'Heartbreaking': Analyst aghast as Trump's war drives Navy sailors to rock bottom
August 13, 2026
RAW STORY
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth walks with Brigadier General John Fleet as he arrives to attend the closing ceremony of PANAMAX 2026, a multinational exercise focused on improving joint operational capabilities, enhancing regional security, and ensuring the protection and free flow of commerce through the Panama Canal, in Panama City, Panama, August 13, 2026. REUTERS/Aris Martinez
The mental health breakdown aboard the U.S.S. Lincoln as President Donald Trump's Iran war drags on is reaching the breaking point, Pentagon reporter Priya Sridhar told MS NOW's Katy Tur on Wednesday.
"Heartbreaking" reports have been flooding in about sailors jumping, or trying to jump, off the side of the vessel as their conditions and psyches deteriorate, she noted — and they "feel like there's no end in sight."
"This young woman who I spoke to said that her husband has been expressing to her that he's been struggling with this deployment for several months, basically since the middle of the deployment," said Sridhar.
An aircraft mechanic on the vessel, her husband "notified his chain of command multiple times and went to the medical team saying that he was having suicidal ideations, but they were basically dismissed." The Navy didn't confirm to her that he was the sailor who went overboard for nearly a week.
"She also shared with me the last text message that he sent to her prior to him jumping off the ship. And I want to read part of it to you," Sridhar continued. "He basically said, 'I think the boat is finally getting to me, and I really don't think I can keep up my peace act anymore. You are right that it all isn't okay. We were supposed to leave Fifth Fleet on July 15th, but then something had to come up, and my last hope of being home soon was gone.'"
His text continued, reiterating that it's "really getting me" and "I don't think I can do another deployment after this, and I don't even know if I can finish this deployment."
"[These are] really heartbreaking details, Katy," said Sridhar — as well as mounting scrutiny over why the Navy hasn't done anything about this.
"I did reach out to them for comment, and they basically said that they can't comment on individual service members' medical records for privacy reasons, but they are disputing the fact that there's any sort of uptick in suicidal ideation on this specific ship," she added.
Issued on: 14/08/2026 -
FRANCE24
Reports of declining mental health and supply issues have been flagged by US sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln deployed to the Middle East, with some attempting to throw themselves into the sea. The ship has so far spent a record 260 uninterrupted days at sea as it supports the war in Iran, and is expected to be replaced by the Pacific-based USS George Washington en route to the area.
Video by: Monte FRANCIS
Sailor leaped off Navy ship after worries he was risking crew's lives got ignored: wife
Tom Boggioni
August 14, 2026
RAW STORY
A U.S. sailor, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14, conducts maintenance on an MH-60S Sea Hawk in the hangar bay of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during the ongoing conflict with Iran August 9, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS
A distressed sailor who jumped off an aircraft carrier off the coast of Iran was having vision problems that impacted his work repairing helicopters — and his superiors didn’t care, his wife said.
A U.S. sailor, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14, conducts maintenance on an MH-60S Sea Hawk in the hangar bay of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during the ongoing conflict with Iran August 9, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS
A distressed sailor who jumped off an aircraft carrier off the coast of Iran was having vision problems that impacted his work repairing helicopters — and his superiors didn’t care, his wife said.
In fact, they "yelled at him," the Navy serviceman’s spouse told MS NOW’s Priya Sridhar.
The unnamed 19-year-old sailor who jumped overboard and was in the water for more than an hour has become the focal point of complaints aimed at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is facing a firestorm over the excessive 9-month-long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
According to MS NOW, ”Many family members are concerned about potential exhaustion, low morale and the mental health of those on board, as the aircraft carrier’s deployment at sea appears to have been extended twice during the ongoing Iran war, with no clear end in sight.”
According to the sailor’s wife, her contact has been spotty with her husband and, after he was rescued, it took the Pentagon over four days to let her know he had jumped.
She said that the young man had repeatedly gone to his superiors to express panic that he was suffering mental health issues related to the overlong deployment. According to Sridhar, he also complained that his vision was impaired to the point that he feared he’d make a mistake while repairing helicopters.
The report notes, she said her husband ”expressed concern that his prescription contact lenses had expired and that he was having trouble seeing and doing his job properly. He works on helicopters on the carrier’s flight deck, and told her he believes it had led to accidents there.”
“Every single time he would make a mistake, they would yell at him, and he would get into a lot of trouble,” the man’s wife elaborated. “He would explain to them that he can’t see because his prescription was expired, but they still allowed him to work.”
Trump sneers at suffering sailors stuck on USS Lincoln: 'Not nearly long enough'
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln sails in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY/File Photo
Sailors suffering a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were told by President Donald Trump on Friday they hadn't been stuck on board "nearly long enough."
Trump made the remark Friday when a reporter asked whether the deployment had gone on too long.
The Lincoln's roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines are nine months into a deployment that was supposed to end in May, with no return date announced.
Multiple sailors have attempted to jump overboard during the extended deployment as doctors on the ship warn they are on the brink of "losing their minds."
Families of sailors have described moldy showers, broken toilets, weeks without laundry service, and a meal that came to two tortillas and a half-cup of rice.
Annabelle Loma told the Military Times her husband had tried to go overboard and was placed on a medical hold.
"He's scared. He thinks he'll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out his 13-year career is ruined, just like that," she said.
The Lincoln has now spent more than 260 days at sea without a port call — a modern record for a U.S. carrier, according to The Guardian.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the reports of poor conditions and overboard attempts had been "completely misrepresented," ABC News reported.
"Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody," Hegseth told Newsmax.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) fired back directly at Hegseth's dismissal of the families' accounts.
"These men and women signed up to serve their country. The least their country owes them is hot water, a working toilet and a real meal. Hegseth cannot even manage that, and he has the nerve to look their families in the eye and call them liars," Levin said, according to the Guardian.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao demanding answers about the deployment, ABC News reported.
The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week and is heading toward the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln, the Associated Press reported.
David Edwards
August 14, 2026
August 14, 2026
RAW STORY
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln sails in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY/File Photo
Sailors suffering a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were told by President Donald Trump on Friday they hadn't been stuck on board "nearly long enough."
Trump made the remark Friday when a reporter asked whether the deployment had gone on too long.
The Lincoln's roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines are nine months into a deployment that was supposed to end in May, with no return date announced.
Multiple sailors have attempted to jump overboard during the extended deployment as doctors on the ship warn they are on the brink of "losing their minds."
Families of sailors have described moldy showers, broken toilets, weeks without laundry service, and a meal that came to two tortillas and a half-cup of rice.
Annabelle Loma told the Military Times her husband had tried to go overboard and was placed on a medical hold.
"He's scared. He thinks he'll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out his 13-year career is ruined, just like that," she said.
The Lincoln has now spent more than 260 days at sea without a port call — a modern record for a U.S. carrier, according to The Guardian.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the reports of poor conditions and overboard attempts had been "completely misrepresented," ABC News reported.
"Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody," Hegseth told Newsmax.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) fired back directly at Hegseth's dismissal of the families' accounts.
"These men and women signed up to serve their country. The least their country owes them is hot water, a working toilet and a real meal. Hegseth cannot even manage that, and he has the nerve to look their families in the eye and call them liars," Levin said, according to the Guardian.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao demanding answers about the deployment, ABC News reported.
The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week and is heading toward the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln, the Associated Press reported.
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