USS Abraham Lincoln Fiasco Demands A Congressional Probe

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The war these carriers are supporting has already killed at least 18 US service members and wounded roughly 500 more, alongside thousands of Iranian civilians killed. As an Iraq veteran, I've come to understand the costs of war begin long before the first shot is fired. Diplomacy is what keeps the world safe, and certainly not bombs that pad shareholder value at the expense of service members and military families, who have everything to lose.

The USS Lincoln is carrying 5,000 sailors and Marines, 5,000 souls who have touched communities far and wide throughout our nation. They've played in our little leagues, attended school dances, walked college campuses and have full lives waiting for them at home.

Whatever reason each of them had for raising their right hand, that oath reflects a rare kind of commitment - to a mission, and to a country they intend to keep giving back to. War is the price many military families pay, and veterans carry its scars, visible and invisible, long after they take off the uniform. It is time for this administration to uphold its end of that bargain.

Instead, this White House has gutted the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); sent troops to a highly unpopular, illegal, unjust war; and used the military as a political prop. None of that improves troops' or veterans' lives. What would actually improve their lives? Ending the war, investigating what happened on the USS Lincoln, expanding the VA instead of hollowing it out, and making sure military and working families can actually thrive.

As the USS Lincoln returns home, it's worth remembering what most Americans already sense: War doesn't accomplish what makes a life worth living. It doesn't keep your family safe, cover your healthcare, give you a good-paying job, or protect the freedoms our Constitution promises.

That's why most Americans oppose the war with Iran. Yet, we're all paying for it-in a cost of living already at historic highs, in gas prices, and in the roughly $1,000 per household experts say Trump's decision to go to war has cost every one of us.