MAYPORT, Fla. — Nearly 300 Navy sailors returned home to Florida over the weekend after spending nine months at sea.
The sailors aboard the USS Thomas Hudner left Naval Station Mayport on Dec. 1, beginning a deployment that took them across multiple fleet areas.
For the families waiting along the pier, the homecoming was a moment months in the making.
Among those waiting was Dawn Moore, who joined other family members as they watched for the ship and their loved ones to return.
After months apart, the reunion brought an emotional end to a long deployment for the sailors and their families.
The commander of the USS Thomas Hudner said that support from family members is a critical part of making it through a deployment.
“Families are the foundation,” the commander said, describing them as the “rocks” that help sailors get through the tough times.
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