Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
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Lawmakers are requesting that the United States Navy conduct a probe into multiple deaths on the USS George Washington which culminated in 3 suicides over the span of one week in April.
The vessel, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has been docked at the Newport News, Va. shipyard since 2017 as part of its midlife, multiyear refueling, and complex overhaul.
Multiple reports have surfaced about the number of deaths aboard the ship. The Hill listed the death toll as seven in the last year, while Military.com reported that 10 deaths occurred over 10 months. According to the report all 10 deaths were suicides, citing sources on the ship.
One of the sailors said that his superiors encouraged crew members to reach out and speak to someone but described the advice as what “they say after they have a suicide every time.”
Sailors on the ship are reportedly under increased stress due to their extended time in the shipyard, which has been much longer than originally planned. As a result, the crew has been living under strained conditions seemingly without a purpose or definitive end in sight.
“It’s not like one big glaring problem, it’s just a bunch of small stuff that adds up and adds up and adds up, but it never goes away,” said one sailor.
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), who represents the Virginia congressional district where the ship is docked, wrote a letter to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday calling for an investigation into what is being done to prevent the shocking number of deaths.
“The number of incidents under a single command raises significant concern that requires immediate and stringent inquiry to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the ship’s crew,” Luria stated. “I am calling on the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, and CNO Gilday to provide the House Armed Services Committee and Members of Congress with a full accounting of what steps are being taken to address command climate, safety concerns, mental health, and other issues that may have contributed to this tragic loss of life on USS George Washington.”
Lurie, a 20-year Navy veteran who retired at the rank of commander, recalled her personal experience on overhauls saying, “Being in the shipyard, it’s an industrial environment. It is dirty,” Luria told The Hill. “You don’t have the basic services like hot water, lights, heating and cooling, and the quality of the food.”
According to The Hill, the Navy has acknowledged the increase in suicides on the ship and is investigating. However, Chrystal Verrengia-Bushnell, the vice president of 22 Until None – a volunteer organization aimed at providing resources for active-duty service members and veterans – says that her group has heard about the conditions aboard the ship and that some members fear retribution from commanders if they complain.
“There’s a big distrust there,” Verrengia-Bushnell said. “We get emails and messages daily on all three of our social media platforms and through email asking, ‘Are there any — is there anybody that I could talk to you about my command won’t find out?’”
According to Military.com, overall suicides have risen sharply in the military, with an estimated 44% increase from 2015.
In March the Department of Defense announced the formation of a Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee to “address and prevent suicide in the military, pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act.”