NORFOLK, Va. – A U.S. Navy ship set sail Wednesday afternoon from Naval Station Norfolk.
A Carrier Strike Group of more than 7,000 sailors boarded the USS George H.W. Bush.
Several parents, friends and even the little ones lined the Navy base waving goodbye and holding signs with moving messages of hope.
Edward and Amy Armas’ sign read, “We have this Hope as an anchor for the soul.”
“It represent the anchor which is the Navy and has her name included,” said Edward Armas.
The Armas family drove 11 hours from Florida to see their 20-year-old daughter off for her first deployment. Her name is Hope.
The day was emotional as they bid their daughter farewell.
“It’s emotions,” Amy Armas said. “It’s sometimes happy, sometimes sad at the same time. It’s hard for us. Very hard because she’s our first daughter in the Navy.”
Joining the Navy is an American dream for the 20-year-old whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Ecuador.
Her proud and supportive father Edward Armas has been along for the ride.
“The most important is she’s fulfilling her dream, which is also happiness for us because we would like to be in the Air Force when we were young,” he said.
Wednesday’s deployment is the largest from Hampton Roads since December. This is also the first deployment the Bush will complete since 2017.
The crew’s mission is to help other Carrier Strike Groups in Europe, carry out operations and train for possible combat.
“We are ready,” said USS GHWB Commanding Officer Capt. Dave Pollard. “We are ready to support, defend the Constitution of the United States of America and do anything that our nation calls us to do.”
This is a regular deployment for the Navy ship, but for Hope’s parents, her deployment brings an overwhelming sense of worry.
“For them, sometimes it’s emotions of going into action,” Edward Armas said. “For us, we expect not to have action, just to be safe patrolling the areas and taking care of our stations in other countries.”
The sailors will be overseas for at least six months.
The Armas family said they’ll be back at the base to greet their daughter whenever the ship’s mission is done.
