NORFOLK, Virginia: Hundreds of sailors and their loved ones got an early Christmas present when the USS Cole docked at its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, after seven months at sea.
This week, the USS Cole returned to Naval Station Norfolk, greeted by a cheering crowd wrapped in coats and blankets. Families shed tears of joy and shared long hugs, and sailors embraced smiling children. Some people held flower bouquets and signs with names and photos of their loved ones.
One sign read, “Welcome home. We are so proud of you.”
The USS Cole, a guided-missile destroyer, spent 224 days deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Gulf. During this time, it provided protection and defense for U.S. allies and partners in Europe and Africa, according to a U.S. Fleet Forces Command statement.
Commanding Officer Matthew Faulkenberry said it’s rare for a ship to return just before the holidays. “No one expects to come home so close to Christmas,” he told WVEC-TV. “It’s great timing.”
The USS Cole has a significant history. In 2000, it was attacked by al-Qaida suicide bombers during a refueling stop in Aden, Yemen, resulting in the loss of 17 crew members.
