NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk-based Carrier Strike Group 12, which includes the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier among other ships, was back home Saturday after a nearly year-long deployment. Officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, were pierside to welcome them home.
“For him to show up when they come home from this extended deployment was really nice," Brittanie Hyder said.
Watch: USS Gerald R Ford Returns: Families made whole as they reunite with long-deployed loved ones
Hyder was one of the family members of sailors on the Ford who got to meet Hegseth as he greeted families waiting for their sailors to get off the ship. Hyder was waiting for her husband. She said the deployment was rough.
"I’m ready for a break," said Hyder.
“What a testament. Something only America can do," Hegseth said about the deployment.
Watch: 'It's a slow process:' Advice for families preparing to reconnect as USS Gerald R. Ford comes home
Speaking with reporters after welcoming home sailors on the USS Mahan, which returned Saturday with the Ford, Hegseth touted the work of the entire strike group.
“It’s exceptional, phenomenal, and that’s why I was proud to give the Presidential Unit Citation to them," said Hegseth.
He did not take questions.
Watch: Nearly a year apart: Navy spouse anticipates return of USS Gerald R. Ford
“This is, again, a once-in-a-lifetime thing to do," Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle, said.
Caudle, however, did answer questions.
“To the question of what can I say to the sailors is my sincere thanks," Caudle said.
He also responded to a question about the fire on the Ford that reportedly took more than a day to put out and left hundreds of sailors without beds.
Watch: Politicians on both sides of the aisle decry conditions on USS Gerald R. Ford following fire
“It is still under investigation. I have not seen the final results of that. The damage was significant," Caudle explained. "We pushed mattresses and additional clothes and things for the sailors that got consumed or damaged in that to those sailors.”
The ship was also plagued with clogged toilets and logged a lot of miles, crisscrossing the Atlantic multiple times to serve in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea.
As of May 16, it the Ford was expected to undergo a lot of maintenance.
“We’re going to reconnect and reintegrate, and that’s where our focus is gong to be for the next several weeks and then we’ll work on what happens after that and we’ve got time to solve that," said Ford Carrier Strike Group Commander Radm. Gavin Ruff.
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