A plume of smoke rises after a reported Iranian strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, Bahrain, on March 12. Fadhel Madhan/AFP via Getty Images
NPR has learned that hundreds of sailors were evacuated back to the United States from their base in Bahrain after the base was attacked by Iranian missiles and drones. In addition to the base in Bahrain, NPR has learned that there have been evacuations at other U.S. military bases in the region, though exact details remain unclear.
Bahrain is home to the Navy’s 5th Fleet, a central hub for maritime security in the Middle East, including protection of commercial shipping. The island sits roughly 124 nautical miles from Iran’s coast, placing it within range of Iranian drones and missiles.
Around 8,000 people were stationed at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain before the U.S. struck Iran on Feb. 28. On the opening day of the war, the base was struck multiple times. Social media posts showed a ballistic missile and Iranian drones hitting the base, and satellite imagery from Planet shows at least seven buildings in and around the base were struck between Feb. 28 and March 6.
In response to an NPR request, a Navy spokesman acknowledged that 1,500 sailors, their families and several hundred pets were relocated back to the U.S. from NSA Bahrain. Sailors have been arriving in Norfolk, Va., home to the world’s largest naval base, since at least mid-March. Several groups that aid military personnel say sailors arrived with very little; community groups were asked for basic supplies like hygiene products.
“The base was asking for donations of toiletries and different things for the sailors coming back, 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 vice commanders. “They literally told them, ‘Get what you can get in the backpack. You’ve got to go,'” he said. “They came with no uniforms, nothing. The three we met first, they came with the clothes on their back, what they could fit in that backpack.”
The Navy has provided services including crisis counseling, financial and legal assistance, relocation support, educational resources and coordination for child and youth programs, according to Lt. Cmdr. Kara Handley. The USO has also been providing aid to sailors in Norfolk as they arrive from various locations in the Middle East, David Carrier with the national USO said.
The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society has handed out about $1 million to roughly 2,000 sailors and their families since the evacuations began, said the group’s chief operations officer, retired Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler. The money pays for essentials and provides bridge loans so families can cover basic living expenses while they wait for government reimbursement, which can take months.
“I saw one gal — she had a 2-week-old and a 2-year-old and a dog in a crate and a suitcase. So she was just at the moment, you know, looking to get out of danger, get to someplace safe. And now we’re at the point where families are back and they’re starting to ask the question: ‘Well, what’s next? Will we go back?'” Cutler said.
Pets posed challenges during the evacuations. Initial guidance limited movement of pets, then changed; some pets were put on different flights and volunteers helped gather carriers and supplies for animals.
When troops are overseas they don’t keep a U.S. home ready; the military requires service members to designate a “safe haven” for emergency relocation. Some sailors have stayed with relatives, while others remained on U.S. bases. MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., and Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina have also been hubs for returning flights.
On April 1, the Navy released updated guidance for evacuated sailors and families, clarifying reimbursement for hotel stays, including for families temporarily relocated to Italy and Germany before transport back to the U.S. The Navy has not yet provided guidance on vehicles and furniture left behind or on whether and when evacuees will return to their Middle East posts.
Geoff Brumfiel contributed to this story.