A plume of smoke rises after an alleged Iranian attack on fuel tanks in Muharraq, Bahrain on March 12.
Fadhel Madhan/AFP via Getty Images
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Fadhel Madhan/AFP via Getty Images
Hundreds of sailors were evacuated from their base in Bahrain to the United States after the base was attacked by Iranian missiles and drones, NPR has learned. In addition to the base in Bahrain, NPR has learned that other U.S. military bases in the region have been evacuated, though exact details are unknown at this point.
Bahrain is home to the Navy’s 5th Fleet, making it a central hub for providing maritime security in the Middle East region, including the protection of commercial shipping. The country is an island in the Persian Gulf about 124 nautical miles off the coast of Iran, making Bahrain within range of Iranian drone and missile attacks.
About 8,000 people were stationed at the Bahrain base before the US attacked Iran on February 28.
On the opening days of the war, the base, known as Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, was attacked several times. It was revealed from the post on social media ballistic missile And Iranian drone To hit base. Satellite imagery from Planet Company shows that at least seven buildings in and around the base were attacked between 28 February and 6 March.
In response to an NPR request, a Navy spokesperson acknowledged that 1,500 sailors, their families and several hundred pets were transferred from NSA Bahrain back to the US.
Sailors have been arriving in Norfolk, Virginia, home to the world’s largest naval base, since at least mid-March. Several groups providing aid to military personnel say the sailors arrived with very little luggage. A call came out to community groups, asking for basic supplies such as hygiene products.
“The base was asking for donations of toiletries and various things for returning sailors, because they were coming back with nothing.” said Derrick Johnson, commander of American Legion Post 327 in Norfolk.
The post hosted a spaghetti dinner for some of the sailors, said Keith Shanesy, one of the post’s deputy commanders.
“They literally told them, ‘Take whatever you can find in the backpack. You have to go,'” he said. “They came without uniforms, nothing. The first three people we met came with the clothes on their backs that they could keep in those backpacks.”
The Navy provided services including “crisis counseling, financial and legal assistance, relocation assistance, educational resources, coordination for child and youth programs,” according to Lt. Cmdr. Kara Handley.
And the USO, which provides assistance to service members and families, according to David Carrier, along with the national USO, is providing assistance to sailors in Norfolk as they arrive from various locations in the Middle East.
The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society has given $1 million to about 2,000 sailors and their families since the evacuation began, said Don Cutler, a retired rear admiral, the group’s chief operating officer.
“I saw one girl – she had a 2-week-old baby and a 2-year-old baby and a dog in a crate and a suitcase. So she at this point, you know, wanted to get out of danger, to get somewhere safe. And now we’re at the point where families are back and they’re starting to ask questions: ‘Okay, what’s next? Will we go back?'” Cutler said.
The money, he said, is primarily to pay for essentials and provide bridge loans so families can pay basic living expenses while they wait for the government to reimburse them, which could take several months.
“I understand the situation with pets was quite challenging. We heard there would be no movement of pets. But then a change was made, but some were sent on different flights. People did not have cat carriers, so we helped through our volunteers,” she said.
When soldiers go overseas, they do not keep a home in the United States. The military requires service members to designate a safe haven where they will be transferred in the event of an emergency. Some sailors have gone to stay with relatives, while others remain on bases in the United States. MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, and Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, have also been hubs for return flights.
On April 1, the Navy issued updated guidance for evacuated sailors and families. The service has worked out how to reimburse people for staying in hotel rooms, including families who were temporarily relocated to Italy and Germany before being deported back to the United States.
The Navy does not yet have an answer as to what happened to the cars and furniture left behind in the rush to escape. The Navy is also not telling the evacuees when or if they will return to their bases in the Middle East.
Geoff Brumfiel contributed to this story.
