NORFOLK, Va. — Military families across Hampton Roads are facing more uncertainty after learning that the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group’s deployment is being extended for a second time, potentially keeping thousands of sailors away from home for an entire year.
The strike group departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 31 for what was originally expected to be a standard six- to seven-month deployment. More than seven months later, families are now being told to prepare for the possibility that their loved ones could remain deployed for as long as 12 months.
According to reporting from MS NOW, Navy leaders delivered that news during a Nov. 9 town hall at Naval Station Norfolk, telling families their loved ones would miss the upcoming holidays and that a yearlong deployment was a worst-case scenario…