Hegseth unveils Presidential Unit Citation to USS Abraham Lincoln crew after lengthy deployment
The citation recognized 3,693 combat missions and 1.37 million pounds of ordnance during the carrier’s deployment.
- On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the USS Abraham Lincoln to bestow the Presidential Unit Citation, the military's highest unit-level award, ahead of the carrier's Thursday return to San Diego.
- The crew spent 321 days away from home, including 40 days in combat operations supporting Operation Epic Fury, the Trump administration's code name for the Iran war campaign.
- According to the citation, the strike group executed 3,693 combat missions, delivered 1.37 million pounds of ordnance, launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles, and sank 64 Iranian warships.
- Hegseth pushed back against efforts to characterize the Lincoln as a "symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale," stating the crew's strength lies in their ability to "adapt and overcome."
- Two aircraft carriers remain assigned to the Middle East as the Lincoln returns, while U.S. officials suggest the USS Theodore Roosevelt could join the region by the end of October.
29 Articles
29 Articles
USS Abraham Lincoln gets top unit honour after record Iran war deployment
Pete Hegseth awarded the USS Abraham Lincoln a Presidential Unit Citation before its return to San Diego. The honour capped a record deployment marked by combat, supply strains and intense scrutiny of crew welfare.
Hegseth does two pushups and gives hero’s welcome to USS Abraham Lincoln crew: ‘Changed the arc of history’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave a hero's welcome to the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln as they returned to San Diego after spending some 300 days at sea.
USS Lincoln strike group awarded Presidential Unit Citation for Iran deployment
A day ahead of their return to the U.S., the crew of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and the ships in its carrier strike group were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the military’s highest unit-level valor award. The 5,000 sailors on the Lincoln and several hundred more aboard ships in the strike group will have spent 321 days away from home, including 40 days in combat, upon the ship’s planned return to San Diego this Thursday. Secretary of De…
Hegseth visits the long-deployed USS Lincoln to bestow a top award bef
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks before President Donald Trump at an event for Anduril Industries, Inc., at Sparrows Point Shipyard, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Sparrows Point, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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