NORFOLK, Va. - Town Point Park is usually always filled with strollers, people gazing at the Elizabeth River, and curious minds wanting to know more about the city's naval history.
Many stop and stare at "The Homecoming" statue.
“It was always nice to get home and see family, friends, and girlfriends," says Lewis Vaughn, a Korean War veteran.
The bold statue, standing in bronze, perfectly depicts the emotions of a sailor embracing his wife and son for the first time in months.
More than three hundred sailors experienced a similar homecoming when USS Leyte Gulf came home just a couple of days ago.
“The Homecoming" statue was dedicated in 2000 in honor of all sea service personnel and their families, past, present, and future.
Intrigued by the details, Lewis Vaughn served six years in the Army and fought in the Korean War. He too knows it's like to be overseas separated from loved ones. Vaughn says he wishes he had something like this see when he came home from war.
“Korean War veterans came home to nothing, just a void. This country had been in denial about it being a war. It was called a "police action" first and then the "forgotten war,'" says Vaughn.
A vital necessity representing sacrifice to remind all who serve our country, they're treasured and forever remembered.
“I wouldn’t know art if it jumped up and bit me on the nose, but I know what I like and I like this kind of thing," says Vaughn.