Despite US President Donald Trump’s dismissal of concerns over the prolonged deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln, the wife of a US service member onboard the aircraft carrier has lashed out at the President, stating Trump’s comments were infuriating.
“I don't think the man thinks before he talks. Have some sympathy, some empathy, take some accountability for what's going on with your military, your ships, and your war," said the woman, who remained anonymous.
She added that this wasn’t her husband’s first deployment and he was appalled at the conditions of the ship. She said her husband termed it as “the worst deployment that he's ever been on”.
“He's also said that his shipmates stay the same," the wife of one service member on board told CNN.
She alleged that the food on board is being rationed amid supply challenges. "The food is appalling, but the food's been appalling the whole time. I think that the food on these ships is always pretty bad. But it's not just the quality, it's the quantity, it's the rationing; the portions are awful, so it's really not good," she added.
Meanwhile, the CNN report also quoted a crew member who said the morale on the ship is very low, and there were a lot of “suicidal ideation by fellow crew members”. “And there were regular strains on essential amenities — toilets and water fountains around the ship frequently closed and hot water often unavailable,” the crew member said.
“You used to be able to go to the ship store and get as many items as you want, with every hygiene product consistently available,” one sailor, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal, told CNN. Now there are limits on purchases and “hardly any hygiene products (are) readily available.”
Meanwhile, after Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao has also dismissed reports detailing concerns about mental health and poor living conditions.
Calling them dishonest, Hegseth said the reports about food and water shortages, disrupted mail service, difficult living conditions and fears about self-harm were inappropriate attempts to portray service members as “victims.
“Sailors and Marines are expected to dig deep — and they always do,” said Cao, adding that military leaders had successfully balanced their responsibility to take care of service members while meeting mission requirements during the carrier’s nearly nine-month deployment,” he said.
