Navy Seeks to Punish 19-Year-Old Sailor Who Jumped Off USS Abraham Lincoln

A U.S. Navy sailor who jumped from the USS Abraham Lincoln in what his wife described as a suicide attempt is facing disciplinary charges that could cost him as much as half his normal pay.

The 19-year-old sailor has been accused under the Uniform Code of Military Justice of malingering and absence without leave, according to charging documents reviewed by MS NOW.

His case will proceed through non-judicial punishment, culminating in a captain’s mast at which his commanding officer will determine any penalty.

Malingering and Absence Charges

The documents accuse the sailor of violating Article 83, which covers intentionally feigning illness or injuring oneself to avoid duty, and Article 86, which addresses unauthorized absence from a required place of duty.

Non-judicial punishment allows commanders to discipline service members without pursuing the more formal court-martial process.

The sailor’s wife criticized the decision to pursue the case.

“I think they’re insane for doing this to people who need mental help,” she told MS NOW. “Instead of giving them help, this is just another huge stressor.”

Jump from the Carrier

The sailor jumped overboard on August 3, according to his wife.

He was medically evacuated and returned to San Diego on August 13 before spending five days at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

His wife said staff monitored his vital signs during that period, but that he did not meet with a psychiatrist or therapist. He was instructed to return to work after being released.

His first therapy appointment took place on August 26, nearly two weeks after his return to San Diego, she said.

Requests for Help Before the Incident

The sailor’s wife said her husband had approached his chain of command and the ship’s medical personnel several times before the incident to raise concerns about his mental health.

She said those concerns were dismissed.

In a July 21 message to his wife, 13 days before he jumped, the sailor wrote: “(I) think the boat is finally getting to me.”

He also said he was struggling after learning that the carrier’s deployment had again been extended.

“(I) dont think i can do another deployment after this and i dont even know if i can finish this deployment,” he wrote.

The sailor had also repeatedly sought paternity leave, according to his wife, but was denied each time.

The couple has a 3-year-old son and a daughter born in February while the sailor was deployed.

Navy Response Under Scrutiny

Rep. Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee whose district includes Lincoln’s home port of San Diego, raised concerns about the case and conditions aboard deployed ships.

“No one should be punished for getting the mental health care they need,” Jacobs said.

She added that she would continue pressing the Navy to provide support to sailors and conduct oversight of its response.

The sailor’s wife has also said Navy officials did not contact her about the incident until four days after her husband went overboard.

She said she first learned what had happened through a message from one of his friends aboard the carrier.

After she contacted the ship’s ombudsman, the squadron’s command master chief later told her by email that her husband was “safe and sound onboard and will be returning to San Diego soon to receive support from Balboa.”

Extended Deployment

The USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego on November 21, 2025, and its deployment has been extended several times because of the war with Iran.

Family members told MS NOW that sailors and Marines aboard the carrier had reported emotional strain and other mental health difficulties during the nine-month deployment.

The Defense Department’s seventh annual military suicide report recorded 471 service member deaths by suicide across the armed forces in 2024, compared with 531 in 2023.

The disciplinary proceedings against the Lincoln sailor now place the Navy’s treatment of an attempted suicide at the center of broader questions over how commanders balance military discipline with mental health intervention.