WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego after a 321 day deployment, allowing 122 sailors to meet their children for the first time.
  • Thousands of sailors came ashore as cheering families welcomed them home following nearly 10 and a half months away.
  • The carrier’s deployment was extended twice after the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.
  • War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the carrier strike group received the Presidential Unit Citation for its historic mission.

For 122 sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the end of a 321 day deployment delivered far more than a return to San Diego. These men were finally able to hold children they had previously seen only through screens.

The aircraft carrier docked after nearly 10 and a half months away, bringing thousands of sailors back to cheering families. Cowbells sounded in the distance as crew members streamed ashore and some of the new fathers hurried toward their babies.

Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Barker, the USS Abraham Lincoln’s public affairs officer, said the lengthy mission required sailors to miss birthdays, anniversaries and other major family moments.

“There are 122 new dads that are going to walk off the ship today. From the air wing and from my ship, they’re waiting to meet their children for the very first time.”

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Among those fathers was Brent Ledbetter, an air traffic control center officer. His son was born shortly after the Lincoln departed San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, leaving Ledbetter to watch his child’s earliest months from afar.

“I just want to hold him, play with him,” Ledbetter told NBC News. “He’s crawling around now, so I’m excited to chase him around the house and give him all the love that, that, you know — has been kind of withheld for the last 10 months. I’m so excited.”

Ledbetter’s wife was also assigned to the deployment, according to NBC News. Ledbetter relieved her shortly before the birth because Navy regulations prevented both sailors from serving aboard the ship at the same time.

Navy Set to Replace Weary USS Abraham Lincoln with George Washington in the Middle East
Image Credit: DoW
The USS Abraham Lincoln conducts blockade operations in the Arabian Sea on April 16. Navy photo.

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His wife, who is also an air traffic controller, will now exchange positions with Ledbetter and deploy. He will remain home with their son after finally returning from the extended mission.

Ledbetter has served in the U.S. Navy for 13 years and previously deployed twice aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. One deployment took him to the Red Sea, while another in 2020 involved 206 days at sea, NBC News reported.

Another long awaited reunion belonged to Mackenzie Adkins and her husband, Alex. The couple had attempted to plan the growth of their family around his deployment schedule, but their son arrived 10 weeks before the Lincoln returned.

U.S. And Japan Flex Allied Naval Muscle In Early Start To Massive Valiant Shield Drill
Image Credit: DoW
The USS Ronald Reagan, USS Tripoli and USS Abraham Lincoln steam in formation in the Philippine Sea, June 12, 2022, during Valiant Shield, a field training exercise.
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Alex joined the birth through a video call. Mackenzie told KFMB that she felt excited, nervous and extremely happy as the moment approached for her husband to finally meet their son.

“We were ready to start our family, and so we took the original return home date and used that to plan the pregnancy, and with military life, things just happen,” she said. “And well, here we are 10 weeks later, and he’s finally going to get to meet his son.”

The Lincoln originally departed San Diego in November 2025 for a routine six month deployment. That schedule was extended twice after the United States jointly launched Operation Epic Fury with Israel on Feb. 28.

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Image Credit: DoW
U.S. Navy maintainers for the F/A-18E Super Hornet, seen here launching from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, say they've had to repurpose parts from grounded aircraft to address maintenance needs. (MCS Daniel Kimmelman/Navy)

The return also came with major recognition for the carrier strike group. As the Lincoln and other elements of the group approached the California coast Wednesday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the group had received the Presidential Unit Citation.

The citation is the military’s highest valor award for a unit. Hegseth delivered the announcement to the 5,000 sailors aboard the Lincoln and cited their “historic mission.”

That mission included completing “3,693 combat flights, sinking 64 Iranian warships, launching 450 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles and shooting down 77 one-way aerial attack drones.”

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. Triumphantly Returns After Grueling 10 Months at Sea
Image Credit: DoW
A U.S. Sailor poses for a photo with his family as Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), assigned to the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, returns to its homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii following 10 months of operations in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. An integral part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the region and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to execute our Navy’s role across the full spectrum of military operations – from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster response. U.S. 3rd Fleet works together with allies and partners to advance freedom of navigation and overflight, the rule of law, and other principles that underpin security for the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Conor Minihan)

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Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao also praised the sailors on social media. “Congratulations to @CNV_72 and all of CSG-3 on this well-earned Presidential Unit Citation for their extreme heroism over the last 10 months in defense of our homeland,” Cao wrote.

According to the citation, the deployment included 40 days in combat and an “ironclad maritime blockade against Iran in support of Operation Epic Fury.” After that demanding mission, the loudest victory in San Diego belonged to 122 fathers finally holding their children.