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July 31, 2009

The Virginian-Pilot
© July 31, 2009

By Jaedda Armstrong

After slaving in the kitchen cooking salmon cakes, curry chicken and black pudding, Suzan Nassy was ready to give her son, Airman Shane Nassy, the home-cooked Guyanese meal he had been missing.

Five long months had passed since he left Norfolk on the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, and after she looked at a recent picture he sent, it was apparent he wasn't eating right.

"I looked at that picture and said, 'They're not feeding you,' " Suzan said with a laugh. "We're going to celebrate tonight."

Shane was one of about 6,000 sailors and Marines who returned home Thursday from supporting troops in the Middle East.

A second ship also returned home from a different deployment: the hospital ship Comfort, which traveled on a humanitarian mission providing medical care and other assistance to countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Those aboard included 42 service members from Portsmouth Naval Medical Center.

Along the pier, hundreds of people cheered, American flags waved and balloons floated in the breeze as Etta James' "At Last" blared over the loudspeakers.

Shane's mother and sister traveled from Wake County, N.C., and his grandfather came in from New Jersey. This was the 19-year-old's first deployment - the longest he's ever been away from his mother.

She e-mailed him every day, even when she knew he couldn't write back, to remind him how many days he had left until he was back home.

Now they all sat in the scorching July heat, impatiently waiting for Shane to come off the ship.

Families hugged and smooched around them as Suzan looked on with anticipation.

"Come on Shaney - Mommy is waiting for you," Suzan said, eyes fixed on the ship ahead of her.

Minutes later, she looked behind her, and the rest of the family had already beat her to him. She ran over to him and they all huddled around, kissing and squeezing him.

Shane gave his mother a rose, and her eyes watered. After more hugs and kisses, Shane was ready to go relax with the family. But that wasn't all: "I'm ready for some food," he said with a bright smile.