NORFOLK, Va. — Gov. Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin met with the crew of the USS Arlington (LPD-24) at Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday morning, ahead of the amphibious transport dock ship's upcoming deployment.
Youngkin toured the Arlington, visiting the well deck, pilothouse, and 9/11 tribute room before addressing the crew there.
Nearly 600 Marines and 400 sailors are set to deploy on the USS Arlington soon. Leaders at Naval Station Norfolk say this is part of a regularly scheduled deployment. Before leaving, Youngkin met the crew ready to hit the sea.
"I come here today simply to say thank you. To thank you for your service, to thank you for your courage, to thank you for keeping us safe and secure. I also want you to know that you don't serve for money, we know that, because you serve based on a sense of duty," he said. "But you do need to be able to take care of your families."
He said it’s important to speak with crew members, especially with the war in Ukraine.
“For the first time in many people’s lives, we have a dictator who has invaded a sovereign nation,” he said.
As he prayed for a safe return, he shared his plan to reduce taxes and make this a state where they will retire.
“We are one of a handful of states that still taxes fully veterans retirement benefits. So, a big part of our tax plan is, in fact, to exclude up to $40,000 of our veterans' retirement benefits from taxes altogether.”
Youngkin said his administration is working to waive fees to start businesses and double the efforts to provide veteran services.
"I want them to stay here. We want to go to work to make it easier for their spouses to get jobs," he said. "We want to make it easier for them to start companies.”
Last year, the Arlington spent weeks in Haiti after a devastating earthquake. Youngkin said the crew brought 660,000 pounds of food, medicine, and relief supplies to the people of Haiti.