Welcome home, LT Daniel Chiafair

Dan picks us up at SEA TAC airport when we arrived at 8 PM.

One main reason why I accepted Dan's invitation to join the carrier on the final leg of the deployment for this Tiger Cruise, other than the obvious cool factor, was to ensure that someone was here for him when he finished the cruise. I wanted Dan to get a proper and appreciative welcome when he stepped off the carrier. I knew the sailors would "man the rails" as the carrier pulled into port in San Diego, and families would be at the pier by the hundreds greeting their husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and friends. And even though Dan's family lives up and down the East Coast of the US and nowhere near to California, it was important that Dan have someone on shore happy that he specifically and individually was back home.

I also knew that Dan might not have come with the ship into San Diego, but instead he might have flown off the carrier a few or several days beforehand, in which case he would have flown his Hornet directly to Lemoore NAS in central California. If that had happened, then we would have been in Lemoore when he arrived there. The location of his homecoming was never important to me, but him having someone say "Welcome home Dan, you did great, we missed you, we're so proud of you, and we love you." was what I wanted for him and what he deserved. I made that promise to myself when he called me on January 17. When I hung up the phone that afternoon, after hearing him say "Bye Mom, don't worry about me, I'll be fine, and I'll be in touch on email." - I knew I would be wherever he was when he returned so that we didn't say "Welcome back" by phone thousands of miles apart.

So for me, today was the most important day of this upcoming adventure. Dan's homecoming. His safe return to the USA after almost six months at sea. The Navy considers the deployment over in another week when the carrier arrives to San Diego. Naval tradition states that when Dan spots Point Loma at the southern tip of the city, then Dan will no longer be a first time deployed "Nugget".

But tonight I hugged my son for the first time in what at times seemed like forever, and for that, I am most grateful. Dan is back home. Our family is whole again.

Tomorrow the three of us ride together to the ship in Everett, about an hour and a half north of Seattle, and then we'll find out about life on an aircraft carrier. Well, I'll find out, Dan and John already know!

Welcome home Dan, you did great, we missed you, we love you, and we are so proud of you.

Greetings!

We are setting up this blog initially to keep friends and family involved in our Tiger Cruise with Dan. It's my first blog! Be patient with me as I learn how to write on a blog and how to post photos from this once in a lifetime adventure! I hope it's fun for you to sail along with us aboard Dan's aircraft carrier!