Military families confronted senior US Navy leaders about concerns with the mental health and living conditions of sailors and Marines aboard the USS Lincoln as its deployment during the Iran war continues without a confirmed return date, according to an MS NOW report Friday, Anadolu reports.
About 200 family members attended a meeting Thursday in San Diego with acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, seeking answers about the prolonged deployment and conditions facing 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the carrier, said the report.
Families raised concerns about exhaustion, mental health support, food shortages, water contamination, bathroom problems, safety and disruptions to mail deliveries.
Cao said the Navy is preparing the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group for a Middle East deployment that would eventually relieve the Lincoln, but he did not provide a date, citing operational security.
The Lincoln had been deployed for 259 days as of Friday after leaving San Diego on Nov. 21. It had made only two stops during that period, including a brief visit to Oman on July 7, leaving the crew at sea for 208 consecutive days, according to MS NOW.
