Navy Slammed By Parents For Not Addressing 'Terrible' Living Conditions That Drove Son To Suicide

The parents of a United States Navy sailor onboard the USS George Washington who committed suicide have lashed out at the service for tolerating poor living conditions onboard the ship that led to his death.

On Wednesday, John Sandor and Mary Graft, the parents of Master at Arms Seaman Recruit Xavier Hunter Mitchell Sandor, told CNN that their son had described life onboard the vessel to be "awful". Sandor did not go into much detail, but he at one point told them that people "shouldn't have to live like this."

Sandor was one among seven crew members of the USS George Washington who died in the past year and he was one of four suicides onboard the ship. The Navy has since opened an investigation into the command climate and culture onboard the carrier while allowing up to 200 sailors to move to a nearby facility as it continues its overhaul process.

But his father John Sandor did not find this response to be sufficient. His son "loved his job" but had to sleep in his car to avoid having to live on board the ship, and John insisted the Navy could have been more proactive in addressing these conditions and preventing its crew from suffering.

“It is just awful. No sailor should even have been living on that ship in those conditions," John told CNN.

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"This could have happened a long time ago and my son would still be alive," MASR Xavier Sandor's dad says.

The Navy just moved 200 soldiers off the USS George Washington carrier after a rash of deaths culminated in 3 sailors dying by suicide in a week. pic.twitter.com/VgeYqC5Wdh
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) May 4, 2022

On Tuesday, Rear Adm. John Meier, who is the head of Naval Air Force Atlantic, said that there are two investigations being conducted into the deaths aboard the carrier. Of them, the one into the suicides of Sandor, Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Mikail Sharp and Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Natasha Huffman will conclude this week.

The second investigation will be centered around the roots of any stressors that may have contributed to the sailors’ choice to commit suicide.

Asked whether the findings of the probe will be made public, Meier said that the decision on whether to publicize it is not his to make and that higher-ups in the Navy will make that choice. He added that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, the highest-ranking officer in the Navy, will also be included in any final decision on sharing the report.

“To lose three sailors in such a short time is devastating,” Meier said, according to The Navy Times. “We don’t take that lightly.”