ABOARD THE USS INCHON - Lt. Cmdr. Tom Fohr hopes
his 10-year-old daughter Rebecca has polished up on her Scrabble skills and that
his 8-year-old son Michael is in top physical shape.
"I keep looking at their pictures imagining what it will be like
to be a family again," the hangar deck officer said. "I've told my son to be ready
because we're going to ride our bike for like, 10 miles. We're just going to get
on and ride.
"I just want to grab (my wife) Dorene, lift her up, and swing her
around, around and around again."
Fohr had transferred to Corpus Christi months before this ship left
Naval Station Ingleside on March 1 to head to the Persian Gulf. His wife moved
the family to Rhode Island, but they since have relocated to Corpus Christi. Unlike
a majority of the sailors on board, he hasn't been separated from his family for
five months, but for more than a year.
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| USS Devastator |
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The ship, which contained about 1,200 sailors when it left port,
detoured short of the Suez Canal in April and headed to the Adriatic Sea to participate
in Operation Shining Hope. The USS Champion, Devastator, Scout and Avenger were
escorted across the Atlantic Ocean by the Inchon. Those ships headed to the Mediterranean
Sea.
Navy officials expect between 1,500 and 2,000 people at Naval Station
Ingleside today to greet the five ships. The Champion, Devastator, Scout and Avenger,
with about 85 people each on board, will begin unloading at about 8 a.m. today.
The Inchon will arrive at the base at about 10 a.m.
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| USS Scout |
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For many on board, who have missed children's births, birthdays and
anniversaries, the time for the ships to hit land is moving too slowly.
"I'm the first one off the ship," said Fireman Apprentice Tim Ramsey,
of the Avenger. Ramsey's wife won a contest between the wives of the Avenger on
who could deliver the first kiss. "It can't come soon enough."
For Petty Officer 1st Class Tim Hall, today's approach is perfect
timing. On Thursday he'll get to celebrate the 18th birthday of his daughter,
Dreama. Then comes another on Aug. 1 for his 13-year-old Shawndra, followed by
12-year-old Timmy's, his son, on Aug. 3.
"For the last three years I've missed all of them," Hall said. "Now
it's going to be a week of celebration just as I get home."
Life on the ship was exciting and challenging in the Adriatic Sea,
many sailors said. A week ago the mood was jovial, but the day before their arrival
some have grown quiet. They're thinking about what's going to greet them at the
pier, some said.
"I'm almost great now, but tomorrow I'll be outstanding," said Petty
Officer 2nd Class Freddie Townsend. "Then I'll be home."
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| USS Champion |
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The sailors, with their ship listing to one side while the flight
deck gets cleaned, frequently looked at their watches to keep track of the hourly
countdown on Tuesday.
Tuesday brought Channel Fever, the night before homecoming when most
are too anxious to sleep and instead opt for late-night pizza on the mess decks
and loud movies.
While in the Adriatic, many said, they lost track of what day of
the week it was. They broke up the monotony of sleep, eat, work and exercise by
changing their routine.
"I still have to do the same stuff, but I sometimes change the order,"
said Seaman Josh Husband. "That's all I could do to make the days seem different."
Simple things that civilians take for granted are what appeal to
the sailors on the ships. They admit to looking forward to a list that includes
household chores, rather than those done at sea.
"I'm looking forward to five things - my wife and my four kids,"
said Senior Chief Thomas Meglen on the USS Scout. "I'd like to get back to my
yard work and plant things. I love cutting my grass."
Chief Petty Officer James Sansom frequently looks at a photograph
of his wife, Jeanette, which he keeps with him while at sea.
"She has brown eyes, brown hair and she's really happy (in the photo)
because that's just after I got home from a two-month deployment," Sansom said.
"That's what I picture seeing when we get there."
