JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sunday morning, families and loved ones greeted service members at the Mayport Naval Station, during the return of the USS Jason Dunham ship.
Hundreds of people watched as the ship pulled into the dock. Many waiting with signs and gifts for their loved ones, longing for a hug or a kiss after months at sea.
It was a reunion that included many hugs and tears.
“It kind of warms my heart to see them for the first time, just to know that they’ve been waiting patiently, praying for us to get back safely. It feels good to be home," Dashae King, a Sonar technician geographic second class, said.
Over 300 sailors returned from a 7-month journey during which they traveled over 48 thousand nautical miles and visited ten foreign ports and eight countries.
“The exercises that we did with our NATO allies and other partner countries were to help build interoperability and also to assure our NATO allies and build stability and security in Europe and in the middle east," Michael Kiser, Commander of the USS Jason Dunham, said.
The ship’s commander says sailors were focused on the mission at hand, but they did get to do a little sightseeing.
“Probably one of the most exciting times for the crew was when we pulled into Rhodes Greece. You know it’s a very ancient and historic city and US navy ships don’t get a chance to pull into there very much," Commander Kiser said.
The crew will now get a break before their next deployment, many ready for a little time off the ship.
“The first thing I want to do, take a shower without shower shoes. On the ship, we have to wear shower shoes because we have a lot of people. So taking a shower in your own home, it feels good to just relax and kinda calm down," King said.