Most of the nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are experiencing their first moment of relief in Thailand following a grueling nine-month deployment that was plagued with exhaustion, mental health concerns, and food and supply shortages.
After walking off the visibly rusted carrier and onto dry land for their first extended break since the Iran war began, service members squeezed into buses and were shuttled to the city of Pattaya. Locals had signs to greet the sailors with a simple message: “Welcome.”
On shore, service members are allowed to explore what is dubbed in Thailand as “sin city,” a place known for its beaches and nightlife. The city is also home to many markets that sell a variety of items from food to souvenirs.
“He’s so excited to get on land, he’s never been outside of the United States before. He wants to eat pizza or McDonald’s. I’m so happy for him,” one mother of a sailor aboard the Lincoln told MS NOW.
During their free time in Pattaya, the carrier’s commanding officer told service members they have a curfew to be back at their hotels. They’re also forbidden from engaging in prostitution and marijuana use, a person familiar with the instructions told MS NOW.
Some service members are just ready to come home, after their long deployment has kept them from their loved ones and made them miss milestones like birthdays, anniversaries and deaths of family members.
“He’s tired of being so far away and wants to come home to the kids and I at this point,” said one spouse who has a loved one on the Lincoln.
Two sailors in Pattaya who spoke with MS NOW said they would also have rather gone straight home instead of stopping at this point. Both had been on multiple deployments, saying this one had been by far the worst of their Navy careers, and they expressed concern that some of the more junior sailors might get into trouble during the port call.
These sailors also said they are worried that longer deployments and fewer port calls would become routine in the Navy — and that fewer sailors would reenlist.
Both of these service members have been in the Navy for more than 10 years and said it would not make sense for them to get out of the Navy at this point, even though they believe morale is suffering as a result of these longer and harder deployments.
The Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21, en route to the Indo-Pacific region. But it was diverted to the Middle East shortly after. The ship has been on the frontlines of the war with Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
For the past six months, the service members have worked 12- to 14-hour days in active combat with no days off. They have shot down more than 200 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps drones that threatened international shipping and U.S. forces, according to the commander of the U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper.
Cooper said the ship was responsible for launching hundreds of airstrikes on strategic sites inside Iran.
The time off the ship in Thailand provides a safe place for these service members to relax, as well as a much-needed moment for them and their family members to reliably connect via text messages and phone and video calls.
“We got to FaceTime today. That was the first time I got to see my son since he left in October. He looks great, I’m so proud of him. I’m getting emotional. I wish he had just come straight home, but I get it, they needed a break,” said Dawn Pingor, who said her son’s top priorities during the port call were to eat good food and try to get a tailored suit made if he had enough time.
Pingor said her son had “worked so hard” and told her that he is looking forward to seeing his daughter.
“That’s all he thought about the entire time,” Pingor said. “I’m so happy he will make it home to see her and hold her in his arms.”
While the Lincoln is in port, service members come off the ship in rotations.
Many have to spend part of the time on duty aboard the carrier, with responsibilities such as standing watch — which means controlling who boards and leaves the ship — security patrols and engineering watches to keep the power and water services on the carrier running.
In its nine-month deployment, the Lincoln had two brief port calls in Guam and Oman, but had no “off base liberty.”
During the earlier brief stops, sailors and Marines were allowed to step off the carrier, but they were not able to leave the port. Port calls offer time for service members to get a break during a long deployment, allow for the restocking of food and other supplies, and for engineers and mechanics to address any mechanical issues they may not have been able to fix at sea.
The stop in Thailand comes as the Lincoln makes its way to its home port of San Diego.
Priya Sridhar reported this story from Pattaya, Thailand, and Lindsey Pipia reported from Washington, D.C.
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