JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of Navy men and women are back home with their families once again. The Tridents of VP-26, a P-3 Orion squadron from NAS Jacksonville, returned Friday evening.
This group was overseas in the Middle East and in South America for the past seven months.
News4Jax was there, as children were running to their fathers, whom they haven't seen in months.
Even more exciting for Christopher Cowans, who will be home for the birth of his next child which is due around Oct. 7.
"He wasn't here for the little one. He was on the plane in Japan then. Just glad he's home " said Alexandra Cowans, Christopher's wife.
For Leslie Fuqua, this homecoming is both heart-warming and bittersweet.
"Words cannot adequately express what we saw when we rolled in," Fuqua said.
This is was Fuqua last flight with the in the navy before he retires in November.
"It was a great honor to be in the flight station to see my family when we come in like this," said Fuqua.
Cmdr. Mark Burns said coming home is the best part of deployment.
"This is why we put the uniform on all day and why we go out into harm's way, so we can come home to the burgeoning families and the next generation," Burns said.
And he said he's ready to get back to the fun of being with his family.
"Straight up family time, and for us, that means a hockey tournament down in Orlando," said Burns.
While in the Middle East, the squadron helped in the mission to combat violent extremism.
And while in Central America, they helped conduct counter-narcotics operations with the Coast Guard and even performed humanitarian missions in orphanages and schools.