Aug. 13, 2026
Multiple U.S. Sailors Reportedly Attempt To Jump Overboard While On Extended Deployment
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RSS Feed A disturbing report is coming from the USS Abraham Lincoln, now in its 9 month of deployment in the Middle East. Family members are demanding answers and action from the U.S. military after hearing from their loved ones that either they have attempted to jump overboard or have stopped other service members from doing so in recent weeks. There are reports of deteriorating conditions, from lack of food and hygiene supplies, to no hot water aboard the aircraft carrier, but this biggest issue is the delayed and open ended deployment that was supposed to end back in May. The Navy has denied there is an increase in reported suicidal ideation and that while supply hubs have been disrupted by combat, sailors aboard the ship have plenty of supplies and mental health support.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, the folks. It is Thursday, August thirteenth, and growing concern about US sailors and emerging reports that some have actually tried to jump off their ships in the middle of extended deployments during this war with Iran. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. Sweet. This is something that's now getting a lot more tension and focus, and it should. But when we hear just how long some of these men and women have been at sea, you could see why, Robes, no matter how strong they are, at some point you start to crack a little uh yes.
00:00:42
Speaker 2: And this story at first was shocking because to think that US service members sailors are so desperate, are so mentally strained that they considered ending their lives jumping off the ship. Because that's how bad it feels on board this ship. They're in their ninth month. Correct, that's a lot.
00:01:08
Speaker 1: That's a lot, babe. And this ship, the one we're talking about in particular here, is the USS Abraham Lincoln. And this is all coming up now, Robes, because just in recent days, well last week, end of last week, family members of these sailors who have been out there since last November, they've been at seasons. Last November they had a meeting with Navy leadership, and some of the stuff that came out of their robes is starting to be reported about. And yes, in fact, even though it doesn't seem right now robes, there are lots of reports of this, but there are some family members who are directly reporting they know their loved one either tried to jump off a ship or helped pull somebody back over. So these things seem to be real hero robes.
00:01:51
Speaker 2: Oh yes, I think it's very accurate and fair to say, given what we're hearing from family members, that multiple people have attempted to or considered jumping off the ship to escape their current conditions. And it sounds like they don't get to talk to family that often, that reception and communication is spotty at best based on their location. And I thought this was another just to try to imagine what it would be like to be on this aircraft carrier for that long, separated from your family, but separated from land. They've been at sea, like they're not going into ports and getting off and being on terra firma and hitting a restaurant just to break up just the monotony, but also just the endless days of work and not knowing when they're going to end all of that, just to not have a schedule, to not have an end date, to not have a break.
00:02:47
Speaker 1: They said, that's really Robes. You gotta have it because you have to have some kind of hope, some kind of optimism. You have to have something you can circle, I'm gonna see my baby on this day. Something. They're floating around roads and have no idea. We should explain. The one we're talking about here is the USS Abraham Lincoln based in San Diego. It left November twenty first Robes. That was supposed to be a six month tour, but it was supposed to be in the Pacific Ocean, and what happened. Of course, they get rerouted head to the Middle East and they have been there ever since. They were supposed to return home in May. Robes. When are they coming home now? Nobody knows.
00:03:24
Speaker 2: They've already missed a Thanksgiving, they've already missed a Christmas. Certainly, they've already missed countless milestones. And that's something you sign up for. We understand when you're a member of the military. But birthdays anniversaries, graduations, celebrations. But you have a reasonable expectation of an end date, and therefore you can mentally like so much of mental health is just knowing what's coming or feeling some semblance of control of your own life, of your own schedule. When you lose all of that and there's no end in sight, that is actually a recipe for I don't want to say insanity, but certainly a mental health crisis of some sort.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: Well roads, that is what's happening to them now. And I saw that and I got it, like that makes sense. I need something to circle. But you know what I thought about, and on its smaller scale, but you know, I'm probably worse than you are about this. I can't go for a run unless I know what our turnaround distance is going to be. You've seen this with me so many times. You're laughing, because for me, mentally, I need to know and have a target for when we are going to swing around and come back. We do five miles, ten miles or whatever. Sometimes we turn around at five somebody, we do this and that little thing. I always tell you, baby, I gotta know what we're doing.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: You are very regimented like that. It's funny. I'm not like that at all. I'm I can absolutely go with the flow and see where the path takes me and where I end up. And sometimes I go longer than I think. But I'm running with you. I know I need to have a set plan, a set route, and a set amount of miles that we're running. And I get that because expectations, schedules, having some sort of routine is extremely important for most people, but especially for folks who have those types of needs, and you are among them. And a lot of people are like that. I mean, I like to have a schedule too, But some people are more regimented than others. I would imagine if you're a member of the military and that appeals to you, you're probably more likely to be of your mindset like you like regiment, you like order, you like discipline. You appreciate all of those things because that's how you keep ships running, that's how you keep the military moving. And so to have all of that just up in the air for folks who like to have order and schedule and discipline, it's exceptionally difficult to navigate.
