USS John C Stennis

On February 17, the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a port visit before heading home to California after a seven-month deployment.

This is an aerial view of Pearl Harbor. The massive carrier slowly made its way through the channel and arrived at its dock with the aid of several tugboats.

Johnnie and I joined the many other people lining the channel to watch the carrier make its way into the harbor.  Many families of the sailors traveled to Hawaii to enjoy the port stay with their loved ones.  It takes a while for the carrier to make its way into the harbor and dock so many of the families came to the channel to watch it arrive and then drove to the pier to greet their sailors as they disembarked the ship.  It was very touching seeing the families cheering, crying, and waving homemade signs as the the carrier went past.  Seven months is a long time to be apart.

Sailors standing at attention in their white uniforms lined the perimeter of the ship.  The huge carrier floating effortlessly through the narrow channel was an awe-inspiring thing to see.

Later that evening when the carrier was docked and the sailors were reunited with their loved ones, a huge rainbow appeared in Pearl Harbor.  The end of it touched the carrier as if to officially welcome the men and women of the USS John C. Stennis to Hawaii.

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Come lay with me, stay with me, soon I'll be gone

I will remember you all winter long

And when I return to the one that I miss

Oh the longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss

~John Turner