MARYSVILLE — Homecoming to Ronnie Bobadilla takes many forms.
It is watching his wife, Janet, and three daughters — Nikki, 14, April, 13, and Rae Ann, 8 — on the Naval Station Everett pier anxiously searching the USS Abraham Lincoln and finally spotting him in the sea of white uniforms 70 feet above them on the catwalk.
It is his faithful Maltese dog, Tofu, wagging his tail, barking and running pell-mell around the living room when the chief petty officer enters his Marysville home.
It is mowing his lawn — front and back — the day he gets home and watching two of his daughters’ soccer games beneath black, rain-swollen clouds, sneaking in a quick trip to the drug store to buy an umbrella and towels in between.
It is rummaging through the fridge to prepare his own homemade beef and vegetable stir fry and shedding the steel-toed military boots to spread his toes on the carpet.
It is readjusting from Bahrain time and telling stories, such as the one about the Texan in the sweater and tie, helmet and goggles, who approached him on the flight deck, screamed an inaudible "thank you" and gave him a presidential handshake.
Mainly, he said, "it is spending more time with my wife and kids. … It’s just being there and being needed."
One week after the Lincoln’s high-profile return from the Persian Gulf, Bobadilla, like many sailors, is savoring the quietude and routine of home life in between duties on the ship.
Bobadilla joined the Lincoln part-way through its 9 1/2-month deployment, transferring from the Bremerton-based USS CarlVinson. Although he didn’t know it at the time of his transfer, he was headed to the Persian Gulf and war with Iraq.
"That’s the one thing hard about being in the Navy, you have to balance your family and career," he said. "Since I have been commuting, the ultimate reason I took Lincoln is to be closer to my family."
In 17 years of Navy life, the Bobadillas have grown accustomed to Dad’s long commutes from home to Navy bases and his months-long deployments aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, USS Constellation, the Vinson and now the Lincoln.
There have been anxious times off the coast of Libya and Afghanistan and now Iraq and family reunions on docks from Norfolk, Va., to San Diego, Calif.
All the while, his wife has written him, first with numbered letters and care packages sent through the traditional U.S. Postal Service, and now, more frequently, by e-mail.
Ronnie Bobadilla grew up in the Philippines with very little, and the Navy is giving him a chance to provide more for his children. When he returns from a deployment, Janet understands her husband will make up for lost time with his daughters.
"He’s the fun one," Janet quipped. "I’m just the taxi cab driver."
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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