NORFOLK, Va. – Thousands of Sailors and Marines serving with the Kearsarge Amphibious Reading Group returned home this week.
The USS Kearsarge and USS Arlington returned to Naval Station Norfolk Thursday. The group deployed back in December.
The USS Fort McHenry will return to homeport in Florida, and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit will return to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
During the deployment, the USS Kearsarge and USS Arlington were both called upon as part of the U.S. response in the Middle East to heightened tensions with Iran.
The group also took part “in support of maritime security operations, crisis response and theater security cooperation, while also providing a forward naval presence in Europe, Africa and the Middle East,” according to a statement from the Navy.
More than 4,500 Sailors and Marines are part of the Kearsarge ARG and 22nd MEU.
