Crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln are jumping overboard after the ship spent a record 250 consecutive days at sea without reaching shore due to the war in Iran.
Military families and members of Congress are raising the alarm about a worsening mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the aircraft carrier embark on a record-breaking mission at sea related to the war with Iran. There have been several attempts by sailors to jump overboard as the precarious conditions and psychological pressure on the "Lincoln" have reached a critical point, according to The Guardian, writes Focus.
Anxious families expressed their concerns for their loved ones aboard the "Lincoln" during a meeting with Navy leadership in San Diego on Thursday.
"He's scared. He thinks he's going to be dishonorably discharged from the military and that just because he's exhausted, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that", said one of the wives of a crew member.
Researchers surveyed serving sailors and found that nearly half of them felt they didn't receive enough support to cope with the stress of being at sea. The study concluded that "given the high suicide rates among military personnel, including naval personnel, efforts to improve access to medical services aboard ships are urgently needed."
Since departing Guam, Abraham Lincoln has been at sea continuously. Since the start of the military operation against Iran, the supercarrier's air wing has become one of the primary naval assets supporting strikes on Iranian targets.