00:05:47
Speaker 1: To your point. You said you like to just kind of go with it. And see where it takes me. That works on a run. When you're own a deployment away from your family, we can't just wing it. They have to give these agreed men and women some hope of what they're fighting for, what they're doing is going to get them home. They have reports of sailors actually telling some publication Robes. All we want is an end date. We'll skip ports. We don't need a port if that'll get us home faster. But right now, as we sit here on August the thirteenth, their deployment will supposed to end in May. They have no idea when they might be coming home. So they had this meeting, these family members, and they did Robe. They expressed their concerns about the mental health of a lot of their family members who are on board. But what came out of this meeting and some of the reports that reporting is coming to us from mainly from a couple of places, the Navy Times. It's independent, but it covers things in the Navy, and then Stars and Stripes. I think a lot of people have heard of that one independent still but affiliated with the Pentagon and Robes. This is where most of the reports there's things were passing along now coming to us from those two outits.
00:06:55
Speaker 2: Ah, yes, and we heard directly from one wife. Her name is Annabel Loma, and she said this to the Navy Times. She said that her husband tried to jump overboard and texted her that he hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow. That is frightening to get something, to get a report like that, and then to get a text like that, and to know there's nothing you can do.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: You can't pick up the phone and call his boss or something like that. Role you can't do anything. The outlet reported that he's now in a medical hold somewhere, but what's going to happen to him? She was concerned that he's going to be looked at like he was trying to desert or something. And now I think she's at thirteen years his career now is over and that's a damn shame.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: She said she was so afraid, and that he was concerned he was going to be dishonorably discharged. And he had a stellar career thirteen years. To know that just because his mental health is declining, given the experience that he's having, that that would somehow put or cast a shadow on all of those years of exemplary service is also demoralizing. I mean that has to be adding to his mental health right now at this point to think that because he was in such need that now that might actually have a lasting impact on his record.
00:08:11
Speaker 1: Another incident that is being reported by Stars and Stripes, another sailor was seen preparing to jump, and in this reporting it was a woman who reported that it was her husband who intervened in this one. Others helped as well, but again this was another directly coming from family members of those on board who are saying they're being told this stuff is happening, and another sailor telling Stars and Stripe and wraps it up, rope, there's nothing to look forward to. All we want is a date home. Ropes are floating around out that with no idea when they might be heading home. That is, and to your point we were talking about earlier, it's how long this deployment has been. It's more than two hundred and sixty days, but it's set a record of two hundred and seven plus days, Like you said, being at sea, that math that's five How is that?
00:09:02
Speaker 2: I cannot imagine, and don't ask me to do math. I cannot imagine not being on land for that long. Bro.
00:09:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's seven you're talking seven months almost of not setting foot on land.
00:09:18
Speaker 2: Like, just think about some of the things we all love. I mean, I honestly, I'm thinking about like just walking, going to a restaurant, using I don't know, just just interacting with people other than the people you work with day in and day out, a change of scenery, being on solid ground, just the basics not having the same. And look, they talk about the conditions aboard this ship too, and they are describing something that sounds like a horror show. They're talking about not having toothpaste. Did you see that? No toothpaste, moldy bathrooms, no hot water, no laundry services, running out of food supplies, being rationed down to tortillas and rice. I mean, that sounds horrific.
00:10:09
Speaker 1: I will say, I'll do this now. We're going to give you the full Nate Navy response to this. But they were they pushed back immediately on the food, like, are you kidding me? Obviously everyone has enough food. They even talked about how they have like ten to thirty days supplies just sitting there always on these ships and they get replenished by other ships that come out and whatnot. So they push back on that one pretty hard.
00:10:30
Speaker 2: This is an aircraft carrier, correct, So yes, you've got the ability to have aircraft and helicopters and all sorts of aircraft landing on that ship to provide certain amounts of just supplies. But look, they're describing despondent conditions.
