The father of a 20-year-old sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln has condemned President Donald Trump’s war with Iran as a “forever war” and offered to take his son’s place as the aircraft carrier’s deployment stretches beyond 265 days.
Jefferson Kelly, of Cincinnati, Ohio, told Newsweek that his son had joined the Navy enthusiastically, hoping to serve his country and become an engineer, but after the Lincoln was sent to the Middle East, Kelly said the deployment became the realization of a fear he had carried since Trump’s return to the White House.
“I had a feeling that there’s going to be a forever war,” Kelly said. “If there’s going to be any issue, any kind of major engagement or war, they send the aircraft carriers… And that’s exactly what happened.”
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Newsweek also spoke with the wife of a higher-ranking officer on board the vessel, who detailed how spouses had been trying to send care packages to the crew after reports of supplies running low and food deteriorating in the spring.
“Well, the care package took 2.5 months to get there. So that was concerning,” Ashley Rogers said. “Now the most recent communications, even with my husband, who snaps into military mode, he just does his job, even he sounds so just defeated, and he has a really hard time getting his guys to cooperate and do their jobs.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln’s Lengthy Deployment
Kelly’s comments come amid growing scrutiny of conditions aboard the Lincoln, which left San Diego on November 21, 2025, for a deployment initially focused on the Indo-Pacific.
The carrier was redirected toward the Middle East in January as the United States built up forces before launching joint attacks with Israel against Iran on February 28. The Lincoln and its air wing subsequently supported Operation Epic Fury and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
The Lincoln has now been deployed for close to nine months, and its approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines have faced an unusually extended period at sea, while family members have raised concerns about shortages, plumbing problems, disrupted mail, exhaustion and mental health.
Rogers said that crewmembers had been lacking basic necessities such as sanitary products, razors, and soap, as supplies ran dry because of the unexpected extension of the deployment. The Navy’s resupply efforts had also been slow to arrive, she said.
Retired Vice Admiral Robert Murrett told Newsweek previously that deployments of this length place “a great deal of pressure on the ship and its crew,” including longer-term consequences for personnel, maintenance and future deployment schedules.
Reports from family members have included accounts of multiple sailors attempting or preparing to go overboard. The Navy has said it has not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship, while acknowledging that the carrier has operated in a “highly contested environment” where normal supply hubs were disrupted.
A sailor who went overboard in early August was safely recovered, and the circumstances are under investigation.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described reports about conditions aboard the Lincoln as “completely misrepresented.” The Navy has said sailors have access to clean water and healthy meal options, and that food was prioritized when combat operations disrupted traditional supply chains, followed by hygiene products and mail.
On Friday, Trump appeared to dismiss the worries and said that the deployment had not lasted long enough.
Kelly stressed that his concerns were not based on complaints from his son.
“He has not said anything to me about this,” Kelly said. “He has not reached out to me. He has not asked me to talk to anyone about it, nothing. This is completely 100 percent my doing and my initiative.”
Kelly said his conversations with his son have remained deliberately broad, covering his duties, what he has learned and ordinary family subjects rather than the reported conditions aboard the carrier. He said he was reluctant to ask questions that his son might feel unable to answer or that could place him in a difficult position.
The result, Kelly said, is that some relatives are left trying to reconcile reassuring but limited conversations with their loved ones against increasingly alarming public reports.
“You have someone that’s literally right there on the Lincoln that you can talk to broadly and generally about your day,” he said. “Then on the other side, you’ve got media that’s reporting on these horrible conditions. And then you’ve got someone there firsthand that you feel like you can’t ask about it.”
Rogers told Newsweek this had been particularly difficult for her, when the person she wants to talk to can’t necessarily elaborate on what is happening.
“Here I am nine months single parenting with my husband gone and worried about him being in a war zone, and constantly wondering if the next news alert on my phone is going to be something devastating,” Rogers, who has two young children, said.
“You have to put all that aside and try to be strong for them and make sure that they’re doing okay, because they’re not going to be able to carry the weight of everything they have going on, and everything else also going on at home.”
Kelly said he understood why other relatives had spoken anonymously, particularly when their accounts involved information passed directly from sailors. But he decided to identify himself publicly because he feared another anonymous intervention would fail to break through.
“I fully realize that I may have inadvertently put a target on my son’s back. I hope I did not,” he said. “However, I felt that this issue, this situation, is beyond just my son. I feel like I want to do what I can to help all of these sailors get back home.”
The White House declined to comment on the situation when reached by Newsweek Friday, deferring to the Department of Defense. Newsweek also reached out to the Pentagon for further comment.
‘Take Me Instead’
Kelly said his search for a solution led him to write to Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno with an extraordinary offer: send him to the carrier in place of his son.
“I’m willing to put myself on an aircraft carrier to get our son home,” Kelly said.
“What I want to do is swap places. I want to be there. Take me instead,” he added. “I am not going to assume or try to purport that I am military trained and ready to go. However, I’m very intelligent. I’ve got a 20-year IT career. I’m an expert at networking, computing, computers, troubleshooting. I’m a fast learner. I can adapt to unknown environments.
“Put me on a helicopter. Put me in an airplane. Put me in his place.”
Kelly acknowledged that neither his age nor his physical condition would make him an obvious Navy recruit. He said he is approaching 49 and stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, but he maintained that his technical experience meant the offer was more than a symbolic gesture.
“No parent should ask their child to do something that they would not be willing to do themselves,” he said. “We see more than our fair share of people that are more than willing to engage in war knowing that their children aren’t going to be a part of it. They’re sending us to war, not them.”
Kelly said he considered whether he would follow through if officials unexpectedly accepted the proposal before sending his letter.
“This is not by any means any kind of a publicity stunt. I am very serious,” he said. “I’ve lived my life. I’m good. I’m fine. These kids have not. They have not had that chance to live their life.
“They’re put in a situation that none of them asked for. It’s a war of choice, a forever war.”
Moreno’s office told Newsweek that it was aware of Kelly’s letter, adding, “We’re reaching out to Mr. Kelley to arrange a meeting to discuss it further,” a spokesperson said. “Senator Moreno deeply sympathizes with Mr. Kelley’s concerns and looks forward to helping in any way he can.”
What His Son Might Think
Kelly described his son as strong, resilient and capable of enduring difficult circumstances. He said his decision to speak was not based on a belief that the sailor needed his father to rescue him personally.
“I believe that he’s handling it as well as a 20-year-old can on an aircraft carrier,” Kelly said. “I think that he probably does not need a single bit of help from his old man. In fact, it’s on the high end that when he finds out about this, he’s probably going to be pretty ticked at me for wanting to come to the rescue, thinking that he couldn’t handle it.
“It’s not that. I know that he can,” Kelly continued. “It’s me wanting to make the sacrifice that he and all those sailors shouldn’t have to make.”
The distinction is central to Kelly’s criticism. He acknowledged that sailors join the military knowing service can be dangerous and demanding, but argued that this does not make every deployment decision or military operation beyond question.
“Yes, they signed up for service. Yes, they signed up for military service. And yes, these things are difficult,” Kelly said. “The problem is that this is a sign-up and performance of service under context that is nothing but lies.
“If this is part of the regular service, what’s the rotation schedule?” he asked. “Are we on track with a rotation schedule? Is this normal?”
‘Why Are They Still Out There?’
The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on February 28, beginning a conflict the Trump administration said was intended to eliminate threats posed by the Iranian government. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against U.S.-linked and allied targets across the Middle East.
Trump suggested in March that the war was already nearing its conclusion, telling CBS News that it was “very complete, pretty much.”
Fighting, ceasefires and renewed military operations continued over subsequent months. In July, Trump declared an earlier ceasefire “over” after attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz produced retaliatory U.S. strikes.
By July 19, U.S. Central Command said it had completed a ninth consecutive night of renewed strikes against Iranian command centers, air defenses, maritime assets and missile and drone facilities.
Kelly said Trump’s repeated declarations of military success made the Lincoln’s continued deployment harder for families to understand.
“I think we’ve won this war 42 or 43 times now, and I’m hoping that the next win we can get one of these carriers switched out before we start bombing again,” he said.
“If Iran’s military has been thoroughly destroyed several times like it has been, well, who’s shooting back when we keep attacking?” Kelly added. “Bring these kids home. Why are they still out there?”
Rogers said that communication from the Navy had been next to nothing, explaining that she had been unable to attend the one town hall set up for spouses virtually because she didn’t have access to the software.
“The FRG [Family Readiness Group] letters have been sort of just full of nothingness, you know, like they’re not really giving us information about how the guys are doing or anything like that,” she said.
A Replacement on the Way
The USS George Washington is now heading toward the Middle East to replace the Lincoln, according to reports citing U.S. officials. The Japan-based carrier has been moving through Southeast Asian waters toward the Indian Ocean, although the Navy has not publicly provided a timetable for the ships’ movements, citing operational-security concerns.
The reported rotation does not mean the Lincoln’s sailors will return immediately. The George Washington must first reach the region and take over its responsibilities, while the Lincoln would then begin its journey back to San Diego.
Rogers told Newsweek she remained skeptical, “because this is the third time we’ve been told they’re coming home.”
Still, Kelly said the knowledge that relief was on its way would carry enormous meaning for families.
“I think that that would be great,” he said. “I think that just shows you that the pressure that parents and the media are willing to put on this, to fight through a very deceptive and deceitful administration, really says a lot to try to get these families back together.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas