After nearly 10 months spent on USS Abraham Lincoln, sailor returns home to a burglarized home and missing SUV

One sailor who was aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln — the ship that spent nearly 10 months at sea, was alleged to have food shortages and poor living conditions, and reportedly saw eight suicide attempts — finally returned from his deployment only to discover a burglarized apartment and a stolen SUV. When Connor Nelson made it inside his home, he found that every valuable he owned was gone. The stolen items included fishing equipment, a laptop, shoes, and a television.

It was an unwelcome homecoming for Nelson, who was thrilled to finally be back on land. His father started a GoFundMe to help Nelson recoup his losses.

Nelson quickly realized something was wrong upon returning home

Nelson took an Uber from the airport and immediately noticed that his 1997 Toyota 4Runner was no longer in the parking lot. He didn’t think much about it, assuming it had been towed in his absence. When he went to unlock his front door, he found that he could simply push it open as it was already unlocked. He entered the apartment, hoping to relax, but it wasn’t to be.

According to the GoFundMe, “Several thousands of dollars worth of belongings were taken, and the apartment was left trashed.”

The fundraising page also reported that while police are investigating the theft, it’s unclear at what point in the past 10 months the burglary occurred or why the apartment was burglarized.

Additionally, it explained, “Right now, the support from this fundraiser will help Connor begin replacing what was lost, get his apartment cleaned up, and cover a hotel stay while he waits for the landlords to change the locks and install security.”

Nelson’s father was rightfully upset about his son’s homecoming

Nelson’s father, a 22-year Navy veteran himself, flew to his son’s apartment to help after the burglary and survey the damage before setting up the GoFundMe.

He spoke with CBS News about the disturbing incident and explained, “I know what it means to come home, you know, like what that means to a sailor, and it is such a bright spot, you know, in a young sailor’s life to come home and, you know, get that relaxation, see family, see friends, and just, you know, hey, you have the sense of accomplishment, you know, and that was kind of taken from him.”

Nelson’s father reiterated his thoughts on the GoFundMe page when he stated, “After spending nearly a year away in service to our nation, this should have been a time of relief and welcome home[…] This is not the homecoming he deserves. Connor has already sacrificed four years of life so far, including nearly a year in a combat zone, defending our country.”

As of September 27, donations were suspended because the fundraising goal had been met. An update thanking everyone read, “Connor is going to be able to replace the things he lost with plenty to spare. With that, we have suspended donations[…] With what’s leftover, Connor is looking at some Veteran’s charities to make donations.”

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