Welcomed home, deployed again: The support Naval Station Everett families need now
EVERETT, Wash. — This is a super busy time for Naval Station Everett (NAVSTA Everett), even though they don’t have a single ship in port. There are still sailors crisscrossing the base, next to the Port of Everett, holding down the fort, so to speak, while the vast majority of those stationed there are out to sea.
The USS Kidd, homeported at NAVSTA Everett, and her crew of sailors are back out to sea just weeks after returning from an extended deployment. Thousands patiently waited, while wearing hats and jackets, for their sailors to return home.
The cheering started as soon as the ship came close to shore and lasted until the final sailor exited the vessel, getting hugs, kisses, flowers, balloons, and a whole lot of love.
“It’s been a long eight months that’s for sure,” said Rivera, while waiting for her sailor to arrive back home.
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It was a rough eight months for many.
“He didn’t get to see me when my baseball games and take me to school,” Austin Williams told KOMO News while waiting for her dad, Cody Williams, to come off the ship.
So many tears of joy gushed down their cheeks as sailors disembarked the vessel, spotting their family and friends eager to reach out to touch their service members once again.
“It’s breathtaking! It was out of this world, you know, all these emotions came to me, and I’m just glad to see them happy to come home,” Kiara Cray told KOMO News after disembarking the ship.
The partner of another sailor held a sign she made that read, “Love is patient, but I’m not. 223 days was long enough. Welcome, Kellie.”
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This homecoming came after working with foreign allies from Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy.
“They’ve been through a lot. We’ve been through a lot together, and every time we faced a challenge, they persevered,” CDR Parina Somnhot, past executive officer of the USS Kidd (DDG 100), told KOMO News.
“It was an extended deployment, really hard on both the sailors and the families for these long deployments, especially when there’s not a real clear end in sight,” said Capt. Stacey Wuthier, the commanding officer at NAVSTA Everett.
After a few short weeks at home with their families, the USS Kidd and her crew are in Hawaii for the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. So now, once again, these families need extra support.
“Reach out and say hi. Any support you can give them would be much appreciated,” Wuthier told KOMO News. “We can’t do this alone. We appreciate this support.”
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It’s exactly what Nina Peveler does, telling KOMO News that her husband is in the U.S. Coast Guard, so she knows the stresses and hardships these deployments create for families.
“It’s nice to be here for her and when she comes off the boat,” Peveler told KOMO News while waiting for her sister to come off the USS Kidd and be welcomed home.
“It’s difficult, but we all count on each other and the support systems that we have back home,” said CDR Somnhot.
This is where and why anyone - everyone - can make a difference for Navy families waiting for the USS Kidd and her crew to triumphantly return here to Naval Station Everett from this new mission they’re on at sea.
