NORFOLK, Va. — Around 9:45 Sunday morning, the roar of Navy aircraft could be heard over Naval Station Norfolk.
The VRC 40 Squadron, the first of two Norfolk-based Navy squadrons returning from deployment Jan. 14, flew over as they prepared to land.
About an hour later the second squadron, VAW 124, arrived with a flyover. A third squadron, HSM 70, returned Sunday to Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida.
As soon as the crew members were out of their planes at Naval Station Norfolk, their family members, many of whom had signs and small American flags waving in hand, rushed to greet them.
“So exciting. It’s a feeling we’ve been waiting for for a very long time. It’s been a very long deployment. It seemed never-ending, so we’re more excited than I can even put into words," said Jessica Brynestad, whose husband returned from deployment.
“You can’t even put it into words. One of the best days of your life," said Rebecca Zwerneman, whose husband also returned from deployment.
The squadrons are part of Carrier Air Wing 8 and were deployed for about eight months with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier.
The deployment was extended 76 days as the Ford helped support the military’s response to the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas.
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Crew members said the deployment was tough, but they’re not necessarily complaining.
“We knew what we were there for and we just kept on with the mission," Ens. Matt Byrnestad, Jessica's husband, said.
“Kind of comes with the territory," Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Zwerneman, Rebecca's husband, said.
For the Byrnestads, the end of deployment means celebratory ice cream.
“That’s a tradition at our house. Even in this cold weather, ice cream makes sense on a homecoming day," Jessica said.
For the Zwernemans, the celebration was a little less certain.
“I don’t know. Just hang out, just relax," Kevin said when asked what the first thing was he was going to do now that he's home.
Six other squadrons, including five based in Norfolk, that were also deployed with the Ford were scheduled to return Jan. 15-16.
Four Norfolk-based squadrons were scheduled to return to Naval Air Station Oceana Jan. 15. A squadron based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington was also scheduled to return Jan. 15.
On Jan. 16, the ninth and final squadron of Carrier Air Wing 8 was scheduled to return to Naval Station Norfolk.
As of Jan. 14, the Ford was expected to arrive in port at Naval Station Norfolk in the week ahead.
