NORFOLK, Va. — Local employees of businesses near Naval Station Norfolk say they are already feeling the impact of joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, as thousands of sailors could potentially be called into action.
Marion Frederick, a barber at Custom Kutz on Hampton Boulevard whose clientele is largely made up of sailors from Naval Station Norfolk, said Saturday was a tough day for business following news of the attack.
"It's immediate. Because we already feeling it," Frederick said.
Frederick said the few customers who did come in were already preparing for the possibility of deployment.
"Some customers are already–the ones that I've had which have been very few–because since the word got out, they're already mostly preparing to leave or knowing that they probably going to be going out," Frederick said.
Retired Vice Admiral Herman Shelanski said he had been expecting the attack, pointing to what he described as the largest naval fleet assembled in the region in two decades.
"Starting late last night, I suspect, early this morning, it started, and has, will be ongoing, I think, for the next several days, or if not a week or so," Shelanski said.
Shelanski called the strikes significant, saying it marks one of the first times the U.S. and Israel have worked together to conduct a preemptive military action against Iran — a country he said has been behind decades of attacks against both Israel and the United States.
While Shelanski said U.S. naval assets in the region face elevated risk, he expressed strong confidence in the Navy's ability to defend itself.
"There's no navy like ours. We have incredible professional leaders, they're well trained. They've been through this type of exercise multiple times. Our aviators are the best in the world. The destroyers that are out there are also the best in the world, and they have the missiles, the technology, the capability, and just the everyday sailor is poised to do their job, and they know what their job is," Shelanski said.
Shelanski said the goal is to end the conflict quickly, but the length of the operation could determine whether another carrier is sent to relieve the USS Gerald R. Ford.
"So it's possible, if this looks like it's going to be extended for more than a couple of weeks, and I know that George Bush is getting ready to deploy. And it would be the one probably to go out and replace the Ford to give them the relief that they need to come home," Shelanski said.
He also had a message for military families in the Hampton Roads area watching the conflict unfold.
"They are well prepared. They're ready to do this job. They always have been, and the family should be proud of who their sailors are and what they're doing for our nation and for the world and for peace in the world," Shelanski said.
Kira Rigali, a seamstress at Emma's Alterations next door to Custom Kutz, said military-affiliated customers make up the majority of her family's business and that she is uncertain about what the conflict could mean for the future.
"Definitely more than half–at least 60% of our customer base is military affiliated. Depending on how it goes honestly, like if it turns into some giant proportion conflict, then I'm sure there will be some long-term effect, but short-term right now, I'm not sure," Rigali said.
Despite the uncertainty, those who serve the military community every day say they are hoping for the best for the sailors stationed at Naval Station Norfolk.
"Like I said, I just got all prayers out for the families out there," Frederick said.
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