The U.S. military plans to discipline a 19-year-old sailor who jumped from the
USS Abraham Lincoln earlier this month, citing self-harm and unauthorized
absence, U.S. media reported. The sailor jumped from the carrier on the 3rd and
was rescued about an hour later. Military charges allege he violated regulations
by deliberately feigning illness or injuring himself to avoid duty and by
leaving his post without approval. The Lincoln began a planned deployment in
November, was sent to the Middle East in January and is now en route back to the
United States. The New York Times reported the carrier spent 272 days largely at
sea with only brief resupply stops in Guam and Oman; about 5,000 crew members
reportedly faced low morale and poor living conditions, and several sailors have
reportedly suffered mental breakdowns and attempted to jump overboard.
