The families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are not mincing their words when it comes to who they blame for the atrocious conditions aboard the ship.
“I don’t think it’s the ship that’s the issue. I think it’s our president, it’s our government,” one family member of a sailor told MS NOW, describing how the sailor was eating “half a cup of rice and two tortillas” a day.
Conditions aboard the aircraft carrier have reportedly deteriorated as the 5,000 sailors and Marines on board enter the ninth month of their deployment, with no end in sight to the president’s war on Iran.
Sailors aboard the carrier and their families have described deteriorating conditions, with MS NOW reporting moldy showers, food shortages, sailors running out of toothpaste, deodorant and soap, and worsening mental health issues.
“They want our support,” another family member said, describing how sailors need to have the “tools” to do their jobs, which, he went on to say, means they need “the fuel, that means the food, that means the toothpaste and the deodorant, that means all of it.”
The sailors on board the Lincoln went out to sea thinking their deployment would last for seven months before they were sent to fight in the Iran war, which Donald Trump initially said would last four to six weeks but is now approaching its 24th week.
Since leaving San Diego on Nov. 21, the crew have reportedly had only two days on land, in December and July, as conditions aboard the carrier continued to deteriorate. Family members have raised the alarm that several sailors went or attempted to go overboard in apparent suicide attempts.
One sailor who went overboard was in the water for an hour before he was rescued and eventually medically evaluated.
His wife, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to MS NOW, described her husband’s mental state just before he went overboard, as he divulged in a text message to her that the poor conditions were finally getting to him.
“I think the boat is finally getting to me and I really don’t think I can keep up my peace act anymore,” the message read.
He continued, saying, “You are right about it all not being OK. We were supposed to leave 5th Fleet on July 15th, but then something had to come up, and my last hope of being home soon was gone.”
The sailor’s wife went on to describe how, when he raised concerns about his mental health with his chain of command and the ship’s medical team, they allegedly brushed him off and yelled at him when he made mistakes on the job after being unable to obtain a prescription for his poor eyesight.
Speaking to the Military Times, another sailor’s wife, Annabelle Loma, disclosed that the ship’s ombudsman had informed her that her husband had attempted to jump overboard, and she has only been able to speak to him a handful of times since.
“He’s scared,” she said. “He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that. That’s not fair, that’s not right. That’s not what he should be worrying about right now.”
As family members raise concerns about the well-being of sailors and conditions aboard the Lincoln, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has continued to dismiss reports about the ship, saying they have “completely misrepresented” the situation.
On Thursday, U.S. Central Command released a statement branding various media reports and families’ concerns about conditions aboard the Lincoln as “false claims.” The command acknowledged that one sailor went overboard on Aug. 3, but said he “fell” and was “quickly and safely recovered.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Defense Department and the White House for comment.
