MILITARY

Spate of suicides among sailors from same ship raise mental health concerns

By Lindsey Bever
Today at 4:52 p.m. EDT



The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington leaves the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, on May 18, 2015. (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

A string of recent suicides among sailors assigned to the same U.S. aircraft carrier has sparked concern, prompting questions about mental health issues in the military and potential barriers to seeking treatment.

Navy officials confirmed that at least four sailors assigned to the USS George Washington have died by suicide in the past year — three of them in the past month. Retail Services Spec. 3rd Class Mikail Sharp was found dead April 9 at an off-base location in Portsmouth, Va.; Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Natasha Huffman was found dead April 10 in Hampton, Va.; and on April 15, Master at Arms Seaman Recruit Xavier Hunter Mitchell-Sandor was found unresponsive on board the ship in Newport News, Va., and later died, officials said.

The fourth sailor, who has not been publicly identified, died by suicide in 2021, and the cause of a fifth death that occurred last year is undetermined, according to officials.

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By Lindsey Bever
Lindsey Bever is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post, covering national news with an emphasis on health. She was previously a reporter at the Dallas Morning News. Twitter https://twitter.com/lindseybever