When sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford left Norfolk, Va., last June, they had little idea they would eventually set the record for the longest post-Vietnam war deployment by a carrier.
And their families had little idea of the challenges ahead.
But after departing, the USS Ford and its strike group has spent more than 10 months at sea and has been ordered to go from Europe to the Caribbean and the operation around Venezuela to the Middle East. As the U.S. military operation against Iran continues, USS Ford’s deployment may soon surpass the record set during the Vietnam War, before it returns to Norfolk, home to the world’s biggest naval base. Top Navy officials have predicted that could happen sometime this month.
The lengthy deployment has also seen its share of problems on board. In March, a fire in the ship’s laundry room displaced 600 sailors. Some sailors lost all of their personal belongings.
“They already have such little stuff out there with them. Imagine losing your underwear, your toothbrush, your toiletries,” said Taryn Couitt, whose husband is on the USS Ford.
Families are sending packages. At times, deliveries are suspended, she said.
“Because they went from Venezuela to now this war, my package did take about two months to get to him. Amazon packages, it’s a hit or miss if they show up, but they are slowly coming in. Some get lost, but for the most part, they are receiving them. It just takes a really long time to get to them,” Couitt said.
Her husband is near the end of his 20-year career, but he worries mostly about younger sailors who have never been to sea, she said.
“Being gone for that long, it’s got to be tough on anybody, especially when they only get a short amount of port visits where they get to really sleep in a normal bed, eat some normal food and take a shower, not wait in line for a toilet,” she said. “I haven’t heard any horror stories where anything bad has happened. I think everybody just wants to come home.”
After a port stop in Split, Croatia, the ship has reentered the Red Sea. Congressional sources said the ship’s laundry facilities have been repaired after the fire. The electrical system and hot water have been fully restored and there have been repairs to the plumbing system, which had plagued the carrier during the early months of the deployment. Overall, there are some 4,600 personnel aboard the Ford.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is still investigating the cause of the fire, to rule out whether it was intentionally set, according to NCIS.
Shoring up families in Norfolk
With the arrival of the USS George HW Bush in the Middle East, there are now three carriers in the region for the first time since the opening days of the war in Iraq in 2003. Back then, the carriers were part of a bombing campaign dubbed “shock and awe” which was designed to undermine the Iraqi regime and force the surrender of Saddam Hussein before the U.S. and its coalition partners ultimately invaded.
Between the Ford, Bush and the three ships of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, there are roughly 15,000 sailors and Marines from the Norfolk area who are deployed to conflicts that began during the Trump administration. USS Iwo Jima has been in the Caribbean for more than eight months. The USS San Antonio returned to Norfolk last week. The other ships are still part of Operation Southern Spear, where the U.S. continues to target small boats in the region, which the Trump administration says are carrying drugs.
The Navy tries to keep deployments to six to seven months, acknowledging the strain on families. In January, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told reporters that he worried about the financial strain on families and the impact on morale if USS Ford was diverted to the Middle East.
Sailors and Marines receive hardship duty pay if they are deployed for more than 220 days, which is roughly seven months. The amount hasn’t been updated since 2014. Capped at $495 a month, the $16.50 a day stipend is now less than one hour of minimum wage in California.
“It’s good to get that extra pay, but it’s really not enough, and so we have to find a way to do something about it. We can’t stop the military from deploying, that’s their mission, but we as a community can shore up these families so that the hit isn’t so hard,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, founder and CEO of Blue Star Families.
The group provides support for military families, including during long deployments. Blue Star just opened a chapter in Norfolk.
“We’re hearing from families on the Ford that they are struggling. They’re struggling financially because a lot of them can’t keep working and single parenting. We’re hearing that people’s plans were disrupted and that they can’t make the next plan because they don’t know what’s going to happen, and so that puts them in a kind of a limbo,” she said.
