John C. Stennis Aircraft Carrier

On Monday of our trip we toured Pearl Harbor. We didn't know it, but we picked an AWESOME day to be in Pearl Harbor. The John C. Stennis aircraft carrier came into U.S. port after 9 months in the Persian Gulf. There were 4-5 sets of parents waiting with us at the USS Arizona Memorial. Tears came as we watched the carrier come slowly into port with H-60 helicopters as escorts. It was especially touching to me, as a military spouse, to think of the families who then knew that their loved ones were home safe again. You can see the sailors standing at attention on the deck. We watched as they raised the U.S. flag and everyone cheered. The harbor looked beautiful to me as a tourist and I could just imagine how beautiful it was to these military personnel after being away from home and at war for so long. It was one the highlights of the whole trip.