NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. – Eager families ducked under barriers to run and greet loved ones as they disembarked from the USS St. Louis at Naval Station Mayport on Monday.
The sailors had just returned from an eight-month deployment and joyfully scooped up children who couldn’t wait to get their arms around their beloved parents.
“When they actually see him I think it’ll actually make more sense,” Lauren Rogers, who had two little ones eager to see their dad come home.
While he had been deployed before, this was the kids’ first experience of a homecoming.
“There’s nothing that can compare, this is the second time we’ve come home to this pier, it’s the best feeling in the world,” ET1 Jonathan Rogers said as he embraced his little ones, with tears in his eyes.
The weather may have been gray and gloomy, but even with chilly winds, all that was felt was warmth and love.
“The happiness you see when you see them again after not seeing them for so long, it’s powerful and I’m just really excited to see him,” said Kalliope Strimple. who was there with her mother and sister, Chloe, waiting for their dad to step off the ship.
After the dates of a return home had been pushed back, Chloe was jumping up and down knowing he would soon be embracing her.
“Now that he’s actually coming home, I’m really excited to see him again because we’ve only been able to see him on the phone,” Chloe said.
Family members told News4JAX that while there, they were mostly sending emails because the internet was so spotty at times, and that was the best form of communication rather than a video chat.
Commanding Officer of the USS St. Louis J Orth said he was thankful for the many experiences with the sailors who kept the morale and spirits up while away from home.
“They said, ‘Hey you know, we can’t just call anyone whenever we want, but the families are back there and supporting us,’ and morale stayed up pretty high, I was fortunate to have a great group of leaders,” Orth said.
The USS St. Louis, a Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship, was deployed in June 2024 and operated primarily in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The ship joined forces with personnel from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 50 Detachment 4, and U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDET) 105 and 407.
