Hegseth presents crew of USS Abraham Lincoln with Presidential Unit Citation after long deployment

War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday presented the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln with the highest unit award, the Presidential Unit Citation, as they made their way home from a lengthy deployment in the Middle East. 

The award was created in the 1940s and is given to units that show “extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy.” 

Hegseth praised the crew, who were deployed for over 300 days, for supporting the military’s operations against Iran and helping enforce the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, stating the group “projected decisive combat power and established maritime advantage to achieve the president’s strategic objectives and strengthen the security” of the United States. 

“I draw inspiration from the mission that you executed so successfully,” Hegseth said in a speech on the military ship. “You have changed the arc of history, ensuring that crazy people, theocrats, never get a nuclear weapon, changes the arc of history.” 

Hegseth also slammed the media for their coverage of the crew and the conditions on board the ship, accusing them of trying to “turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale, or a symbol of a failed mission.”

“When I talk to your leadership, and I have had a chance to talk to a number of you, I know it’s the exact opposite, which is actually what the media does so often,” he said. “They see success. They see excellence and they see difficulty and challenge that needs to be overcome."

The Lincoln, carrying approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines, was first deployed in the Pacific and South China Sea last November but has been supporting U.S. military operations more recently in the Middle East. The crew's deployment was extended in May with no end date announced at the time. 

The aircraft carrier made headlines recently after reports surfaced that at least eight sailors aboard the ship attempted suicide during the deployment because of conditions on the ship. 

The ship will officially dock in San Diego on Thursday, after spending 321 days at sea.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.