JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hundreds of sailors were welcomed with cheers, hugs, and signs during an homecoming celebration Saturday morning at Naval Station Mayport where crowds welcomed the first of two ships returning from overseas service.
“Coming back home to my family is the best part of everything," Sailor Cody Dodd said.
After nearly five months apart, the Dodd family is finally whole again.
“I’ve been waiting for him for so long. We’ve missed Christmas, our anniversary and it just feels so good that he’s back here with us," Carolyn Dodd, a Navy Sailor said.
Cody Dodd along with over 300 Navy Sailors returned from deployment along the USS Farragut. During deployment, this ship was used to combat illicit drug trafficking and strengthening diplomatic relations in the South American/Caribbean region. Leaders say the USS Farragut seized of over 3,000 kilograms of cocaine, worth $220.7 million.
The ship pulled into dock and was welcomed with cheers from an emotional crowd of family and friends. It’s the first time Elijah Sanchez has seen his fiancé in-person after asking for her hand in marriage before deployment.
“I’ve been waiting for this for the last six months, so now we can be together," Elijah Sanchez said.
This mission in the South American/Caribbean region was successful, accord to the military. For many, the success goes hand in hand with the family born on board the ship.
“You see stuff that you don’t believe, but as a family on the ship we got to get through the deployment somehow so we just depend on each other to get through it," Sanchez said.
The second ship returning Saturday was the USS The Sullivans, which completed operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Navy sailors aboard that ship provided missile defense and assisted other U.S. military mission in the area.