A nearly year-long deployment at sea takes a toll on military families : NPR
A woman stands with her children as her husband prepares to board the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford from Naval Station Norfolk June 24, 2025, in Norfolk, Virginia. More than 10 months later, the aircraft carrier and its crew are still at sea.
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
When sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford departed Norfolk, Virginia, last June, they had no idea they would eventually set the record for the longest post-Vietnam War deployment of an aircraft carrier.
And their families had no idea of the challenges ahead.
But after leaving, the USS Ford and its strike group spent more than 10 months at sea and were ordered to move from Europe to the Caribbean and from the operation around Venezuela to the Middle East. As THE American military The operation against Iran continues, the deployment of the USS Ford could soon surpass the record set during the Vietnam War, before its return to Norfolk, home to the largest naval base in the world. Senior Navy officials have predicted that could happen this month.
The long deployment also brought its share of problems on board. In March, a fire in the ship’s laundry room displaced 600 sailors. Some sailors lost all their personal belongings.
“They already have so little stuff with them. Imagine losing your underwear, your toothbrush, your toiletries,” said Taryn Couitt, whose husband is aboard the USS Ford.
Families send packages. Sometimes deliveries are suspended, she explained.
“Because they left Venezuela until this war, my package took about two months to get to them. The Amazon packages, it’s a hit and miss if they arrive, but they arrive slowly. Some get lost, but for the most part, they receive them. It just takes a long time to get there,” Couitt said.
The USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in the Croatian coastal city of Split for a scheduled port visit and maintenance stop March 28, 2026.
Elvis Barukcic/AFP via Getty Images
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Elvis Barukcic/AFP via Getty Images
Her husband is nearing the end of his 20-year career, but he worries most about young sailors who have never been to sea, she said.
“Being away for so long, it must be difficult for everyone, especially when they only get a short number of port calls where they can actually sleep in a normal bed, eat normal food and take a shower, without queuing for the toilet,” she said. “I haven’t heard any horror stories where anything bad happened. I think everyone just wants to go home.”
After a stopover in Split, Croatia, the ship returned to the Red Sea. Congressional sources said the ship’s laundry facilities were repaired after the fire. The electrical system and hot water were fully restored and the plumbing system, which had hampered the carrier during the first months of deployment, was repaired. In total, some 4,600 people are on board the Ford.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is still investigating the cause of the fire to rule out whether it was started intentionally, according to NCIS.
Strengthening Norfolk Families
With the arrival of the USS George HW Bush in the Middle East, there are now three aircraft carriers in the region for the first time since the early days of the Iraq War in 2003. At the time, the carriers were part of a bombing campaign dubbed “shock and awe” that aimed to undermine the Iraqi regime and force Saddam Hussein’s surrender before the United States and its coalition partners invaded.
Between the Ford, the Bush and the three ships of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, approximately 15,000 sailors and Marines from the Norfolk region are deployed in the conflicts that began under the Trump administration. The USS Iwo Jima has been in the Caribbean for more than eight months. The USS San Antonio returned to Norfolk last week. The other vessels remain part of Operation Southern Spear, in which the United States continues to target small boats in the region that the Trump administration says are carrying drugs.
The Navy tries to limit deployments to six to seven months, recognizing the strain on families. In January, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle told reporters he was concerned about the financial strain on families and the impact on morale if the USS Ford was diverted to the Middle East.
In this photo provided by the US Navy, Sailors observe flight deck operations on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford as they operate in support of Operation Epic Fury March 2, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Sailors and Marines receive distress pay if they are deployed for more than 220 days, or about seven months. The amount has not been updated since 2014. Capped at $495 per month, the $16.50 per day benefit now represents less than an hour of California’s minimum wage.
“It’s nice to have that extra pay, but it’s really not enough, and so we have to find a way to do something. We can’t stop the military from deploying, that’s their mission, but we as a community can support these families so the hit isn’t so hard,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, founder and CEO of Blue Star Families..
The group supports military families, including during long-term deployments. Blue Star has just opened a chapter in Norfolk.
“We’re hearing from families on the Ford that they’re struggling. They’re struggling financially because a lot of them can’t continue to work and be single parents. We’re hearing that people’s plans have been disrupted and they can’t make the next plan because they don’t know what’s going to happen, and so that puts them in kind of a limbo,” she said.
Services are under strain
The Armed Services YMCA operates a food pantry for military families. Food insecurity is a chronic problem, especially for young sailors with young families. The pantry has had to be reduced to two days a week because donations can’t keep up with increased demand, said Tessa Davis, director of children and youth programs at the Armed Services YMCA of Hampton Roads, outside Norfolk.
“We had to do it because when it was first-come, first-served, some people would sit in their cars for literally six hours because there would be a great need, and our entire parking lot would be full, while people were just waiting for food,” she said.
Food insecurity is a problem, especially for the young families of young soldiers. ASYMCA also offers low-cost child care to military spouses, but there is a waiting list, she said.