00:10:49
Speaker 1: It doesn't that does not mean that this was not happening and wasn't real for many the sailors who are on that ship robes and I didn't know this, but sixty seven months is typical what they say, or aircraft carrier, what you could expect it to be out. They are getting longer given all that's going on roads. The longest deployment in history just happened. The longest one in modern history was the USS gerald Ford. It just got back in May. It was out for three hundred and twenty six days.
00:11:19
Speaker 2: Wow, so what is that? Ten months? Eleven months, that's almost a full year. And I was reading and I know you were too, in the Navy times just talking to some of the people who yes, are back home waiting and wondering when their loved ones are coming back, and one that really hit me was this young woman who's a high school senior and she wants her mom to come home. And she just said, I'm preparing for my senior year without knowing whether or not she's going to make it back for her homecoming dance, her birthday Christmas prompt, like she has no idea. She said, that's all I think about. And then she knows her mom is struggling. Just she said, she barely can communicate with her, but when she does, she said, she can tell that her mom is down. And that's got to be so hard, just worrying about your loved one on that ship, wondering what they're going through, and knowing you can't really have those daily conversations that you're used to. It's hard to imagine.
00:12:15
Speaker 1: But the Navy, like we said, pushed back on a lot of this, and they did give a response to these latest reports. Will let you hear what they have to say, yes, including their actual statement from the Navy about all this. There.
00:12:37
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone to Amy and TJ. We are talking about some pretty shocking reports that are coming out of the USS. Abraham Lincoln correct, that's the name of the aircraft carrier that's been out to see now for well it's in its ninth month. They're just one week's shy of I guess fully being out to see for nine months. It was only supposed to be a six month deployment. And there are yes reports of multiple sailors wanting to attempting to jump ship literally to get away from the conditions on board, and just the mental health crisis they're experiencing in not knowing when they're coming home. And so the Navy is responding hearing from these families, hearing these reports, and they say what they're sending more mental health professionals to try and help out some of these service men and women who are struggling.
00:13:34
Speaker 1: I mean, I masure people know they already have counselors, chaplains and whatnot on every ship, and they say they have full access to whatever mental health services. But they did make the point that they're sending more. If they're sending more, they must recognize an increased need is what that suggests. But they are sending more. They again I told you, they push back on the idea of food being scarce, but also push back on the idea that there's an increase some suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts even or morale or guys being down. They push back on that, and I guess they should. It's just that's hard, right. We see on TV and the President's posting these things and everything looks super cool, and they doing playing video games. And look how they're blowing up ships. Wrote those the men and women on these ships. We all know the strain when you're away from your family. We all know the danger actually when you go into theater like that. But you add now that stress was already there. This is an added element of it, and you could see why it's enough for people to break. It happens in society, why wouldn't it be happening in our military as well. These are young people.
00:14:46
Speaker 2: They're young people. And look, I don't know if you've ever been on an aircraft carrier. It's like a little city, and so it looks big and huge and spacious, but man, when you go underneath, it is tight. It is submarine esque. And look just being in those confined quarters. I was on a ship and I was only on the ship for maybe what five hours? Six hours? And I wanted to get off, Like it is confining and I understand they sign up for this, but after a certain while, after a certain amount of time, and especially when you in your head mentally had an end date that you thought, okay, just make it till May. In May, I get to see my family. And now they didn't tell them, okay in September, you can see your family. In October, you can see your family in November. They don't know when they're getting off this ship. Add to that, so these close confined quarters where you're working NonStop, there aren't days off in the sense you can't go out and take a drive or go to the beach or hit a restaurant. No, you are on that ship and they haven't been to port. That makes so much sense that I think it's interesting that there was even any pushback that there's an increased mental health crisis on that ship.
00:15:56
Speaker 1: You can suggest that there was an issue with morale Ropes because Hexseeth is in charge. Now we got all this this dudes in dresses stuff out right.
00:16:08
Speaker 2: Yes, stop your whining. You can't complain.
00:16:09
Speaker 1: We've changed everything now, Warrior Ethos now that whole thing, Mabe. You can't make an admission that something is going on in the military that is hurting morale, that is causing them to be depressed, to have mental You can't do that. This is all rally rally and they are wildly impressive even with their struggles. I applaud them. But they're human beings. That's that's too lee. You gotta give them hope. You got to give them hope. The statement from the Navy did at least acknowledge robe that they we know that extended deployments place strained, significant strain. They say they're grateful for the sacrifices. They go on to talk about their health and well being of every sailor as a top priority. But they say, quote, based on information available to the command, we have not identified an increase in reported suicidal idea or suicide attempts aboard the ship. They say that flat out and clearly and plainly they want to push back.
