NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — WAVY’s Chopper 10 flew above the homecoming of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Sunday at Naval Station Norfolk.
Ike and its crew returned from a historic 9-month deployment, extended twice due to the Israel-Hamas war. The Navy says the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group carried out numerous missions to promote regional stability, including fighting off many attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
“Many have described our deployment as unprecedented,” said Capt. Chris Hill, commanding officer of Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a release. “But I would argue that every day for the last nine months, I’ve observed the consistent, relentless professionalism of the men and women aboard IKE, from launching and recovering aircraft to responding to engineering causalities and feeding the ship’s crew of 4,000 people, it is that resiliency and tenacity that makes IKE the best. It is truly humbling and awe-inspiring. Their service and hard work made this deployment a safe and successful operation. I couldn’t be more proud or more honored to serve alongside every one of them.”
You can watch the full Chopper video above and more of WAVY’s coverage of the homecoming below.