On the very first day of the war, Iran
— before the U.S. government had evacuated all the military families based there.
asserted
government → evacuate → families
Some had to wait about a week or more to reach safety, according to multiple families who spoke to CBS News.
uncertain
who → have → News
"You're definitely scared," one military spouse said.
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spouse → say → ?
"As the week goes on, you wake up to ballistic missiles being fired.
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missiles → go → ?
We went to sleep with the sound of ballistic missiles again."
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We → go → missiles
Iranian missiles and drones targeted Bahrain consistently for several days after the war began, according to another spouse.
uncertain
war → target → spouse
The scale and duration of those attacks appeared to take the U.S. government by surprise, three sources who were in Bahrain at the time told CBS News, in part because families hadn't been required to evacuate until the war had already begun.
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war → appear → part
The military had anticipated some retaliation and had even evacuated the headquarters' buildings on the base, but "we weren't expecting that [scale]," one U.S. official said.
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official → anticipate → scale
One spouse said she could see the contrails of missiles and drones, and another heard explosions from attacks.
uncertain
another → say → attacks
CBS News granted anonymity to the spouses who feared retaliation for speaking.
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who → grant → retaliation
No military personnel were killed in the attacks, but images that circulated on social media earlier this year — which sources say are authentic — show extensive damage to the base.
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sources → kill → base
One of the images shows an explosion during an attack on the first day of the war that targeted a key radar system.
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that → show → system
Pentagon has not released a public estimated cost of damage
The U.S. military has not included the damage to bases in its with
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military → release → bases
The Epoch Times said Iran's retaliatory attacks "blew the hell out of Bahrain."
asserted
attacks → say → Bahrain
so far because officials say they don't know what will be rebuilt, but acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao in a recent interviewSince Naval Support Activity Bahrain officially became the headquarters for the Navy's Fifth Fleet in the '90s, it has served as a logistics hub for ships in the Middle East, including during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
asserted
it → say → Iraq
According to the Navy's website, the facility serves approximately 8,300 military personnel, Defense Department civilian employees and their families.
uncertain
facility → accord → personnel
The damage has impacted sailors at sea as well.
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damage → impact → sea
Earlier this year, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier faced food shortages as the Navy adjusted resupply routes away from Bahrain.
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Navy → face → Bahrain
The New York Times reported some supplies had to come through Diego Garcia, an island some 2,200 miles away in the Indian Ocean.
asserted
supplies → report → Ocean
The extended route requires 14- to 18-day logistics cycles to deliver supplies to ships, according to a Pentagon Inspector General report.
uncertain
route → require → report
That's compared to 5 to 7 days from Bahrain, two former officials said.
asserted
officials → compare → Bahrain
While there are other logistics hubs in the region, Bahrain was a key option before the war began.
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war → be → region
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle, the Navy's top officer, at a town hall last month acknowledged the service has had to restructure how it supplies ships in the Middle East.
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it → acknowledge → East
"There was some early learning there on getting the logistics process in place that I think now we have in a very good situation," Caudle said.
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Caudle → be → situation
During the town hall, Caudle told a sailor who was evacuated from Bahrain that officials are working on retrieving belongings that were left behind because the Navy does not have imminent plans to return to the same level of footprint on the base.
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Navy → tell → base
"We're not getting back in there anytime soon, I just want to be completely honest with that," he said.
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he → get → that
According to a Navy spokesperson, service members in Bahrain can ship their household goods and vehicles in person, and those outside Bahrain can designate a representative to act on their behalf, or coordinate travel back to Bahrain to move household goods and vehicles.
uncertain
those → accord → goods
Some military families, service members and civilians in a bind
Since those opening days of the war, the Navy has helped evacuate about 1,450 service members and families from Bahrain.
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Navy → help → Bahrain
Many are now in a financial bind because they're paying for at least two households — one in Bahrain and another in the U.S.
"We have burned through our savings," one of the spouses told CBS News.
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one → pay → News
"We have started having to take money out of our kids' college funds to pay down all the bills that we're incurring."
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we → start → that
The Pentagon is providing benefits to reimburse housing costs in both places, but families told CBS News claims can take weeks to months to process.
uncertain
claims → provide → months
In a statement, a Navy spokesperson said, "The Navy remains in close communication with all affected service members, affiliated civilians and families through command channels and continues to provide timely information, individual case management, and relocation support."
asserted
Navy → say → information
The spokesperson said families have until the end of November to transition from a safe haven to an established designated residence to continue receiving housing, relocation and separation entitlements.
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families → say → entitlements
Even if some families have not struggled financially through this process, all of them have been uprooted.
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all → struggle → them
Many were evacuated to Norfolk, Virginia, which is a Navy hub, or to Tampa, Florida, where U.S. Central Command's headquarters is located.
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headquarters → evacuate → Tampa
Blue Star Families, a non-profit that supports military families, provided supplies to evacuees in Tampa, according to Suzy Malloy, the executive director of the chapter in the Tampa Bay region.
uncertain
that → support → region
"We gave these kids backpacks with school supplies," Malloy told CBS News.
asserted
Malloy → give → News
"We gave families brand new clothing, we gave them air fryers and crockpots so that they could cook in hotel rooms until they could adjust to something more permanent," like an Airbnb or temporary military housing.
uncertain
they → give → Airbnb
Malloy said the evacuees are still in a bit of limbo but are starting to settle into Tampa.
asserted
evacuees → say → Tampa
"My opinion is [U.S. Central Command] and their family readiness program have done a remarkable job keeping the train on the tracks," Malloy said.
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Malloy → do → tracks
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
