8 Navy members attempted suicide on the USS Lincoln during extended deployment, military official says

Eight U.S. Navy members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted suicide since the beginning of their extended deployment, a top Navy official said in a letter obtained by NBC News.

The length of the deployment, which some service members onboard the carrier had described as extraordinarily tough, has raised concerns about supply shortages and the effect on sailors’ mental health.

There have been no deaths attributed to suicide during the deployment.

The number of suicide attempts includes crewmembers and sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff; escorting destroyers; and all embarked aviation squadrons, according to the letter, which Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao sent to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

There are about 7,500 service members, primarily sailors, as part of the strike group.

A U.S. Navy official said the letter was delivered to Gillibrand Tuesday.

The official said the number of sailors who jumped overboard while the Lincoln was in the Middle East providing operations for the war in Iran remains at two, as previously reported. The official did not provide details about the other six attempts.

In the letter, Cao answered a series of questions that Gillibrand, a member of the Armed Services Committee…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business