US Navy sailor who jumped from USS Abraham Lincoln faces disciplinary action - report

A US Navy sailor who jumped off the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) aircraft carrier earlier this month is facing disciplinary action, MS NOW reported on Wednesday. 

According to the report, the sailor has been accused of violating Article 83 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for "malingering," or “intentionally faking an illness or hurting themselves to avoid work, duty or service,” and Article 86 for “absence without leave.”

The sailor's wife told MS NOW that her husband had not received the care he needed and that this only compounded her husband's struggle.

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

Sailor reportedly did not get mental health care 

She said that her husband had jumped overboard on August 3, was medically evacuated and returned to San Diego on August 13, spent five days at Naval Medical Center San Diego, known as Balboa, and was told to report back to work immediately after his release.

During that time, he did not receive therapy or psychiatric care. He finally began therapy on August 26, nearly a month after his attempted suicide and nearly two weeks after he arrived back in San Diego. 

His wife told MS NOW that prior to jumping, the sailor went to both his chain of command and the ship's medical team multiple times to raise concerns over his mental health but was brushed off.

She learned what happened from a message from one of her husband's friends aboard the ship and was not contacted until four days after the incident. 

The sailor and his wife are both 19 and have two children, the youngest of whom was born in February. The sailor repeatedly requested paternity leave but was denied.

Nonjudicial punishment is typically used to reprimand service members for minor rule-breaking, negating the need for a formal, lengthy court-martial process which could end in an official conviction.

Facing nonjudicial punishment, the sailor will end up in a "captain's mast," where a commanding officer will decide the punishment, MS NOW reported. It could cost the sailor up to half his pay.

Questions raised over military treatment of mental health

The incident is calling attention to the way in which the US Navy and other branches of the US military deal with suicide and mental health.

US military lawyers say that there is a legal mechanism for the US Defense Department to punish service members who try to commit suicide, even while the department has dedicated resources for those struggling with their mental health. 

“We tell service members to reach out for help, and then we keep a criminal statute on the books for the ones who didn’t get it in time. That’s a policy choice,” Cody Harnish, a former Army judge advocate general who now represents military service members, told MS NOW.

While technically, the manual for court-martials says that suicide attempts should not be charged, ultimately, pursuing charges and a punishment is at the discretion of the commanding officer, Harnish told MS NOW.

When asked about the decision to pursue nonjudicial punishment for suicide attempts, a US Navy official told MS NOW that "the navy is fully committed to the health and well-being of every sailor."

"We strive to foster environments that support mental health by removing barriers to seeking help, increasing awareness of resources, and taking appropriate action when someone is in need. Mental health resources are available to our Sailors 24/7, and asking for help is a sign of strength,” the official said.