Dad of USS Lincoln sailor worries about crew as deployment stretches on

The father of a sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln said he's worried for his son and the rest of the ship's crew as the aircraft carrier's deployment to the Middle East stretches on. The ship has been at sea for nine months, much longer than the typical deployment of six months. Combat aircraft have launched from the carrier more than 10,000 times in the past eight months, U.S. officials say. Meanwhile, the 5,000 sailors and Marines on board the carrier have had to defend against Iranian missiles and drones. Family members say they worry about conditions aboard the ship, and fear the long deployment and grueling pace are worsening mental health issues. "They should not be deployed this long," said Jefferson Kelley, whose son Jackson is aboard the Lincoln on his first-ever deployment. "These are old ships. It's not like they're even state-of-the-art. And they take a lot of maintenance, a lot of work. It's around the clock."Elected officials have demanded answers about the conditions aboard the vessel. Sen. Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing "widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues ... and dete...