NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Thousands of sailors returning to Hampton Roads are experiencing what they say is the longest combat the U.S. Navy has seen since World War II.
Now that they’re back on land, Navy leaders want to ensure they aren’t burdened too heavily by the war they experienced.
The first thing U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro did when he stepped into Pier 14 at Naval Station Norfolk on Sunday was to address the families waiting to be reunited with their loved ones returning home aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
“I want to thank the American people for their support of the Navy, the Marines and all components of the United States military,” del Toro said. “We certainly couldn’t have done this without your support. But please know that your U.S. Navy is deployed around the world and ready to respond to any call and carry out the mission.”
Sailors from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Carrier Strike Group Two USS Philippine Sea and USS Gravelyspent nine months battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have targeted merchant ships in the Red Sea.
Del Toro said Navy ships and “innocent merchant mariners” were targeted more than 200 times.
Houthi attacks have targeted key shipping lanes, civilian merchant vessels and military forces using shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.
“They do this every day, every shift, some of our ships have been here for more than seven months,” Rear Adm. David Rowe, the commander of the guided-missile destroyers, told The Associated Press last month.
That’s one reason why Ike was only able to make two port calls on this deployment, but Carrier Strike Group 2 commander Adm. Mark Miguez said that’s simply not enough.
“Normally, you want to do a port call every 50 days,” Miguez said. “It just so happened that this mission was so important that we couldn’t do that.”
Knowing that the work would be more than just boring, the crew also had a seafarers chaplain and a therapy dog named Demo on board.
But U.S. Navy Commander Adm. Daryl Caudle said the work is just beginning.
“All of the sailors were part of this attack group. [and] “We’ve tested over 7,000 patients so we can get a full picture of their state of mind and their mental health,” Caudle said. “We’ll be tracking their health over the coming months to make sure they stay healthy.”
The Navy has sought to take a more active role in improving mental health resources across all commands.
According to the VA, deployment can increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and some studies have found that deployed veterans are three times more likely to develop PTSD than those who haven’t deployed.
“We understand the combat environment they’ve been in,” Caudle said. “We want to ensure they come back from this deployment with confidence. We’ll be monitoring them throughout the transition.”
Information Resources
In addition to the visit about this websiteThe following sites provide information, facts, and resources on suicide prevention:
- Ask your local Navy chaplain for help. Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC), or a health care provider.
- Review and share resources Military One Source.
- If you need help, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
- Please check 1. A small ACT toolkit Check in for more information and #BeThere for Every Sailor, Every Day.
- Follow the Navy’s Project 1 Small ACT campaign Facebook, Xand WordPress.
- of Rescue of seafarers and life-saving interdiction The (SAIL) program provides safety planning, suicide risk assessments, compassionate contacts, and is also available to act as liaisons and advocates for seafarers when suicide-related behavior occurs.
- Department of the Navy (DON) civilians may contact the Civilian Employee Assistance Program at (844) 366-2327, or (866) 829-0270 overseas, for information about available resources.
Additional resources:
