Aviators return to Norfolk, families rejoice

Molly Curran celebrated more than just her daughter's homecoming Wednesday after seven months at sea. The mother of three military officers celebrated the first time in three years none of her children are at war.

Her daughter, Lt. Meggie Curran, was one of 20 aviators with the Bear Aces of VAW-124 who returned to Norfolk Naval Station after a deployment aboard the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush.

Earlier Wednesday, one detachment of cargo aircraft returned to Norfolk from the Bush and four squadrons of fighter jets flew into Oceana.

The Bush and three other Norfolk-based ships in its strike group are scheduled to pull in Saturday.

Curran could barely contain her excitement as the squadron's four E-2C Hawkeyes approached. Her bracelets jangled with each flick of her wrist as she enthusiastically waved a small American flag.

"It's one thing to send a son off to war," said Curran, who also clutched two bouquets of roses, mums and hydrangeas. "It's a different thing to send a daughter."

Curran, of Silver Spring, Md., said her eldest son, an Army captain, has done two tours in Afghanistan. Her younger son is an ensign on the destroyer Bulkeley, which was busy chasing pirates in the Indian Ocean during deployment earlier this year.

Military service runs in their family - her husband, who was also waiting inside the hangar, and her father were both Army officers.

Every day, while jogging, Curran said the rosary for her loved ones - and all U.S. troops. "Very few people realize there's a war on," she said.

A few feet away, another family with lots of military ties waited to greet Lt. Joel Strong, a Hawkeye pilot and new father.

Dave and Dottie Strong of Topsham, Maine, are both retired Navy officers. Dave was a flight officer aboard P-3 Orions and did multiple carrier tours.

"Even though it's safe, there's always inherent danger to it," he said of flying off carriers. As the Hawkeyes prepared to land on a wide, stationary runway, Strong hoped his son was focused on flying, not on seeing his wife, Kim, and their daughter, who was a month old when the Bush left in May.

"I'm real excited for him," Strong said. "I just hope he concentrates on landing the plane."

Minutes later, Lt. Joel Strong was holding 8-month-old Hannah close against his shiny flight jacket.

"I'm just happy to be back," he said, on the verge of tears.

Cmdr. Jeff Bernhard, the squadron's commanding officer, thanked family members who took care of children, pets, visits to the emergency room and broken air conditioning units for the past seven months, calling them "unsung heroes."

"I wish there was more that we could do to thank you," Bernhard said.

He also praised the squadron's support personnel, still aboard the Bush, who kept the four planes running, often working on them in 120-degree heat. The planes averaged about 600 flight hours during the deployment, he said.

The Hawkeye, which has a radar dome that looks like a giant dinner plate balanced atop its frame, links ships, aircraft and ground units while scanning the skies for threats.

The squadron supported ground operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bernhard said, worked with special forces and participated in efforts to curb piracy in the Arabian Sea.

"I think the most amazing thing we did was contributing to so many missions," he said.

Lt. Meggie Curran said she looked forward to running on land again. In preparation for an upcoming relay race from Miami to Key West she's doing with friends, she stayed in shape by logging miles on the Bush's 4.5-acre flight deck. She ran as the ship crossed the Atlantic and passed through the Mediterranean and Red seas and the gulfs of Oman and Aden.

Molly Curran savored the hug she and her daughter shared on the tarmac. She looked forward to things getting back to normal.

"We'll start arguing later," she joked.

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com