NORFOLK, Va. — After the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, we're taking a look at how the ongoing conflict could impact the military population in Hampton Roads.
“It’s hard to see, you know, people that you meet throughout the years cutting their hair and the uncertainty of what’s going to happen with the seriousness that’s going on right now,” said Brent Ross, a barber at Custom Kutz, located just outside Naval Station Norfolk.
Some of the barbers at the shop, including Ross, are veterans and now cut the hair of active service members.
“I was just cutting somebody’s hair today earlier. He was married with kids and he was saying his wife is scared. But he’s strong, and I wished him luck and told him to make it back real safe,” said Brandon Garrett, an Army veteran and barber.
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group set to leave for a regularly scheduled deployment on Tuesday, likely to the Eastern Mediterranean.
To get an idea of whether preparations change following the U.S. strikes, both physically and emotionally, News 3 spoke with retired Vice Admiral Herman Shelanski.
“They knew that the possibilities of change for their schedule is high probability and they’re ready to do that type of thing. They trained for that,” he told News 3.
Shelanski also stressed the importance of the support the Navy provides to sailors' families while they are deployed.
“I have great confidence that our leaders today are doing that, and that’s as important because these families are here and every morning, they wake up and they’re not sure of the safety of their spouse that is out at sea,” he said.
Given Shelanski’s extensive experience, he was also able to provide some information on the layout of newer carriers like the USS Gerald R. Ford. Interestingly enough, the oldest carrier in the fleet, the USS Nimitz, and the newest carrier in the fleet, the USS Ford, will be deployed in similar parts of the world at the same time, with the USS Nimitz heading to the Middle East. Shelanski says there could be a scenario where the carriers work together with Israeli forces.
“You never know what’s going to happen. But there are open lines in terms of intelligence sharing, communication, and that’s what our fleet commanders do. The 6th Fleet Commander in the Mediterranean is often in conversation with their counterpart in the Israeli Navy and the Israeli Armed Forces. [It's] the same thing in the 5th Fleet area, which is the Middle East and the Persian Gulf,” he said.
