The sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have spent nearly 250 consecutive days at sea, and the situation has become a crisis. Crew members are attempting to jump overboard. Families are reporting moldy showers, rationed meals and soap, broken toilets, and 12- to 16-hour shifts with no days off. One spouse told Navy officials her husband messaged her saying "he hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow." That is not a deployment. That is a breaking point.
Congress must act. Senator Blumenthal has demanded answers from the Defense Department by August 27, and Senator Gallego is pushing for an oversight visit. That is not enough. The Navy cannot even provide a timeline for relief because of "operational security." Meanwhile, Annabelle Loma hasn't heard from the Navy in weeks about her husband's suicide attempt, and his 13-year career hangs in the balance simply because he was burnt out. These sailors deserve better than silence and bureaucratic deflection.
Demand an immediate timeline for Lincoln's return, full accountability for the conditions that produced this crisis, and protection from discharge for any service member who sought help. These are not abstract policy questions. These are people who are running out of hope, and their families are watching it happen from home.
▶ Created on August 13 by Protect Long Covid Research
Sign Petition
