Thousands turn out to welcome weary USS Lincoln sailors after grueling deployment
Military families admit mixed emotions' as aircraft carrier finally returns to San Diego after fraught stretch at sea that took severe toll
By 4am on Thursday, the sky still pitch black, 19-year-old Pvt Grayden Monroe and his mom had already arrived to the naval base in San Diego, California. As the very first military family members to get there, they huddled on a set of metal bleachers overlooking the dark water. The duo were waiting for Monroe's 21-year-old sister to step off the USS Abraham Lincoln, the embattled aircraft carrier that's been at sea for the better part of a year.
Monroe, a soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, was wearing his army uniform for the occasion. I hope she's proud of me," he said of his sister, and I hope she knows damn well that I'm just as proud of her."
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