Hero’s welcome for Vinson crew

By Gene Johnson

Associated Press

BREMERTON – The USS Carl Vinson returned to its home port here Wednesday from the war in Afghanistan, to the cheers of thousands of friends and family members waving American flags.

A rainbow even appeared in the distance as the aircraft carrier inched toward its pier at Naval Station Bremerton.

On its huge flight deck, crew members waved and shouted while trying to keep their white hats from flying away. They walked down a gang plank toting hefty green backpacks and single red roses for their loved ones.

“This feels great!” said sailor Faustino Rigunay, 28, of Tulsa, Okla. “We went out there, did our job and this is like icing on top of the cake.”

The carrier launched the first aircraft strikes against the Taliban and al-Qaida after being dispatched to the Persian Gulf following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The ship has been at sea for six months.

As the carrier pulled into port, the sun broke through the mist and revealed a rainbow over the city.

Among the first people off the ship once it tied up at about 1 p.m. were the 76 men who had children born while they were away. One of them was Rear Adm. Thomas Zelibor, commander of the Vinson’s battle group. His son was born two months ago Wednesday.

Operations Spc. 2nd class Kenneth Clark of Silverdale greeted his 3-month-old daughter, Talia, for the first time.

“This is outstanding,” he said. “You don’t get very many welcomes like this.”

The Vinson was on routine deployment to the Arabian Sea when the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked. For 70 days after launching the first airstrikes on Oct. 7, its aviators flew some 4,200 sorties and dropped more than 2 million pounds of bombs.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Grace Rose, 24, of Queens, N.Y., had watched television news aboard the ship as the New York buildings collapsed.

Her husband worked in the second tower and was in the building on Sept 11. He was evacuated and escaped injury. While Rose was happy to be home with her crew, she said the arrival was tough for her because she won’t get to go home to see her family until March.

“I certainly hope that we did enough for America,” Rose said while polishing her boots and preparing for the homecoming.

The 1,092-foot Vinson, commissioned in 1982, carries F/A-18 Hornets and F-14 Tomcats as well as surveillance and other aircraft. In all, it can carry 85 planes. The ship’s crew and air wing total about 5,500 personnel.

Politicians who hitched a ride as the carrier steamed into Puget Sound praised and encouraged the crew.

“We’re proud of you, your families are proud of you and your country is proud of you,” Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., told more than 1,000 cheering crew members in a speech in the ship’s hangar bay.

Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., called the crew “the best sailors in the world.”

“Osama bin Laden made a mistake. He forgot about the Carl Vinson,” Inslee said.