Military families confronted Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao over conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and the lack of a clear date for its crew to return home.
About 200 relatives of sailors and Marines attended a meeting on Thursday with Cao at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, where they raised concerns about mental health, food and supply shortages, water quality and problems receiving mail, MS Now reports. Some spouses were in tears as they pressed Navy officials for answers.
Cao has served as the Navy’s top civilian since April, when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan after the two repeatedly clashed.
Thursday’s meeting was focused on the conditions facing the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln.
One parent said her daughter felt she was never going to come home and believed she would die aboard the ship. Another woman questioned the mission itself, saying she found it difficult to be proud of her sailor because she believed the military was “killing innocent civilians.” Her comments were met with applause.
The Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21 and had been deployed for 259 days as of Friday. The carrier spent 208 consecutive days at sea before making a brief stop in Oman on July 7, setting a modern-day record during the ongoing war with Iran.
Cao told families that the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group is being prepared to deploy to the Middle East and relieve the Lincoln. But he could not say when that would happen, citing operational security.
The uncertainty has left families waiting as their loved ones miss major events at home, including births and funerals.
“My husband has gotten no time with her,” one spouse said of her baby, who was born during the deployment.
“We have friends that are on this boat as well that - they have yet to meet their children,” she continued. “And I just think, like, a lot of us are kind of confused and just feeling frustrated that right now we’re in limbo of not having a date to come home.”
Vice Admiral Douglas Verissimo acknowledged the frustration but said the Navy still could not provide a return date. “I wish we could give that to you,” he said. “We are working to finalize that, but we don’t have that right now.”
Families also raised concerns about exhaustion and the mental health of the crew as the war with Iran nears its 23rd week. Navy officials said deployment-resilience counselors and chaplains are available aboard the carrier.
“We hear you loud and clear the impact this has on families, on service members, and the long-term ability of us to stand, sustain our forces’ health,” Vice Admiral Joseph Cahill said.
There were also questions about living conditions aboard the ship. Navy leaders acknowledged that a “stubborn clog” caused toilets in one area of the carrier to stop working for an extended period. They said what some sailors believed was mold in showers could actually be mildew caused by poor ventilation.
Cao has followed Hegseth’s lead on his push to restore a so-called “warrior ethos” in the military. Just this week, Cao ordered stricter enforcement of grooming, uniform and fitness standards across the Navy and Marine Corps, echoing Hegseth’s campaign against what he sees as “lax” military standards.
