What it's like to be on a warship like the USS Abraham Lincoln
A former Navy photographer reflects on the psychological toll of long deployments after reports emerge of poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. While some veterans dismiss the reports as exaggerated, family members and media outlets have raised concerns about sailor mental health and basic living standards.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing debate regarding military welfare and the operational strain placed on naval personnel during extended overseas deployments.
Figure caption, Trump on USS Lincoln deployment: 'Not nearly long enough'
US Navy veteran Jonny Burnell spent 111 days aboard the battleship USS Vinson during the US war with Afghanistan in 2001.
His role as a Navy photographer allowed him to visit crew throughout the ship, unlike most sailors who are confined to parts of the vessel where they work. In an age before digital photography, troops were often eager to get their picture snapped whenever they saw him.
Over more than three months aboard the USS Carl Vinson, he witnessed a change among the crew as their excitement and energy faded to what he called a "sadness".
"There was one point where there was a visible kind of deadness in the shipmates' eyes", he recalls. "I still think the hardest part of my job was watching the sadness in people's faces every frickin' day."
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