Services are being strained
The Armed Services YMCA runs a food pantry for military families. Food insecurity is a chronic problem, especially for junior enlisted sailors with young families. The pantry has had to cut back to two days a week, because donations can’t keep up with the surge in demand, said Tessa Davis, child and youth program director at the Armed Services YMCA of Hampton Roads, outside of Norfolk.
“We had to do that because when it was first come, first served, some people would sit in their cars literally for six hours because there would be such a great need for it, and our whole parking lot would be full, as people just waiting for the food,” she said.
Food insecurity is a problem, especially for young families of junior enlisted troops. The ASYMCA also provides low-cost child care for military spouses, but there is a waiting list, she said.
Transcript:
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
When American troops deploy for war, they leave their families behind. And the longer the deployment, the more the hardship for those families. This morning, we’re going to hear some of their experiences here on NPR News. Steve Walsh with WHRO is covering this. Steve, good morning.
STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: Morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: OK. I just want to note you’re in Norfolk, Virginia, which is home to the world’s largest naval base. What is the…
WALSH: Right.
INSKEEP: …Effect there of the war in Iran?
WALSH: Between the conflict in Iran and the operation in the Caribbean, more than 15,000 Norfolk-area sailors and Marines have been out. The carrier USS George H.W. Bush just arrived in the Middle East. Navy officials say the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is not expected to return until sometime in May. But the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with its three ships and 4,500 sailors and Marines have been deployed to the Caribbean for more than eight months. Only one ship came back this week. The U.S. continues to target small boats that the administration says are involved in the drug trade.
Long deployments make it tougher for spouses with young children to work. In Norfolk, Armed Services YMCA provides low-cost childcare, but there’s a waiting list. Food insecurity has long been an issue for families of young sailors. The Y operates a food pantry, but the group has had to cut back its hours. I talked with Tessa Davis, the local Y’s program director.
TESSA DAVIS: We had to do that because when it was first come, first served, some people would sit in their cars literally for six hours because there would be such a great need for it. And our whole parking lot would be full as people just waiting for the foods.
INSKEEP: Wow, sitting in the car for six hours just to get a meal. I want to ask about one of the ships you mentioned. Each of those ships, of course, has thousands of people. The Gerald R. Ford has had some trouble while it’s been deployed.
WALSH: Oh, yeah. That’s true. So after leaving Norfolk, Virginia, last year on June 24, the carrier and its strike group have now spent more than 10 months at sea. The Ford has been ordered to go from Europe to the Caribbean for the U.S. operation around Venezuela and then on to the Middle East. It received – it’s recently surpassed the longest deployment by a carrier during the COVID era. Ford is now back in the Red Sea after the Navy repaired damage from a March 12 fire in the laundry room that spread to the berthing areas. Families are sending care packages after some sailors lost most of their personal belongings in the fire, but the packages can take months to arrive if they don’t get lost. Taryn Couitt, whose husband is on the USS Ford, says this deployment has been particularly tough on young sailors going to sea for the first time.
TARYN COUITT: Being gone for that long, it’s got to be tough on anybody, especially – you know, they only get a short amount of port visits where they get to really, like, sleep in a normal bed, eat some normal food and take a shower, not wait in line for a toilet.
INSKEEP: How, if at all, does the Navy try to help?
WALSH: So the Navy tries to keep deployments to six to seven months, acknowledging the strain on families. Sailors and Marines receive hardship duty pay if they are deployed for more than roughly seven months, but that amount hasn’t been updated since 2014. The $16.50-a-day stipend is now worth less than one hour of minimum wage in California. Kathy Roth-Douquet is head of Blue Star Families. That group helps military families. She says that stipend just doesn’t begin to cover the sailors’ costs.
KATHY ROTH-DOUQUET: We can’t stop the military from deploying. That’s their mission. But we as a community can shore up these families so that the hit isn’t so hard.
WALSH: She is hearing from families of sailors who are struggling financially, spouses who have had to quit jobs because they couldn’t find childcare the longer these record-breaking deployments stretch on.
INSKEEP: Steve Walsh in Norfolk. Thanks so much.
WALSH: Thanks, Steve.
