Bereavement for USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain

Where is the bereavement from Donald Trump?

Although he's wasting time posting Tweet memes about the recent solar eclipse, there's been no executive outreach of support to Navy families who are all grieving, regardless of whether or not their families or loved ones were on either of the two recently damaged ships, operating in the Pacific Ocean.

Navy report details harrowing rescues after crash of USS Fitzgerald - 

USS Fitzgerald 

New Dry Dock Photos Show the Scope of Hidden USS Fitzgerald Damage

The USS Fitzgerald was involved in a collision off Japan with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel on June 17, 2017.  In the collision, the ship suffered damage on her starboard side above and below the waterline. 

The USS Fitzgerald came close to sinking after colliding with the ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged tanker that weighed three times more than the U.S. guided missile destroyer, on Saturday.

Seven sailors died in the tragic accident. The Fitzgerald's commander, executive officer and a senior non-commissioned officer were relieved of their duties following the collision.

In a statement, the Navy identified the deceased as follows:

• Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Virginia;
• Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, California;
• Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Connecticut;
• Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Texas;
• Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, California;
• Xavier Alec Martin*, 24, from Halethorpe, Maryland;
• Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, from Elyria, Ohio

*Xavier Alec Martin was buried in Arlington National Cemetery

USS John S. McCain

USS John S. McCain damage

In the darkness of early morning on August 21, the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker in the Strait of Malacca, off Singapore. Ten sailors are believed to have lost their lives in the McCain collision. When added to the seven who died in the June 17 collision of the USS Fitzgerald with the container ship ACX Crystal, this has been the deadliest year at sea for the US Navy's surface fleet since the 1989 turret explosion aboard USS Iowa (in which 47 sailors perished).

• Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Bushell, 26, of Maryland
• Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, of Connecticut
• Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, of New Jersey
• Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, of New York
• Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, of Texas
• Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, of Illinois
• Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, of Ohio
• Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, of Missouri
• Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Eckels Jr., 23, of Maryland
• Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, from Texas

As a former USNavy wife, the spouse of a Master Chief Petty Officer, Retired, my husband and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families, and colleagues of these young sailors, whose deaths are terrible losses to their families and to our nation.

Moreover, I apologize for Donald Trump's lack of ability to extend appropriate bereavement to those who are suffering, as a result of this tragic loss of American treasure. We all expect more compassionate leadership from our elected officials.