Yorktown High School 2021 graduate Russell Morehead and member of the U.S. Navy is now on the Nimitz aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, according to his grandmother, Carolyn Morehead, pastor of the Yorktown Faith Christian Fellowship.
“He is very proud to be doing what he is,” his grandmother said. “We’ve been praying for him for a long time. We’ve been concerned for a long time, but we know he is safe.” A small group of military family members gathered at the Yorktown Vietnam Veterans Memorial to pray for the U.S. Military on March 21. The pastor was asked to lead the prayer, and her granddaughter Aubrey Morehead, who is the sister of Russell Morehead and will graduate from YHS this year, also attended as did both sets of his grandparents, parents and some of his siblings.
A group of military family members held a prayer vigil at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the U.S. Military March 21. Pastor Carolyn Morehead of Faith Christian Fellowship, whose grandson, Russell Morehead, is serving in the military in the Middle East on an aircraft carrier, led the prayer. Photo by Aubrey Morehead
“Ask me to pray, and I’ll do it,” the pastor said. “I wasn’t involved in organizing the event.” Pastor Morehead said that she is unaware of any other DeWitt County natives now in the Middle East serving in the military. There are others who are in the military but not deployed in the Middle East — but that could change as the conflict becomes more consequential, she added.
“It seems to be getting more and more that way,” she said.
Pastor Morehead said the sailors can email their families, and her grandson does so regularly to let his loved ones know he is well.
This is the second time for her grandson to be deployed to the Middle East, Pastor Morehead noted. The first time was Operation Prosperity Guardian, a U.S. multinational alliance formed in 2023 to respond to Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea following the breakout of the Israel-Gaza War.
This time the aircraft carrier was supposed to be heading for Japan when it was ordered to instead go to the Middle East, his grandmother said. As of late March 2026, the aircraft carrier has been in the Arabian Sea, where it is supporting U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran and is known as Operation Epic Fury.
“We pray for our military all the time,” the pastor said. “It’s just something we do.”
