The Abraham Lincoln left its home port in Everett, Wash., in July 2002 for a six-month deployment to patrol the no-flight zone over Iraq. After 10 months underway, many weary sailors note off the top of their heads -- this 97,000-ton nuclear-powered carrier was weathering the longest deployment in more than a decade.
The ship's top officers estimated that by the time the Abraham Lincoln got home, it will have logged one of the longest deployments since the Vietnam War.
With military action drawing ever closer, the officers began to worry about the stamina of the more than 5,200 sailors and aviators aboard. ''As tensions escalate and de-escalate, it's tough for the crew to be at the peak of combat readiness,'' said Capt. Kendall L. Card, the ship's commander. ''After so many days, you sense that they need to get their edge back.''
So what happened a couple of days before the carrier and it's crew of 5200 sailors pulled back into port after a deployment that lasted 4 months longer than it was supposed to? The Captain got a call that the President wanted to have a photo op on the flight deck of the carrier. The carrier turned back out to sea and added an additional two weeks to it's already record-long deployment, and the crew worked extra hours getting the ship as clean as possible for the President's visit.
All of the planning for the return ceremony had to be canceled and rescheduled. Sailors were kept from seeing their newborn children for an additional two weeks. Everyone on the ship couldn't care less about the President coming onboard, they just wanted to go home.
The Nuclear Operators on the ship, who are the most outspoken and cynical Sailors onboard any ship, were not allowed on the flight deck during the President's visit for fear they might say or do something inappropriate. If you look at the pictures of the cheering Navy personnel, most of them are wearing colored jerseys, indicating that they are airwing/flight deck personnel.
This should show you how little this administration cares for the troops. John Cornyn, GWB's Texas lapdog, voted against the GI Bill today, and John McCain didn't even bother to show up for the vote.