Tearful Navy Homecoming

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By By KOMO Staff & News Services

Summary

A squadron of four EA-6B prowlers came home Sunday after spending eight long months at sea.

Story Published: Sep 14, 2003 at 4:09 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 29, 2009 at 12:30 PM PDT

Tearful Navy Homecoming
NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND - Sixteen aviators in a squadron of radar-jamming Prowler jets returned home on Sunday after an eight-month deployment with the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

One by one under rainy skies, the four planes touched down a little before noon.

It couldn't have happened soon enough for Leslee Beckvonpeccoz, whose husband, Stephen, commands the VAQ-138 squadron.

"Now that he's actually here on the ground, I want to put him in a box so he can't go away for a while," she said.

Cmdr. Stephen Beckvonpeccoz, 41 of Port Orchard, has been away from home for 21 of the past 27 months - first in support of the war in Afghanistan, then in the western Pacific. The Vinson's strike group was sent there in February to relieve the USS Kitty Hawk, which was deployed to the Persian Gulf in preparation for the war in Iraq.

Cmdr. Beckvonpeccoz said he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw his three kids, 10-year-old Jordan, 7-year-old Carter, and 5-year-old Drew.

"Oh my gosh," he said. "They're huge! Drew's riding a bike now and reading. And Jordan's practically ready to drive."

Cmdr. Beckvonpeccoz' father, brother and his brother's wife and children were among dozens of people waiting at the Naval air station 90 miles north of Seattle when the Prowlers landed.

"The mission was great," Cmdr. Beckvonpeccoz said. "We didn't lose anybody. We didn't lose any aircraft."

Meanwhile on Sunday, three squadrons of Navy aircraft were scheduled to fly into North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego, and a Marine squadron was set to return to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, north of San Diego.

The USS Antietam, a multi-mission warship that provided area air defense for the Vinson strike group, also was scheduled to return on Sunday, docking at Naval Station San Diego.

The Vinson was scheduled to pull into San Diego Bay and drop off nearly 2,000 members of its air wing on Monday, then steam north for a Friday afternoon arrival at its homeport, Naval Station Bremerton.

The USS Ingraham, a guided-missile frigate in the Vinson battle group, also was scheduled to dock back home on Friday.

The USS Sacramento, the strike group's fast combat support ship, was expected to arrive at Indian Island near Port Townsend on Thursday.

The Vinson left Bremerton on Jan. 13 for what was supposed to be a monthlong training mission, then was ordered to replace the Kitty Hawk.

"The primary mission of this deployment was to maintain presence in the western Pacific," said Capt. Rick Wren, the Vinson's commanding officer.

During its deployment, which covered 60,000 nautical miles, the more than 10,000 sorties were flown from the Vinson. It also offered strike-planning support for the war in Iraq and took part in several international naval exercises. Its ports of call included Guam, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.

"By our theater security commitment, by our visits to various nations, and by our participation in multinational exercises, we have been a very visible reminder to nations throughout the world that we have been ready, and are ready, to assist at maintaining peace and security wherever it is required," said Rear Adm. Marty Chanik, commander of the Carl Vinson's strike group.

The San Diego-based carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group, which includes the Bremerton-based support ship USS Bridge, have left the Persian Gulf and will replace the Carl Vinson in the Sea of Japan.