Helicopter Squadron Returns From Deployment

Carolyn Tansey was all smiles Sunday. “My husband is coming home today,” she told NBC 7. “He’s a pilot at HSC-6.” Tansey’s husband returned to Naval Air Base North Island along with nearly 50 other members from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron SIX (HSC-6).The six helicopters were part of a six-month deployment; those returning include pilots, aircrew and maintainers.”We were here seven months ago in the same hanger. It was such a different feeling,” Tansey added. “Today we’re so blessed. So excited. Really, there’s no words to describe how excited we are.” This is Kathleen Brown’s first time waiting for her husband Joe to return from a deployment. “It’s hard, you know you miss your person, and you just can’t wait to have them home. We make the best of it, but there’s a piece missing.” Seven-year-old Grace Gonzalez dressed up in unicorn sunglasses and a pink kitten-printed summer dress to welcome back her dad. “I am waiting for my daddy to come home,” she said. “I definitely know that he’s going to take a nap.” When Carolyn Tansey finally saw her husband Matthew, she ran across the tarmac and jumped into his arms. “It was good to see her smiling and running out here,” Matthew Tansey said after their reunion. “She looks beautiful. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. So, it feels good to be home.” The helicopter squadron is part of the Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group, and over the past six months, they’ve coordinated with the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf and the Seventh Fleet in Japan in what the Navy is calling a successful deployment.The USS Theodore Roosevelt was in Hawaii last week and is expected to return to San Diego this week after a deployment to Asia and the Middle East.Photo Credit: NBC 7 This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Source: NBC San Diego