BS BULLETIN
- Marine veteran Joey Jones erupted after CNN aired a USS Abraham Lincoln sailor complaining about low morale and meals of “noodles and tuna,” asking: “How weak are you?!”
- But the Lincoln has endured an extraordinary deployment — more than 250 days at sea, including roughly 200 in a combat zone — with families reporting supply problems and serious mental-health strain.
- Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao says the crew has performed heroically, food requirements have been met despite logistical challenges, and the Lincoln will “return home soon.”
🚨 Combat-wounded Marine Joey Jones has had enough.
After media amplified sailors’ complaints about “noodles and tuna” and the occasional corn dog on the USS Abraham Lincoln, the double-amputee veteran who served in Afghanistan unloaded:
“I would have traded a block of C4 to…
— Felix Lima Fernandes (@TheFelix123) August 16, 2026
There are people who might hear a young sailor complain about eating tuna and noodles aboard an aircraft carrier and offer a sympathetic nod.
Then there is Joey Jones.
The Fox News host and decorated Marine veteran heard the complaint Saturday and basically responded:
Are you kidding me?
Jones unloaded during The Big Weekend Show after Fox played a CNN interview with an unnamed sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for roughly nine months and has spent a record stretch at sea without a port call.
The sailor told CNN’s Pamela Brown:
“I would say morale’s pretty low.”
He complained that food supplies had gotten thin enough that some meals amounted to:
“noodles and tuna mixed in together.”
And sometimes, he said, sailors got “a corndog” or “a hot dog.” Jones could be heard sighing before the clip had even finished. Then the former Marine took the safety off. Jones recalled his own experience deployed to Afghanistan:
“You know what I ate in Afghanistan for six months using a little burner? I ate Ramen noodles.”
He said he was happy to have them because the alternative was an MRE or food prepared locally. Then came the line that pretty much summarized Jones’ entire reaction:
“How weak are you?! On TV, complaining about tuna and noodles?”
Jones reminded the sailor that military service is voluntary and ripped into the idea of going on national television to complain about the menu.
And Joey Jones isn’t exactly criticizing military hardship from a leather recliner with no idea what service entails. Jones spent eight years in the Marine Corps, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and worked as an explosive ordnance disposal technician.
In 2010, an improvised explosive device exploded while Jones was serving in Afghanistan. He lost both legs above the knee and suffered severe injuries to his arms and wrists. So when Jones talks about what he ate in Afghanistan, this isn’t somebody reminiscing about an uncomfortable business trip.
Jones wasn’t finished.
He acknowledged that life aboard the Lincoln may be monotonous and grueling, but said complaining about hot dogs wasn’t exactly convincing him that the American military was enduring unbearable deprivation.
Then he produced the line of the segment:
“I would’ve traded a block of C-4 to the Taliban for a hot dog by about July 2010.”
Jones said he simply could not understand the mentality. And then he widened his criticism beyond this one sailor.
“If this is a representation of who our military is now, and I’m not saying it is… if this is who we are, we’re just Rome sitting here waiting to burn.”
He added:
“We’ve got nothing left. It makes me fume.”
Jones wondered what veterans of World War II would think watching an American servicemember complain on television about tuna, noodles and corndogs.
It’s vintage Joey Jones. And I suspect there are an awful lot of veterans who heard it and yelled AMEN at the television.
But there is another side to this story. And it’s considerably more serious than the menu. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its roughly 5,000-person crew have been deployed since November.
The carrier has now spent more than 250 consecutive days at sea, an extraordinary modern record, with approximately 200 days spent operating in a combat zone during the Iran conflict.
Normally, carriers get periodic port visits that allow sailors some time away from the ship. Stars and Stripes reports that carrier crews generally get a port call every 30 to 45 days for resupply, maintenance and rest.
The Lincoln’s crew has gone much of this deployment without that relief.
Imagine your workplace. Now imagine living there. Sleeping there. Eating there. Working long shifts there. Unable to leave. For eight months. While participating in combat operations.
Suddenly the tuna isn’t really the whole story. Military families have described food and water shortages, disrupted mail, shortages of basic supplies, long working hours and little time off. Separate reporting has included allegations of spoiled or rotten food.
One sailor reportedly texted home:
“Haven’t had milk in three months.”
Others described problems getting basics such as soap, toothpaste and deodorant. The most disturbing allegations involve mental health. Military Times reported that family members say multiple Lincoln sailors have attempted to go overboard during the extended deployment.
One sailor’s wife said her husband had been repeatedly overextended before he attempted to jump from the carrier and was subsequently placed on medical hold.
Those allegations have prompted calls for answers from lawmakers.
The administration and Navy leadership say much of the public portrayal of conditions aboard the Lincoln is misleading.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has disputed reports depicting a crisis aboard the ship.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has likewise pushed back, praising the sailors and stressing what they have accomplished during a historic combat deployment.
According to the New York Post, Cao said the ship has spent 266 days at sea, about 200 in a combat zone, while launching roughly 10,000 sorties. He acknowledged logistical challenges but said:
“Every meal requirement was met.”
And he praised the crew rather than portraying them as helpless victims. Most importantly for the sailors and their families, Cao says:
“Lincoln will return home soon.”
The USS George Washington is reportedly moving to relieve the Lincoln.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite — ‘How Weak Are You?!’ Fox News host goes nuclear on soldier complaining about food aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
- Military Times — Multiple USS Abraham Lincoln sailors have tried to go overboard amid extended deployment, families say
- Stars and Stripes — USS Abraham Lincoln families press Navy leaders over sailors’ mental health
- New York Post — Acting Navy secretary salutes USS Abraham Lincoln crew following mental health crisis reports, says vessel will ‘return home soon’
- Associated Press — Trump says USS Lincoln’s record time at sea during Iran operations ‘not nearly long enough’
