Families of USS Lincoln crew say Trump should be 'ashamed' of conditions on board

Families of USS Abraham Lincoln sailors are criticizing President Trump after reports surfaced of food shortages, plumbing failures, and mental health strain during the carrier's nearly nine-month deployment, the longest of its kind. A relief ship, the USS George Washington, is now en route, according to an unnamed defense official.

Karen Bramlett, whose grandson serves aboard the Lincoln, said he communicates with her weekly and is coping but depressed, and that the deployment has shattered his earlier enthusiasm for Navy life. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed mental health cases were treated and meals were adjusted when resupply was unavailable, while insisting no meals were missed and no lives were lost.

Sen. Ruben Gallego accused the administration of 'winging it' and called for bipartisan congressional visits to verify sailors' wellbeing, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the reports as misrepresented. A former Navy pilot noted the roughly 5,000 returning sailors will need support readjusting to life at home.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.