‘These are husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, daughters’: Spike calls for honesty about conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

The USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea for nearly 9 months, the longest continuous deployment without a port call in modern U.S. Navy history, and KIRO host Spike O’Neill said the least the country can do is stop pretending everything is fine.

“These are husbands and fathers and brothers and sons and daughters aboard this aircraft carrier, and families that don’t know when their family members are going to be coming home, that don’t have adequate supplies, that don’t have adequate mental health care,” Spike said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

The Lincoln deployed from San Diego in November and was originally set to return in May. Instead, its mission was extended repeatedly as the U.S. war in Iran escalated, according to PBS.

Spike said the carrier was first sent to assist Iranian protesters during the uprising, then redirected to support military operations against Iran, and then assigned to the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which he said shut down roughly 25% of all global fuel transports.

CNN sent a reporter aboard the Lincoln who spent three days on the ship and interviewed dozens of sailors. The report described black mold, limited supplies, poor food quality, health concerns, massive weight loss among crew members, and significant mental health strain, according to CNN. The media outlet also reported that a sailor went overboard earlier this month and was rescued by helicopter, and that multiple crew members have attempted or ideated self-harm.

The Navy and the Department of Defense have disputed some of the reporting. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the conditions were “completely misrepresented,” according to PBS.

Not nearly long enough’: Trump dismisses concerns about USS Abraham Lincoln

When President Donald Trump was asked directly about the conditions aboard the Lincoln and the reported suicide attempts, he dismissed them.

“No, they’re not,” Trump said in response to a reporter noting that families are worried. “That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship.”

The reporter asked, “Has this deployment gone on too long?”

“No, not nearly long enough,” Trump responded.

Spike said he wouldn’t belabor the insensitivity of the response, but called it typical.

“I’m not going to take this opportunity to say how ridiculously insensitive and insulting that is, ‘not long enough,’ but that’s what’s to be expected from President Trump with his lack of insight into particular situations, with his complete inability, refusal to actually address realities of situations,” Spike said.

Spike draws on family military history

Spike said he has never served in the military but that both his father and all of his uncles served in various branches, including the Navy.

“I’ve talked to them repeatedly about deployment aboard ship,” Spike said. “It’s a different type of world than other branches of the military, because you don’t get weekends off; you don’t get shore leave. You’re supposed to get shore leave. This ship has been without port for an unprecedented amount of time, so the stress and strain every day is the same thing. You get up, you work, you eat, you sleep. Day after day after day after day.”

He said the lack of a clear mission has compounded the problem.

“When you can’t get a straight message about what the mission is, what your goals are, what your objectives are, when you’ll be relieved, these guys have been redeployed from numerous tasks given to them,” Spike said. “When you can’t get a straight answer from your leaders, your commander in chief, the Secretary of Defense, it builds up on these families and these service members.”

‘It’s not a competition’

Spike said he has seen conservative commentators and former military personnel on social media telling the Lincoln’s crew to toughen up, arguing that conditions were worse in their day.

“It’s not a competition,” he said. “It’s not about your misery and your unpleasant experience aboard ship was tougher than theirs. We’re supposed to have the backs and support of these crew members and these service members, and be empathetic and understanding and respectful of what they go through because they are the front line of defense for our nation’s security.”

Relief is coming, but not fast enough

The USS George Washington has been deployed from Da Nang, Vietnam, and is heading toward the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln. The transit is expected to take roughly three weeks as the ship crosses the Indian Ocean to reach the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.

Spike said the bottom line is simple.

“Everybody’s about supporting the troops,” he said. “We all are, and we always should be about supporting the troops. But part of supporting the troops is acknowledging what the troops are going through and dealing factually about what’s going on.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3