By admin 
(CNN) – There are new details about the mental health of U.S. Navy sailors onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.
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In a letter to Congress, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said eight sailors have attempted suicide during the Lincoln strike group’s ongoing combat operation against Iran. He said no service members have killed themselves during the deployment.
“Eight attempted suicides is incredibly high,” one U.S. military official told CNN. “The strain of combat ops is much higher than normal deployments. No port calls, constant alerts, etc.”
More than 6,000 Navy sailors were deployed as part of the Lincoln strike group. Roughly half a dozen carriers have been kept out at sea for over six months, with the Lincoln itself setting a record of over 260 days at sea.
The lengthy deployment drew concerns in August about deteriorating mental health among the sailors as well as supply issues. President Donald Trump downplayed the reports, saying the deployment was “not nearly long enough.”
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“What Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth dismissed as ‘fake news’ turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., in a statement to CNN. “That this administration can find endless taxpayer dollars for bombs, ballrooms, and billionaires, but cannot take care of our service members, is completely unacceptable.”
The USS George Washington aircraft carrier relieved the Lincoln on Aug. 20. It was expected to take at least a month for the Lincoln to travel back to the United States.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains discussion about suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available by calling 988.
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