Second extension could keep USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier crew from home for holidays, report says

Families told to prepare for delay

At a meeting attended by roughly 500 family members, Navy leaders said service members would not return for Thanksgiving or Christmas, according to the report. The deployment extension was the second since the strike group departed Norfolk, Virginia, on March 31.

Relatives were also told to prepare for a worst-case deployment lasting 12 months. The announcement came two weeks before Thanksgiving, and some attendees shouted at Navy leaders, accusing them of giving families the “runaround,” according to the report.

Anger over the conflict

The report described intense reactions from audience members. One person called the war “unsanctioned,” while another relative asked what the Navy was doing to urge President Donald Trump to prevent the conflict from becoming a “forever war.” Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran, launched in February, stopped Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Crew had a brief port break

The Bush did not make a port call until October 4, when the crew received a four-day break after 187 days at sea, according to the report. Navy leaders sought to explain why the deployment had been extended. Cao said the Bush had “protected 3,000 ships so far from getting bombed.”