Navy Moves to Punish Sailor Who Attempted Suicide by Jumping Overboard

File photo, Anat Givon/AP Photo

A 19-year-old sailor who jumped overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln in what his wife described as a suicide attempt is now facing disciplinary action from the Navy and could have his pay docked, according to a Wednesday report from MS NOW.

Charging documents reviewed by the outlet show the sailor is accused of violating two provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: Article 83, which covers intentionally feigning illness or injuring oneself to avoid duty, and Article 86, which covers being absent from a required place of duty without authorization.

The sailor is facing non-judicial punishment, a disciplinary process that allows commanders to address alleged misconduct without proceeding to a court-martial. His case is expected to go before a commanding officer at a “captain’s mast,” where he could lose as much as half of his regular pay, according to MS NOW.

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

The sailor went overboard on Aug. 3 and spent roughly an hour in the water before being rescued. His wife previously told MS NOW that she was not notified by Navy officials until four days later and initially learned what happened from one of her husband’s friends aboard the carrier.

According to his wife, he had repeatedly raised concerns about his mental health with his chain of command and medical personnel before going overboard. She also said he had repeatedly sought paternity leave after the birth of their daughter in February but was denied.

The teenage sailor returned to the United States on Aug. 13 and spent five days at Naval Medical Center San Diego, his wife said. She alleged that he did not meet with a psychiatrist or therapist during that stay and was instructed to return to work after being released. His first therapy appointment was Aug. 26.

Asked about pursuing disciplinary action in cases involving suicide attempts, a Navy official told MS NOW that the service is “fully committed to the health and wellbeing of every Sailor,” adding that “asking for help is a sign of strength.”

The disciplinary action comes as the Lincoln’s crew is finally returning to California following a nine-month deployment that was repeatedly extended amid the war with Iran. More than 5,000 sailors and Marines departed San Diego aboard the carrier on Nov. 21, 2025, and reports in recent weeks have raised concerns about morale, food supplies, plumbing problems and sailors’ mental health.

When asked about the ship on Aug. 14, President Donald Trump responded that service members have been deployed “not nearly long enough,” denying that some family members were at all concerned. On Aug. 17, he called the reporting on food shortages aboard the ship a “CNN fake report.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has similarly downplayed the claims, posting on X Aug. 14, “The reckless & shameless ‘American’ media completely & intentionally misrepresent the USS Abraham Lincoln. The brave Sailors of that Strike Group are very proud of their tough & historic mission.”

Yet according to the wife of another service member aboard the Lincoln, the Trump administration’s denials of what she described as “appalling” conditions on the carrier are “infuriating.”

“They claim to scream and shout that they support [the troops], when it’s politically, you know, sound for them to use,” she told CNN, also on Aug. 14, “until our troops need support.”

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