5,000 US sailors from USS Abraham Lincoln arrive in Pattaya after 286 days at sea
The Telegraph video reports on the arrival of approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines from the USS Abraham Lincoln in Pattaya, Thailand, after a nine-month deployment that included 286 days at sea. It highlights the carrier's repeated extensions, onboard issues like low morale, mental health problems, and supply shortages, then shifts to the crew's relief upon reaching the party town known for sex tourism. The segment notes a ban on the notorious "Soi Sex" (likely Soi 6), a police crackdown on sex workers, and draws parallels to Pattaya's transformation during the Vietnam War due to US troops' R&R visits. Sailors describe feeling like it's a "fever dream" after so long at sea, with local businesses hoping for significant spending.
Source: The Telegraph