US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln returns home after record deployment and Iran war mission

The USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home to San Diego Thursday after supporting the Iran war during a recordlong deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea that included reports of deteriorating conditions among its crewDefence Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation the highest honor a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combatHegseth pushed back against what he said were efforts to turn the Lincoln into some sort of a symbol a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed missionHe said that what makes the US military and the US Navy and all these sailors different is that you adapt and that youre resilient and you overcome you finish the mission nonethelessHegseth told the crew that President Donald Trump tracked your activities from day one and couldnt be more proud of what you executedThe Navy initially downplayed problems on the carrierThe carrier drew national attention following reports of stress among the crew and poor mental health as well as supply shortages including food and hygiene products during its Iran war missionThe Navy initially downplayed any problems and Trump commented in August that the Lincolns lengthy deployment was not nearly long enoughThe carrier had left San Diego in November and arrived in the Middle East in January US and Israeli forces launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28Navy leaders however eventually acknowledged there were some issues aboardIn August acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the Lincoln maintained adequate food supplies but because combat operations limited resupply opportunities meal options were reduced from two to one for a short time He said in a letter to a Democratic lawmaker seeking information that four nutritionally balanced meals were served dailyAfter more than 10 months at sea the Lincolns crew got a stop in Thailand early last month on the way back from the Middle EastLong deployments can tax service membersExtended naval deployments can wear on service members who are away from home for long periods and increase strain on the ship and its equipmentThe Navy told lawmakers that eight sailors attempted suicide during the recordsetting deployment though experts say that number is low in a strike group of 6000 sailors over 10 monthsAccording to the citation that Hegseth read to the crew the Lincoln and its strike group executed 3693 combat missions delivered 137 million pounds of ordnance launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles shot down 77 oneway attack drones sank 64 Iranian warships destroyed 21 antiship cruise missiles and defended against four fastattack craft and explosivecarrying shipsThe Lincoln which set a record for days in between ports of call is the second carrier to endure an unusually long deployment to support the war against Iran and to receive the Presidential Unit Citation afterwardHegseth in May met the crew of the USS Gerald R Ford during its return from a 326day deployment the longest for an aircraft carrier in the past 50 years and a record in the postVietnam War eraAnother carrier the usually Asiabased USS George Washington relieved the Lincoln in the Middle East in AugustThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever