CORONADO, Calif. - After more than 10 months at sea, thousands of sailors Thursday poured out of the the USS Lincoln on San Diego Bay to thunderous cheers, streaming tears and emotional hugs, marking a homecoming that included new dads who met babies born while they were away on a historic deployment supporting the Iran war.
The reunion followed an emotional rollercoaster for families who described crying and losing sleep after hearing reports of supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among the crew during the deployment that spent a record 265 days of uninterrupted time at sea. Many said they only could communicate with family via the occasional email or rare WhatsApp calls.
