WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 -- Karen Bramlett's grandson has been at sea for nearly nine months. He is aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier operating with the U.S. Fifth Fleet throughout the Iran War ceasefire period. According to his grandmother, who spoke to NPR, he is depressed. The conditions aboard the ship, she said, make it difficult to blame him.

When reporters asked President Donald Trump on Friday whether the Lincoln's deployment had lasted long enough, he paused before answering. "No," he said. "Not nearly long enough." The crew of approximately 5,000 sailors, originally expected to return home in May, received the president's verdict from several time zones away.

The Lincoln has been at sea for more than 2...