U.S. Sailors Attempt Suicide on USS Lincoln
The Guardian
In the midst of the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln’s prolonged deployment for the war with Iran, politicians and military families have expressed grave fears about a serious mental health crisis. Carrying 5,000 men, the ship has been at sea for an unprecedented 250 days without landing. Sailors have made several attempts to dive overboard due to deteriorating weather, intense exhaustion, and rising psychological strain. Nearly 200 military family members confronted senior Navy officials at an emotional meeting in San Diego, accusing them of betraying trust.
The terrible circumstances aboard the freezing ship, which included mouldy showers, malfunctioning toilets, acute water shortages, and inadequate meals consisting of half a cup of rice and two thin flatbreads without basic hygiene supplies, were disclosed by lawmakers and spouses. The deployment was supposed to expire in May, but it has been continually extended, and sailors are only getting two days of shore leave. US Defence Secretary Mr. Pete Hegseth dismissed reports that almost half of deployed service troops do not receive proper mental health treatment as ‘fake news’.
Colorado Congressman Mr. Jason Crow said, ‘The pressure on service members and their families has been mounting week after week’. A military spouse shared the personal cost by disclosing that her husband texted, ‘He hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow’, while another spouse, Annabelle Loma, said that her exhausted husband tried to jump following deployment extensions. ‘Long-term deployments place significant strain on our service members and their families,’ a Navy official acknowledged the situation. California Congressman Mr. Mike Levin said, ‘These men and women joined to serve their country,’ denouncing the government’s lies. A functional toilet, hot water, and enough food are the very minimum that their nation owes them. Hegseth, however, dares to label them liars in their families while being unable to even guarantee that.
