JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A happy homecoming took place in Mayport Tuesday afternoon as 75 members of the USS Indianapolis returned home just in time for Thanksgiving.
The sailors have spent the last seven months in the Straight of Hormuz. One family had not seen their dad in 207 days.
After nearly seven months apart, the Shelton family reunited. Command Senior Chief Darrell Shelton was welcomed with open arms by his wife and three children at Tuesday's homecoming. His oldest son, J.R., says he just really missed his dad.
“We text and get on call with him and really that is the only times we were able to talk to him," said 15-year-old Shelton.
The USS Indianapolis was deployed in May 2024. It was the only ship in the Arabian Peninsula helping to provide defense to our allies.
Shelton has spent the last 19 years in the military, and his wife says she knows all too well the hardships of deployments.
“Lots of missed birthdays, anniversaries, schools events and all those kinds of things," said Shelton's wife, Johanne.
Now that Shelton is home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Shelton's wife says they have time to make up for.
"We are going to be celebrating every week all the missed birthdays of the kids," said Shelton's wife.
Now the USS Indianapolis will undergo maintenance before shipping back out.