Command Master Chief Dave Anderson is being called a hero. But don't tell him that. He'll disagree.

Hero or not, there were no arguments when family, friends and colleagues said it was good to have him home after six months in Afghanistan.

Anderson returned to Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon as those close to him waited for the arrival of Naval Station Mayport's top enlisted man.

"He's great husband, great father, I'm proud to call a friend as well as a colleague," said Capt. Doug Cochrane.

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"It's great, home, good to be home," Anderson said. "We all talk about what we're going to do when we get home. Go down to the beaches, go to TacoLu, get some good chow."

Anderson has simple pleasures in mind, but he also has shipmates he grew close to overseas that he's thinking of.

His captain calls him a hero, but he points back to the war zone.

"I'm not a hero. The heroes are still back in Afghanistan," Anderson said.

"They're pretty cranked up about Master Chief Anderson coming home," Cochrane said. "He's an absolute hero to those kids, and what a great example. What a great example to follow. We're lucky to have him."

Anderson is lucky to have a supportive spouse. Lt. Candy Anderson has also served overseas as a Navy nurse, so she understands the sacrifice and the need for family support when a sailor gets home.

Dave decided to volunteer to go overseas just two months after Candy came home from deployment in Afghanistan.

"We've done some talking the past couple days, getting things off our chest, and it's nice to be able to relate to each other," Candy said. "He knows what I went through. I know what he's going through."

"We manage, both very proud of each other, and when you're a military family, you cope," Dave said. "You do what your country asks you to do. And when you get the call, you go."

Dave Anderson won't be back at Mayport long. Cochrane said it's bittersweet because Anderson's next assignment is in about five weeks in Washington D.C. with the Navy Ceremonial Guard.