Target: Roger Wicker, Chair of U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
Goal: Investigate allegations of food shortages and poor conditions aboard military naval vessels.
A highly combative meeting between Navy leadership and military family members embodied the rising tensions wrought by the ongoing war in Iran. Loved ones of the 5,000 sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln let their anger be known about reportedly deteriorating conditions on the ship – which carries both Marines and Navy personnel – that has been at sea for over 250 days, with no end in sight. The crew, who set sail out of San Diego, has reportedly only had two opportunities to dock at a port and has remained continuously at sea for more than 200 days.
Reports of food shortages began to emerge in April…reports that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed as “fake news.” Yet in the interim, accounts of such shortages – apparently many coming from the crew themselves via family members – have only grown more frequent. And they have been supplemented by stories of urgent supply shortages (worsened by an apparent lack of effective care package transport to the ship), health and safety concerns such as rampant mold and broken toilets, and a twice-extended deployment that has reportedly facilitated sheer exhaustion and critically low morale. These reports have haunting echoes of the USS Gerald R. Ford (at sea for nearly a year due to Venezuela strikes and Operation Epic Fury), which allegedly faced its own poor conditions that included overflowing sewage and a fire.
Some members of Congress have called for an investigation into the conditions aboard these military vessels. Sign the petition below to support these calls.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Wicker,
Piles of sewage, festering mold in showers, dwindling food and self-care supplies, and no end in sight from the exhaustion and the hopelessness: these are the conditions service members from the supposedly proudest military installation in the world are reportedly facing. The men and women of the USS Abraham Lincoln deserve better. And service members across the U.S. military deserve your support and your attention.
Promises of relief – promises that still have no fixed time frame – are too little and far too late. As the leader of the armed services committee, you must stand up and for America’s heroes. Heed calls for an investigation into living conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and every vessel that becomes the necessary home of active-duty Americans for weeks, months, or even years. Ensure the country’s bravest receive first-class rather than third-world treatment.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Jan van der Wolf
