NORFOLK, Va. — USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) will not be heading back to Hampton Roads after its latest deployment. The ship is switching homeports from Norfolk to San Diego. By next year, thousands of military members and their families will move to the West Coast.
Lt. Commander Timothy Henderson said he plans to move, but without his family.
"Military life in general... deployments, they can be tough on myself, my family and everyone," he said.
For the next month, training on board the Lincoln will be intense as sailors test their ability to operate as a carrier strike group, together as one.
Henderson explained, "When I get to work, we understand that we do have a mission that we need to achieve."
SEE ALSO: Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln while at sea
While constant work before deployment keeps sailors busy, they say the thought of moving their families across the country is on their minds.
Captain of USS Abraham Lincoln Putnam Browne told 13News Now he was impressed that the Navy really announced the homeport shift earlier than expected.
"Ships company about 3,000 sailors, and about 1,000 to 1,500 will move. So you have to arrange the dates and the times. We need to get those guys off the ship and give them liberty to leave. In many scenarios you must move families, kids, dogs, and cats," Captain Browne explained.
Henderson is moving but plans to leave his family here in Hampton Roads. He plans on doing another tour when he gets back.
"They are really young right now, so it's kind of tough for me to try and explain it to them and get them to see the big picture as why I'm doing what I'm doing," he said.
Henderson’s plan is to come back to Hampton Roads as soon as he can.
"I look forward to that opportunity and it's something else I will use to get myself through this mentally," Henderson said.