00:17:08
Speaker 2: They're not seeing it, but just the caveat in front of that statement based on information available to the command, that does give them an out, so to speak, and have the information.
00:17:20
Speaker 1: And the funny how we always read these things. So we've been reading these things for thirty years. Yeah, statements have very careful language that cover their.
00:17:28
Speaker 2: Butts absolutely so yeah, in saying that they haven't identified an increase in any sort of mental health crisis. They then go on to say, we take every service member's well being seriously and have religious, medical, and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise. Lincoln is providing a comprehensive support network, including onboard deployment resilience counselors, chaplain's fleet, and family support center services. They go on to just say that they are well equipped to handle whatever may be going on with these sailors. But look, they did push back on the reports that what they're eating, the fact that I mean there were reports they didn't have deodorant, they didn't have toothpaste.
00:18:15
Speaker 1: They pushed back on that. That last line, though, is built a little funny too. It's not just direct. They jump around a little bit. They say, quote, Lincoln is operating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat operations.
00:18:33
Speaker 2: That seems acknowledging it.
00:18:34
Speaker 1: That seems to suggests, yeah, we've had a problem. You get food and stuff.
00:18:37
Speaker 2: We haven't been able to get the regular deliveries that we would have otherwise, because yes, we're in a very dangerous part of the world where anyone and everyone is subject to being shot at.
00:18:48
Speaker 1: So it said in response, leadership prioritized mission critical supplies first, food, then hygiene items, then mail, rubes. Those are that's as closer you're going to get to an admission. Yep, that we had to prioritize things, So hygiene items might have fallen by the wayside, just like mail because we had to get your food first.
00:19:07
Speaker 2: And look, I cannot imagine that these servicemen and women are making it up when they go on to tell their family moldy showers, broken toilets, no laundry, no hot water, a meal that came down to a cup of rice and two tortillas, no soap, no deodorant, no toothpaste, Like, why would they say that.
00:19:28
Speaker 1: These aren't verbo reviews. They're telling their families this stuff back home. So yes, we can take them at their words for what they're experiencing. They go on the navy here talking about current reports from the ship confirm continuous access to clean water, functional AC and healthy meal options. Current reports from the ship confirm current reports. It's almost like they're getting a who are you talking to?
00:19:54
Speaker 2: Bizarre? And then you've got Pete Heseth going out publicly and dismissing these counts from the men and women who he claims are the bravest, most courageous, strongest folks in the world. He described these accounts as more fake news. Is he saying that the news media is making this up?
00:20:15
Speaker 1: Oh? I didn't know he was going there.
00:20:17
Speaker 2: Yeah, So that makes no sense to me because actually the reports are coming from as you mentioned, Navy Times, Stars and Stripes, ABC and CBS and CNN and the people who they like to put into that category of fake news. It wasn't coming from them.
00:20:36
Speaker 1: I need a go to like that. They have a go to anytime there's something reported they don't like, just fake news and move on. Not going to address it. I'm not going to answer anything. Just fake news and move on if it's something they don't like and it's not go in line with whatever they're trying to put out. We need something like that, just dismissive of anything somebody throws at us. Yeah.
00:20:56
Speaker 2: I believe are men and women in uniform who are reporting back to their families about what they're going through. And I think most Americans do too.
00:21:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's not fake. That's not fake. But this is one to keep an eye on. And there's some members of Congress who are looking into this as well and do want answers from the Pentagon. So one to keep a close eye on and keep an eye on, and keep your thoughts on. The men and women on board at USS Abraham Lincoln nine months at CE Robes and were supposed to be out there for six And you don't know if you're going to be out there for ten, eleven, twelve. You don't know if you're going to be home for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, for anything. So keep an eye USS Abraham Lincoln and Robes the one that had the record, Just to tell you know, I forgot to make this point. The USS Gerald four that say has been out three on twenty six days. You know why Robes it went out. It supported the Venezuela operation, then had to turn around and support the Iranian operation. You talking about warning the hell out. They literally had to take part in two wars, if you will, that kind of thing, that kind of strain. It's what's on these men and women because we were stretched. We've got operations all over the money.
00:22:06
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think it's an important part of what we're seeing, and the headlines aren't always focused on what those men and women are going through. We talk about how we're feeling about the war in this country, and we talk about depleted ammunitions and all these other headlines. But let's talk about our depleted service men and women who are really putting in incredibly long hours, long days, long months, and with no end in sight. That is they. I thought that was so telling. They don't want anything but an end date. Just tell us when we can go home, and then we can get our heads around it. We can actually relax because we know we can look forward to something they need helpe.
