By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer
OAK HARBOR — In the style of those MasterCard ads, the row of signs near Whidbey Island Naval Air Station’s main gate says it all:
Bottle of champagne: $20.
That new red dress: $75.
Last minute maid: $100.
Finally having your Black Raven home: Priceless.
The "Black Ravens" of Whidbey, Electronic Attack Squadron 135 (VAQ-135), are coming home today, the first Prowler jet squadron to return to the air station from the war in Afghanistan.
EA-6B Prowlers are radar- and communication-jamming jets, and were the first ones to take part in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan came from VAQ-135. Four jets from the squadron, each carrying a crew of four, will return today.
On Saturday, roughly 130 other Black Ravens — including aircraft maintenance crews, pilots and others — will come home to Oak Harbor.
A few have already returned, including Jim Tyler, an aviation electronics technicians master chief and the maintenance chief for the Black Ravens.
"You just can’t imagine what it’s like to be gone for six months," Tyler said.
The husband or wife left behind in Oak Harbor has to do it all, he said — take care of the children, keep the house in order, handle the bills.
"Just to have their spouse there for love and support and a helping hand, it means a heck of a lot," he said.
Tyler came home last week. VAQ-135 was deployed aboard the Bremerton-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which returns to its home port on Wednesday.
The carrier was already en route to the Arabian Sea on Sept. 11.
"It spread through the ship like wildfire when the first airplane hit. It was utter dismay," Tyler said.
The sailors on board were anxious to carry out the president’s orders and strike back at the Taliban, Tyler said. And the crew was elated when the first Black Raven left the deck.
VAQ-135 spent 71 days flying missions into Afghanistan, supporting bombers and ground troops.
"The people in the squadron here did a fantastic job. They worked their butts off, and they had a good time doing it," he said.
Now, anxious families will be on hand for the return of Whidbey’s own. Those Navy families and others have been working this week on the homecoming. The preparations have been substantial, said Sandy Rodriguez, one of the organizers.
"It’s a lot like planning a wedding; the food, the decorations," she said.
"They absolutely deserve it," Rodriguez added. "They’re over there supporting our country and our right to freedom."
Her personal wait is over. Daniel Rodriguez, her husband and a VAQ-135 member, came home last week via Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Michelle Thompson will have to wait an extra day for her husband, Buddy, to return. He’s an aviation mechanic and a 14-year Navy veteran. Married for about eight years, the couple have a 4-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.
To help the kids count the days until their father comes home, Michelle made a chain of red, white and blue paper. Each day, the children pull down one of the links on the chain that’s hanging on their bedroom door.
The waiting is "gut-wrenching," Thompson said.
"I’m already bouncing off the walls today. I’m sure it’s going to get worse from here," she said.
Thompson doubts she’ll be able to sleep Friday night, and said she’ll play late-night bingo with a girlfriend and clean the house — again — to pass the time.
Then it will be time to take down that last link.
"They know that when that last chain comes down, daddy’s home."
You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.
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