Dozens of Seabees welcomed back from deployment in emotional South Mississippi homecoming

Handmade signs lined the roads Thursday at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport as white buses carrying members of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 made their way through the military base.

The signs said things like ‘welcome home’ and ‘we missed you,’ things their families, who were eagerly waiting for them, had been waiting seven months to tell them in person.

The 104 members of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 were returning from a deployment to Spain. The United States’ Naval Construction Battalions, also called Seabees, are a subset of the Navy and are deployed for construction and engineering work all over the world.

Stephanie West and Larry West were just one of the dozens of families waiting in the midday sun for the buses to finally pull up. Their son Alex West was returning from his first deployment.

“He’s been gone for 7 months,” Stephanie West said. “This is the longest we’ve ever gone without seeing him. There just aren’t words really for how excited we are.”

As the buses pulled up, the Seabees were met with an ocean of hugs, kisses and excited children waving tiny American flags as they scrambled to see their family members.

Caitlin Anson, who was waiting for her husband Jared Anson, had tears in her eyes as she embraced him. The couple had been apart for their first wedding anniversary.

“My wife is not an emotional person so the tears are a big thing,” said Jared Anson. “I’m excited to be home and start a family.”

As the Ansons embraced, the Wests were reunited with their son Alex.

“Missing your family was the hardest thing,” Alex West said as he stood by his parents. “I’m just looking forward to going home.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Hannah Ruhoff

Sun Herald