After spending more than 300 days at sea, service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln will finally return home this week.
\n\nThe beleaguered aircraft carrier with about 7,500 personnel is scheduled to dock Thursday in San Diego, amid sharp criticism over its prolonged deployment in the Middle East.
\n\nDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged to crewmembers on Wednesday that he was the “only thing standing between you and home” and that he had been the one “who signed that orders book twice” to extend the ship’s deployment, The Associated Press reported.
\n\nNavy reports eight suicide attempts on USS Lincoln
\n\nThe Lincoln left San Diego in November and was initially expected to return before the summer months. Its deployment was extended after the Iran war began in February. The ship was at sea without a port of call for 286 days until early September, when it docked in Thailand for a handful of days. By that point, family members of those on board had raised concerns about dwindling food supplies and low morale.
\n\nAt least eight service members attempted suicide during the many months at sea, according to a letter sent last month to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., by a top Navy…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/