “When Reagan Sent in the Marines: The Invasion of Lebanon” (Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s, 2019) and agrees with him that not retaliating at the time was a big mistake.

Sloyan writes:

“Reagan refused to strike Iran despite solid evidence of its role in the embassy and Marine barracks bombing sin 1983. Rather than prolong the conflict and threaten his reelection in 1984, Reagan resorted to his political skills to manipulate perceptions and divert attention from the Beirut debacle. In the process, he gave a cold shoulder to the battered Marines there. Instead of accepting his share of responsibility for the tragedy, he blamed it all on the Marine commander in Beirut. It was his worst moment as commander in chief. In leaving Iran unpunished, he encouraged the Tehran regime and other enemies to continue their back-alley war against the United States without fear of reprisal.”

In his book, Sloyan presents a devastating account of the Iran-Contra scandal, in which Reagan and members of his team –– principally Robert McFarlane and Col. Oliver North –– orchestrated an arms for hostage deal with Iran, involving shipping hundreds of missiles and other arms to the Shia-led government.

“It was North who provided the highlights of the trip,” writes Sloyan. “He delivered an Israeli-baked chocolate cake in the shape of a key, to symbolize the unlocking of US-Iranian relations, and a bible Reagan signed and inscribed from Galatians 3:8. ‘All the nations shall be blessed in you.’” The goal was to free hostages held by Iran-backed Hizbollah militants.

As part of the arms-for-hostages deal, North received $15 million that was later funneled to the right-wing Contras who were in armed conflict with the communist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. At first, Reagan lied to the American people about his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal, but a week later admitted and expressed regret for the affair.

Retired Col. Timothy J. Geraghty signs copies of his book "Peacekeepers at War" after his professional miliitary education class at the Command Museum aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, April 29, 2011. Geraghty commanded the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit during the Beirut bombing in 1983. (LCpl Eric Quintanilla)

Both Sloyan’s and Geraghty’s books are informative, revelatory, and prescient.

Geraghty sees a direct line between the horrors of 1983 and the attacks of 9/11 in 2001. Despite the virtual elimination of ISIS, we see the religious ideology of hatred continue in what happened to jews and secularists in Israel on October 7.

Garaghty has been a guest of the Marines for a number of memorial commemorations of the Beirut bombings. He concludes his landmark “Peacekeepers at War” with this observation:

“The Islamist jihadists attacked us in Beirut, but they have also struck in New York, Washington, London, Madrid, Tel Aviv, Bali, Kabul, and numerous other locations around the world. Their indiscriminate targeting of civilians and brutality reflect their fear and hatred of liberty and freedom. We must pursue victory over this scourge of mankind, not only for our own security, but also to honor the valor and sacrifice of our finest and most dedicated warriors, those who go into harm’s way to protect the freedoms we all cherish.”

Still, the never-ending war in the Middle East continues. And there is now an intense risk of escalation as U.S. military forces are targeted. Some see the potential for an actual world war as Russia, Iran, and North Korea (and China) align closer.

In a world requiring nuanced understanding and commitment to human rights and lasting peace, some would unfortunately prefer to see only bipolar options fueled by their faith, hate, and grievance –– authoritarianism and theocracy over liberty and democracy.

Top photo: Distinguished guest paticipants stand at the position of attention as the wreaths are laid during the 34th Beirut Memorial Observance Ceremony at Lejeune Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville, N.C., Oct. 23, 2017. A memorial observance is held Oct. 23 of each year to remember those lives lost during the terrorist attacks at U.S. Marine Barracks, Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Judith L. Harter)