00:22:49
Speaker 1: All right, folks, want to pass this along. We appreciate you as always spending a little time with us. I'm TJ. That's Ropes. We'll talk so
Speaker 1: Hey, the folks. It is Thursday, August thirteenth, and growing concern about US sailors and emerging reports that some have actually tried to jump off their ships in the middle of extended deployments during this war with Iran. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. Sweet. This is something that's now getting a lot more tension and focus, and it should. But when we hear just how long some of these men and women have been at sea, you could see why, Robes, no matter how strong they are, at some point you start to crack a little uh yes.
00:00:42
Speaker 2: And this story at first was shocking because to think that US service members sailors are so desperate, are so mentally strained that they considered ending their lives jumping off the ship. Because that's how bad it feels on board this ship. They're in their ninth month. Correct, that's a lot.
00:01:08
Speaker 1: That's a lot, babe. And this ship, the one we're talking about in particular here, is the USS Abraham Lincoln. And this is all coming up now, Robes, because just in recent days, well last week, end of last week, family members of these sailors who have been out there since last November, they've been at seasons. Last November they had a meeting with Navy leadership, and some of the stuff that came out of their robes is starting to be reported about. And yes, in fact, even though it doesn't seem right now robes, there are lots of reports of this, but there are some family members who are directly reporting they know their loved one either tried to jump off a ship or helped pull somebody back over. So these things seem to be real hero robes.
00:01:51
Speaker 2: Oh yes, I think it's very accurate and fair to say, given what we're hearing from family members, that multiple people have attempted to or considered jumping off the ship to escape their current conditions. And it sounds like they don't get to talk to family that often, that reception and communication is spotty at best based on their location. And I thought this was another just to try to imagine what it would be like to be on this aircraft carrier for that long, separated from your family, but separated from land. They've been at sea, like they're not going into ports and getting off and being on terra firma and hitting a restaurant just to break up just the monotony, but also just the endless days of work and not knowing when they're going to end all of that, just to not have a schedule, to not have an end date, to not have a break.
00:02:47
Speaker 1: They said, that's really Robes. You gotta have it because you have to have some kind of hope, some kind of optimism. You have to have something you can circle, I'm gonna see my baby on this day. Something. They're floating around roads and have no idea. We should explain. The one we're talking about here is the USS Abraham Lincoln based in San Diego. It left November twenty first Robes. That was supposed to be a six month tour, but it was supposed to be in the Pacific Ocean, and what happened. Of course, they get rerouted head to the Middle East and they have been there ever since. They were supposed to return home in May. Robes. When are they coming home now? Nobody knows.
00:03:24
Speaker 2: They've already missed a Thanksgiving, they've already missed a Christmas. Certainly, they've already missed countless milestones. And that's something you sign up for. We understand when you're a member of the military. But birthdays anniversaries, graduations, celebrations. But you have a reasonable expectation of an end date, and therefore you can mentally like so much of mental health is just knowing what's coming or feeling some semblance of control of your own life, of your own schedule. When you lose all of that and there's no end in sight, that is actually a recipe for I don't want to say insanity, but certainly a mental health crisis of some sort.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: Well roads, that is what's happening to them now. And I saw that and I got it, like that makes sense. I need something to circle. But you know what I thought about, and on its smaller scale, but you know, I'm probably worse than you are about this. I can't go for a run unless I know what our turnaround distance is going to be. You've seen this with me so many times. You're laughing, because for me, mentally, I need to know and have a target for when we are going to swing around and come back. We do five miles, ten miles or whatever. Sometimes we turn around at five somebody, we do this and that little thing. I always tell you, baby, I gotta know what we're doing.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: You are very regimented like that. It's funny. I'm not like that at all. I'm I can absolutely go with the flow and see where the path takes me and where I end up. And sometimes I go longer than I think. But I'm running with you. I know I need to have a set plan, a set route, and a set amount of miles that we're running. And I get that because expectations, schedules, having some sort of routine is extremely important for most people, but especially for folks who have those types of needs, and you are among them. And a lot of people are like that. I mean, I like to have a schedule too, But some people are more regimented than others. I would imagine if you're a member of the military and that appeals to you, you're probably more likely to be of your mindset like you like regiment, you like order, you like discipline. You appreciate all of those things because that's how you keep ships running, that's how you keep the military moving. And so to have all of that just up in the air for folks who like to have order and schedule and discipline, it's exceptionally difficult to navigate.
