This post is way out of my usual. I rarely get directly political, and I don’t often comment on issues like this. But I am terribly upset about the situation on the USS Abraham Lincoln. So pardon me if I step off my usual track.
I rarely write about my experiences in the Navy. And when I do, it’s within circumscribed limits. It just was not the happiest time of my life, and while I turn many other things into jest, sarcasm, and foolishness, I leave that area alone.
But reading about the events happening on the USS Abraham Lincoln almost made me bawl my eyes out. Worse, listening to the bald-faced lies coming out of Washington made me fume.
I deployed on a carrier that dated back to the end of the Second World War. WASP was a tired ship with few crew amenities, great discomforts, and uncomfortable for the crew pretty much anytime. But some things remain constant: a ship with failing systems is not only uncomfortable, but potentially dangerous to the crew.
The Lincoln is much newer (Commissioned in 1989) and has much greater crew comforts than the elderly Wasp. But A few years ago I had an opportunity to visit aboard a modern carrier. Guess what? Despite increased amenities, it too had the closed-in, claustrophobic nature that the Wasp had.
Amenities for crew comfort were greatly enhanced; that was true. But my greatest recollection was that, barring times when we were doing operations, we seldom got out on deck. Mostly we lived like troglodytes, moving through corridors and through raised hatches designed to seal in case of emergency. Greater crew comfort on a modern ship? Yes, but for months at sea without any port stops, bad chow, and leaky “heads” ( bathrooms)? Oh no.
As big as she is, a carrier has limitations on what she can carry for spares and supplies. Port calls and supply ships are critical. Why? Well, one of my favorite quotes about the sea is this: “Whenever your preparations for the sea are poor, the sea worms its way in and finds the problems.” (Francis Stokes). The longer the deployment, the harder the duty, the more can go wrong, and as the saying goes, the sea worms its way in and finds the problems. Evidently, this is what has happened aboard the Abraham Lincoln.
Ignoring the problem, blindsiding families of the crew, and staunchly maintaining that all is well when it isn’t doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, it hurts that beloved rubric of the military – Good Order and Discipline.
My message to Washington? Fix your problems not only on board, but in your overly padded suites of offices.
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I took a few minutes to read recent news items about this. Definitely sound like the sailors need some break. Mr T’s response, if reported accurately, sound rather hard-hearted. One thing to say “Sorry, but needs must.” Another to say, “Tough.”
Like Christine, I had to update myself on this story, and it took a couple of articles to get a bigger picture. Multiple lawmakers demanding answers on behalf of concerned families is the most compelling to me. Military members and their families are used to hardship. Going with tough conditions like broken showers and inadequate food supplies are part of the job and usually accepted – temporarily. For them to have complained to their representatives says – in my experienced opinion – that things are really, really bad and have been for a long time. The Dump Administration’s quick denial of mental health concerns is total BS because the mental health impact is typically immediate when things are bad. Food and mail/communication is paramount, so if they aren’t eating well, it is an immediate morale blow. I can tell by your reaction that in your own experienced opinion, things are really bad. I have never lived on board an aircraft carrier but you have. This makes me concerned for the soldiers and their families, and also for our country, because word is getting out to the world that we are rotting from the inside, our military is failing, and we would make a pretty good target if anyone is interested in payback for our actions, say, what we have done regarding the Straight of Hormuz.
Did you see this: The Pentagon fired the publisher and the editor in chief of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded news outlet that covers the military, after it reported on deteriorating morale on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
This is an unconscionable situation in the middle of an unconscionable situation.
I heard about these last week and yes, I heard two diferent stories depending on the interviewee’s politics. I was left with the impression that neither was true.
Yes, I have been following this and… while I don’t have your connection to the Navy or any military, I literally cried over this. I had a very visceral reaction. And what did Ding Dong Donnie, the draft dodger say about the extreme length of deployment? “It wasn’t nearly long enough.” He seriously said this. And the blame game is being played, but last I heard, we still have a Constitution and there is a Commander in Chief. One of them used to have a sign on his desk that said, “The buck stops here.” It still does.
I think they all think that they are Teflon-coated and nothing will ever stick to them. I’d love to see them sent to Gitmo (Guantánamo) for “re-education”.