Jarrett (FFG 33) - Naval Cruise Book

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i 1 a JI P ISSiARRETT j wmECONING 4 CHANPA JNE II H mfHmiT

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Now go to your stations ail the special sea and anchor detail! That was the word heard over the IMC on the morning of 1 2 November 1 987 and it is something that we were longing to hear since leaving Long Beach six months ago. And now that JARRETT completed its mission, it was time to come home. Since leaving Long Beach, we never thought that the events throughout the deployment would have such an impact on the crew and history itself. Especially the night of Septem- ber 2 1 , 1 987 when JARRETT assisted in the capture of the Iran Ajr. This night was definitely a night to remem- ber. And what we have experienced throughout this deployment will be something that we will n ever forget. It was an emotional experience of life, as well as death, a time to lest our skills, our strength and our will to continue on and to accomplish what was expected of us from the beginning. But all that is history now, and you wake up again, by now the pier is in viev K sighted your wife who is frantically waving and stretching her neck to get a first glimpse at you, your girl who said she ' d wait for you is on the pier, your little sibling who couldn ' t walk yet, is running around the pier and your wife is going crazy just trying to keep up. And you say to yourself, . . . gee, it ' s only been six months, how can this be? The balloons and banners are also in plain view, the music from the band and the cheering of the crowd is now pouring into your ears, butterflies be- gin to flutter in your tummy and the adrenaline begins to flow through your veins charging your body with anxiety of just waiting for that moment when you ' ll hear those precious words over the IMC ... Secure from WEST- PAC ' 87, Liberty Call, Liberty Call! That word over the IMC was a signal for us all that Persian Gulf ' 87 had finally come to an end. It meant no more watches or water hours, no more flight quarters, fo ' s ' cle or fantail

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watches. It was time to come home and gel that much needed rest. But for our jpther shipmates, it meant something more than just coming back from a six month long deployment. To many, it meant having re- unions with their loved ones. Be it their wives or girlfriends. It meant continu- ing on where many had left off, or maybe it ju-st meant starting over. But to a selected few, it meant seeing their first born for the first time. It meant being able to hold that bundle of joy that would make that memory, a mem- ory for years to come. . . . and you know, later on that evening, when you ' re at home and re- laxed in your lounge chair, you ' ll stop and think . . . Man, was 1 really there?