Thousands of San Diego military families have been waiting nine long months for this moment: the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group returned home on Tuesday from an extended deployment to the Middle East.
Even though the ship pulled up to the dock around 9 a.m., it took hours to get everyone off. Families couldn't wait to see their loved ones, and sailors couldn't get off the ship fast enough.
NBC 7 was there, witnessing first kiss moments to fathers meeting their babies for the first time.
There was a traffic backup in the morning on the Coronado Bridge as excited families came to meet their loved ones.
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The Roosevelt and its more than 6,000 sailors left San Diego in January for a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. However, the deployment was extended over the summer when they joined the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East — a response to the escalation in tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Although those extra months have been tough, loved ones say they're just happy to have them home.
The Roosevelt's rear admiral thanked all the sailors for their great work and their families for all the support.
