The cash register chimes as the workers smile greet fathers as they gather around boxes of donuts at the Navy Exchange (NEX) onboard Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay, June 20, 2026. This event, hosted by the installation NEX and titled “Donuts for Dad” is for them – a reminder that their sacrifice does not go unnoticed.
Celebratory decorations bring smiles to father’s faces as they enjoy a table filled with donuts in nearly every flavor imaginable – chocolate, glazed, powdered, and plain – along with Twinkies that add a familiar taste of home.
Master-at-Arms 1st Class Chris Johnson, a father of two daughters, after chewing on a donut jokes, “it’s called a father figure, not a dad bod.”
Having donuts with the fathers on base was a valuable reminder that anyone can have their own struggles going on internally, Johnson said.
He continued by discussing some of the struggles of being a deployed dad, such as daily calls across different time zones, not being able to see loved ones, and missed hugs and kisses.
During the event, NSA Souda Bay NEX customer service representative Elena Kataki compared dads and donuts, saying they are both fun and sweet. If you are having a bad day, your dad or donuts can always comfort you, so they go well together.
Kataki knows that, usually, the fathers assigned to this location don’t have their families, loved ones, and children with them It’s a big part of why the NSA Souda Bay NEX wants to support fathers in their home away from home. “Being a [military] dad is difficult because you are forced to stay away from your family, and you have to celebrate Father’s Day away from them,” Johnson said.”
While a table of donuts cannot change the distance between fathers and their children, this event gave dads stationed at NSA Souda Bay an opportunity to be recognized and to recognize one another this Father’s Day. It gave them a chance to reflect on how they could be there for their children while being miles apart.
Johnson discussed a daily routine he compares to a ‘good night, I love you 5000’.
“Every single night, even while I’m here, we do this bedtime routine,” Johnson said. “It’s a book series with specific verbiage that my daughters have to say every night. We say together, ‘I know deep inside…,’ and we talk about the things we dream about. If it gets missed, it’s the end of the world for them. [Our routine] makes me smile every single time.”