00:05:47
Speaker 1: To your point. You said you like to just kind of go with it. And see where it takes me. That works on a run. When you're own a deployment away from your family, we can't just wing it. They have to give these agreed men and women some hope of what they're fighting for, what they're doing is going to get them home. They have reports of sailors actually telling some publication Robes. All we want is an end date. We'll skip ports. We don't need a port if that'll get us home faster. But right now, as we sit here on August the thirteenth, their deployment will supposed to end in May. They have no idea when they might be coming home. So they had this meeting, these family members, and they did Robe. They expressed their concerns about the mental health of a lot of their family members who are on board. But what came out of this meeting and some of the reports that reporting is coming to us from mainly from a couple of places, the Navy Times. It's independent, but it covers things in the Navy, and then Stars and Stripes. I think a lot of people have heard of that one independent still but affiliated with the Pentagon and Robes. This is where most of the reports there's things were passing along now coming to us from those two outits.
00:06:55
Speaker 2: Ah, yes, and we heard directly from one wife. Her name is Annabel Loma, and she said this to the Navy Times. She said that her husband tried to jump overboard and texted her that he hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow. That is frightening to get something, to get a report like that, and then to get a text like that, and to know there's nothing you can do.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: You can't pick up the phone and call his boss or something like that. Role you can't do anything. The outlet reported that he's now in a medical hold somewhere, but what's going to happen to him? She was concerned that he's going to be looked at like he was trying to desert or something. And now I think she's at thirteen years his career now is over and that's a damn shame.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: She said she was so afraid, and that he was concerned he was going to be dishonorably discharged. And he had a stellar career thirteen years. To know that just because his mental health is declining, given the experience that he's having, that that would somehow put or cast a shadow on all of those years of exemplary service is also demoralizing. I mean that has to be adding to his mental health right now at this point to think that because he was in such need that now that might actually have a lasting impact on his record.
00:08:11
Speaker 1: Another incident that is being reported by Stars and Stripes, another sailor was seen preparing to jump, and in this reporting it was a woman who reported that it was her husband who intervened in this one. Others helped as well, but again this was another directly coming from family members of those on board who are saying they're being told this stuff is happening, and another sailor telling Stars and Stripe and wraps it up, rope, there's nothing to look forward to. All we want is a date home. Ropes are floating around out that with no idea when they might be heading home. That is, and to your point we were talking about earlier, it's how long this deployment has been. It's more than two hundred and sixty days, but it's set a record of two hundred and seven plus days, Like you said, being at sea, that math that's five How is that?
00:09:02
Speaker 2: I cannot imagine, and don't ask me to do math. I cannot imagine not being on land for that long. Bro.
00:09:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's seven you're talking seven months almost of not setting foot on land.
00:09:18
Speaker 2: Like, just think about some of the things we all love. I mean, I honestly, I'm thinking about like just walking, going to a restaurant, using I don't know, just just interacting with people other than the people you work with day in and day out, a change of scenery, being on solid ground, just the basics not having the same. And look, they talk about the conditions aboard this ship too, and they are describing something that sounds like a horror show. They're talking about not having toothpaste. Did you see that? No toothpaste, moldy bathrooms, no hot water, no laundry services, running out of food supplies, being rationed down to tortillas and rice. I mean, that sounds horrific.
00:10:09
Speaker 1: I will say, I'll do this now. We're going to give you the full Nate Navy response to this. But they were they pushed back immediately on the food, like, are you kidding me? Obviously everyone has enough food. They even talked about how they have like ten to thirty days supplies just sitting there always on these ships and they get replenished by other ships that come out and whatnot. So they push back on that one pretty hard.
00:10:30
Speaker 2: This is an aircraft carrier, correct, So yes, you've got the ability to have aircraft and helicopters and all sorts of aircraft landing on that ship to provide certain amounts of just supplies. But look, they're describing despondent conditions.
00:10:49
Speaker 1: It doesn't that does not mean that this was not happening and wasn't real for many the sailors who are on that ship robes and I didn't know this, but sixty seven months is typical what they say, or aircraft carrier, what you could expect it to be out. They are getting longer given all that's going on roads. The longest deployment in history just happened. The longest one in modern history was the USS gerald Ford. It just got back in May. It was out for three hundred and twenty six days.
