Chapter 19 - The Horizon Beckons
As the winter months rolled on, the USS Vicksburg completed her sixth-month rotation and began the long, steady steam back across the Atlantic toward the familiar shores of Virginia.
By early spring, the crisp sea spray carried the scent of home as the gray silhouette of the Norfolk naval yards finally rose on the horizon.
The pier was packed with families holding welcome-home banners, American flags, and flowers. As the ship drew alongside the pier and the gangways were locked into place, we stood at attention on the weather deck before being dismissed to liberty.
When the hatch opened, I grabbed my seabag and marched down the gangway into the warm spring air of the pier.
Amidst the cheering families and waving crowds, I spotted a familiar figure standing near the security checkpoint. Dad was wearing his old Navy cap and a light windbreaker, holding a simple cardboard sign that read: WELCOME HOME, CAPTAIN.
I broke ranks, hurried down the final stretch of the pier, and threw my arms around him in a fierce, unbreakable hug.
“You made it,” Dad whispered, burying his face in my shoulder.
May you like
“Of course I did, Dad,” I smiled, pulling back to look at him. He looked healthier, stronger, and more at peace than I had ever seen him in my life. “Did you really think a little Atlantic cruise was going to keep me away?”
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