The mentioned MS-NOW article ...
'I was terrified': Military families describe their harrowing evacuation from a Navy base in Bahrain
www.ms.now
... According to a September report to Congress, Bahrain has been the fourth most targeted country by Iranian missile and drone attacks in the region since the war began. In the opening days of the conflict, Iranian attacks damaged the command headquarters, two satellite communications terminals, warehouses and a dozen other buildings, with estimates of the damage nearing $400 million. ...
In a recent interview, acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said that Iran "blew the hell out of Bahrain" and that he has assigned a task force to look into whether or not the base should be repaired. ...
The families interviewed by MS NOW said they have been living in limbo ever since their hasty departure from Bahrain.
Many left with only one suitcase per person, leaving behind household furniture and personal items with no clear idea when they may see those things again.
They described moving between multiple continents, draining their financial savings and soothing children who were traumatized by the nearby explosions they heard during the Iranian attacks. ...
MS NOW reached out to U.S. Central Command for more information and clarification about the evacuation process and what the next steps are for the evacuees. CENTCOM officials did not return requests for comment. ...
"It was utter chaos. I had no one to talk to, no access to information, nothing," one spouse said. ...
Another spouse said a family friend who also serves in the Navy came to check on her and her sons because they had heard it was going to be a night of heavy attack. She said she hid in a parking garage with the sailor and her sons for seven hours. ...
"It has been a challenge, let me tell you, for somebody who has over two decades of government service in active duty and now almost five as a civilian ... this last year has made me realize that the call of service is starting to wane," the civilian employee said.
"No one's ever spoken a word to us besides, like 'we're proud of your resilience'. That's not enough," one spouse said. "I'm angry because no one will acknowledge any of it, and they just keep tiptoeing around it ... I'm pissed at the Navy."
"They're not telling the truth. They're not telling the full story. They're not telling how much damage there really was," another said. ...
