Navy Sailor Returns Home to Devastation After Grueling Deployment
A US Navy sailor's homecoming was shattered by a ransacked apartment and stolen car after a 10-month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Navy sailor Connor Nelson returned to his Lemoore, California, apartment on September 20, expecting a respite after a demanding 10-month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Instead, he was met with a scene of destruction: his apartment had been ransacked, and his car was stolen.
"I look into the parking lot and I see my car is gone," Nelson recounted in a video shared on GoFundMe. He discovered his apartment door ajar, easily pushed open. "Several thousands of dollars worth of belongings were taken, and the apartment was left trashed," his father, Justin Nelson, a 22-year Navy veteran, wrote on the fundraising website.
Among the stolen items were Nelson's television, laptop, shoes, and fishing equipment. The police are currently investigating the incident. "There’s not much else to feel then just upset. You spend the last 10 months of your life away from home, looking forward to the day you get to go home," Nelson expressed.
A GoFundMe campaign established to help Nelson rebuild has raised over $35,000.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, had been stationed in the Middle East for an extended period, conducting combat operations. It was relieved in late August and is currently en route back to its San Diego homeport, with Nelson being part of an early detachment crew that returned ahead of the main group.
Reports have surfaced regarding the challenging conditions experienced by sailors during this deployment. A letter from Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand revealed that eight suicide attempts occurred within the strike group during the deployment. This number encompasses sailors from the carrier, its airwing, the strike group staff, escorting destroyers, and embarked aviation squadrons.
Senator Gillibrand criticized the administration's response to concerns about the deployment, stating, "Our troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect." She added, "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 US Navy and the White House have not yet responded to requests for comment.