I am absolutely appalled and disgusted by the comments from the Trump administration, especially the Commander-in Chief himself, regarding the length of deployment and conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
To downplay the reports, call the sailors and their families “liars” and dismiss their experiences is reprehensible and incredibly irresponsible. The modus operandi of our administration is to use these tactics to avert attention away from the failures and the truth. And these are coming from a draft-dodger who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and a level of entitlement that dwarfs the reality of most Americans. Someone who had started on third base and has never had to experience anything like what those onboard are enduring.
He has publicly and privately disrespected the military, the very one his position is to be leading, throughout both of his terms and beyond. From such disrespectful comments about the late Senator John McCain, who endured grueling conditions as a POW, to disparaging Gold Star families and the veteran community, to clashes with highly decorated military leadership, to criticizing fallen heroes, Trump consistently puts himself above those who have served or are serving. The level of such high mental and emotional strain, degraded living conditions, shortages of fresh drinking water and reasonable meals and lack of mental health care are unacceptable aboard a modern warship of the United States.
The fact is that the Lincoln should not be on station for such a long and uninterrupted period. She should have been relieved by another carrier by now through better planning and preparedness. It further shows how the Trump administration was woefully unprepared for this war.
It is common for deployments to be extended, and the strain on your mental and physical health as well as on your loved ones back home can be quite taxing. I served in the Navy for six years and I think back to my experience, which was not to this extreme, and at least I had the luxury of more frequent port visits for much needed relief from the routine. I was not in full wartime conditions, although when on a six-month deployment and on our way home, we were re-routed to the coast of Libya in 1986 for two additional months to bomb military assets for the then leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in retaliation for terrorist acts against Americans.
I know firsthand the impact that has on a sailor and that was not at the level that they are enduring today. It is not just the toll on the men and women and their families, but the wear-and-tear on the ship, aircraft and equipment. Unlike when I was enlisted, today there is constant real-time communication with the outside world when at sea so they can express their experiences in real-time. I assure you, it is not a lie, not fake news and not a left-wing ploy to misrepresent reality.
Bill Garrison is a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Portsmouth.