00:11:19
Speaker 2: Wow, so what is that? Ten months? Eleven months, that's almost a full year. And I was reading and I know you were too, in the Navy times just talking to some of the people who yes, are back home waiting and wondering when their loved ones are coming back, and one that really hit me was this young woman who's a high school senior and she wants her mom to come home. And she just said, I'm preparing for my senior year without knowing whether or not she's going to make it back for her homecoming dance, her birthday Christmas prompt, like she has no idea. She said, that's all I think about. And then she knows her mom is struggling. Just she said, she barely can communicate with her, but when she does, she said, she can tell that her mom is down. And that's got to be so hard, just worrying about your loved one on that ship, wondering what they're going through, and knowing you can't really have those daily conversations that you're used to. It's hard to imagine.
00:12:15
Speaker 1: But the Navy, like we said, pushed back on a lot of this, and they did give a response to these latest reports. Will let you hear what they have to say, yes, including their actual statement from the Navy about all this. There.
00:12:37
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone to Amy and TJ. We are talking about some pretty shocking reports that are coming out of the USS. Abraham Lincoln correct, that's the name of the aircraft carrier that's been out to see now for well it's in its ninth month. They're just one week's shy of I guess fully being out to see for nine months. It was only supposed to be a six month deployment. And there are yes reports of multiple sailors wanting to attempting to jump ship literally to get away from the conditions on board, and just the mental health crisis they're experiencing in not knowing when they're coming home. And so the Navy is responding hearing from these families, hearing these reports, and they say what they're sending more mental health professionals to try and help out some of these service men and women who are struggling.
00:13:34
Speaker 1: I mean, I masure people know they already have counselors, chaplains and whatnot on every ship, and they say they have full access to whatever mental health services. But they did make the point that they're sending more. If they're sending more, they must recognize an increased need is what that suggests. But they are sending more. They again I told you, they push back on the idea of food being scarce, but also push back on the idea that there's an increase some suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts even or morale or guys being down. They push back on that, and I guess they should. It's just that's hard, right. We see on TV and the President's posting these things and everything looks super cool, and they doing playing video games. And look how they're blowing up ships. Wrote those the men and women on these ships. We all know the strain when you're away from your family. We all know the danger actually when you go into theater like that. But you add now that stress was already there. This is an added element of it, and you could see why it's enough for people to break. It happens in society, why wouldn't it be happening in our military as well. These are young people.
00:14:46
Speaker 2: They're young people. And look, I don't know if you've ever been on an aircraft carrier. It's like a little city, and so it looks big and huge and spacious, but man, when you go underneath, it is tight. It is submarine esque. And look just being in those confined quarters. I was on a ship and I was only on the ship for maybe what five hours? Six hours? And I wanted to get off, Like it is confining and I understand they sign up for this, but after a certain while, after a certain amount of time, and especially when you in your head mentally had an end date that you thought, okay, just make it till May. In May, I get to see my family. And now they didn't tell them, okay in September, you can see your family. In October, you can see your family in November. They don't know when they're getting off this ship. Add to that, so these close confined quarters where you're working NonStop, there aren't days off in the sense you can't go out and take a drive or go to the beach or hit a restaurant. No, you are on that ship and they haven't been to port. That makes so much sense that I think it's interesting that there was even any pushback that there's an increased mental health crisis on that ship.
00:15:56
Speaker 1: You can suggest that there was an issue with morale Ropes because Hexseeth is in charge. Now we got all this this dudes in dresses stuff out right.
00:16:08
Speaker 2: Yes, stop your whining. You can't complain.
00:16:09
Speaker 1: We've changed everything now, Warrior Ethos now that whole thing, Mabe. You can't make an admission that something is going on in the military that is hurting morale, that is causing them to be depressed, to have mental You can't do that. This is all rally rally and they are wildly impressive even with their struggles. I applaud them. But they're human beings. That's that's too lee. You gotta give them hope. You got to give them hope. The statement from the Navy did at least acknowledge robe that they we know that extended deployments place strained, significant strain. They say they're grateful for the sacrifices. They go on to talk about their health and well being of every sailor as a top priority. But they say, quote, based on information available to the command, we have not identified an increase in reported suicidal idea or suicide attempts aboard the ship. They say that flat out and clearly and plainly they want to push back.
00:17:08
Speaker 2: They're not seeing it, but just the caveat in front of that statement based on information available to the command, that does give them an out, so to speak, and have the information.
00:17:20
Speaker 1: And the funny how we always read these things. So we've been reading these things for thirty years. Yeah, statements have very careful language that cover their.
