Coast Guard unit returns from Guantanamo Bay

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark Jones | Family members await the arrival of Coast Guardsmen from Port Security Unit 305 returning from a six-month deployment to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, at their homecoming in Fort Eustis, Va., Sunday, May 31.  

FORT EUSTIS, UNITED STATES

06.01.2009

Courtesy Story

U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area

FORT EUSTIS, Va. - Coast Guard Port Security Unit 305 returned home to Fort Eustis, Va., Sunday afternoon from a six-month deployment to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Family members and friends waited excitedly as two large, white buses transported the 83 Coast Guardsmen to the PSU just after 2 p.m. They greeted their wives, husbands, children, and friends before gathering at 3 p.m. to be recognized for their achievements during the deployment with advancements, promotions, and awards.

The members of PSU 305 performed anti-terrorism and force protection missions, including patrolling the waterways around U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and providing internal security during commissions, the legal hearings for detainees, at the Expeditionary Legal Complex at the station.

To fulfil this important mission, many sacrificed time with their families, missed birthdays, school plays, and other events. Some even missed the birth of their children while away.

"I'm ecstatic," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Isaac Blakely, a machinery technician deployed with the PSU. "I'm happy to be home. I've been waiting for this for six months. The crowd was amazing to see when we pulled up in the bus. I'm so thrilled to be back."

"I'm very proud, excited, elated - I'm just very happy they're home from Guantanamo Bay," said Katie Webster, sister of Matthew and David Webster, both of whom were deployed with the PSU. "Just to have them home - it's a comfort."

• Date Taken: 06.01.2009
• Date Posted: 06.01.2009 12:12
• Story ID: 34379
• Location: FORT EUSTIS, US