00:17:28
Speaker 2: Butts absolutely so yeah, in saying that they haven't identified an increase in any sort of mental health crisis. They then go on to say, we take every service member's well being seriously and have religious, medical, and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise. Lincoln is providing a comprehensive support network, including onboard deployment resilience counselors, chaplain's fleet, and family support center services. They go on to just say that they are well equipped to handle whatever may be going on with these sailors. But look, they did push back on the reports that what they're eating, the fact that I mean there were reports they didn't have deodorant, they didn't have toothpaste.
00:18:15
Speaker 1: They pushed back on that. That last line, though, is built a little funny too. It's not just direct. They jump around a little bit. They say, quote, Lincoln is operating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat operations.
00:18:33
Speaker 2: That seems acknowledging it.
00:18:34
Speaker 1: That seems to suggests, yeah, we've had a problem. You get food and stuff.
00:18:37
Speaker 2: We haven't been able to get the regular deliveries that we would have otherwise, because yes, we're in a very dangerous part of the world where anyone and everyone is subject to being shot at.
00:18:48
Speaker 1: So it said in response, leadership prioritized mission critical supplies first, food, then hygiene items, then mail, rubes. Those are that's as closer you're going to get to an admission. Yep, that we had to prioritize things, So hygiene items might have fallen by the wayside, just like mail because we had to get your food first.
00:19:07
Speaker 2: And look, I cannot imagine that these servicemen and women are making it up when they go on to tell their family moldy showers, broken toilets, no laundry, no hot water, a meal that came down to a cup of rice and two tortillas, no soap, no deodorant, no toothpaste, Like, why would they say that.
00:19:28
Speaker 1: These aren't verbo reviews. They're telling their families this stuff back home. So yes, we can take them at their words for what they're experiencing. They go on the navy here talking about current reports from the ship confirm continuous access to clean water, functional AC and healthy meal options. Current reports from the ship confirm current reports. It's almost like they're getting a who are you talking to?
00:19:54
Speaker 2: Bizarre? And then you've got Pete Heseth going out publicly and dismissing these counts from the men and women who he claims are the bravest, most courageous, strongest folks in the world. He described these accounts as more fake news. Is he saying that the news media is making this up?
00:20:15
Speaker 1: Oh? I didn't know he was going there.
00:20:17
Speaker 2: Yeah, So that makes no sense to me because actually the reports are coming from as you mentioned, Navy Times, Stars and Stripes, ABC and CBS and CNN and the people who they like to put into that category of fake news. It wasn't coming from them.
00:20:36
Speaker 1: I need a go to like that. They have a go to anytime there's something reported they don't like, just fake news and move on. Not going to address it. I'm not going to answer anything. Just fake news and move on if it's something they don't like and it's not go in line with whatever they're trying to put out. We need something like that, just dismissive of anything somebody throws at us. Yeah.
00:20:56
Speaker 2: I believe are men and women in uniform who are reporting back to their families about what they're going through. And I think most Americans do too.
00:21:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's not fake. That's not fake. But this is one to keep an eye on. And there's some members of Congress who are looking into this as well and do want answers from the Pentagon. So one to keep a close eye on and keep an eye on, and keep your thoughts on. The men and women on board at USS Abraham Lincoln nine months at CE Robes and were supposed to be out there for six And you don't know if you're going to be out there for ten, eleven, twelve. You don't know if you're going to be home for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, for anything. So keep an eye USS Abraham Lincoln and Robes the one that had the record, Just to tell you know, I forgot to make this point. The USS Gerald four that say has been out three on twenty six days. You know why Robes it went out. It supported the Venezuela operation, then had to turn around and support the Iranian operation. You talking about warning the hell out. They literally had to take part in two wars, if you will, that kind of thing, that kind of strain. It's what's on these men and women because we were stretched. We've got operations all over the money.
00:22:06
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think it's an important part of what we're seeing, and the headlines aren't always focused on what those men and women are going through. We talk about how we're feeling about the war in this country, and we talk about depleted ammunitions and all these other headlines. But let's talk about our depleted service men and women who are really putting in incredibly long hours, long days, long months, and with no end in sight. That is they. I thought that was so telling. They don't want anything but an end date. Just tell us when we can go home, and then we can get our heads around it. We can actually relax because we know we can look forward to something they need helpe.
00:22:49
Speaker 1: All right, folks, want to pass this along. We appreciate you as always spending a little time with us. I'm TJ. That's Ropes. We'll talk so