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Sailors rom the USS Ronald Reagan  disembark after three months at sea at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.

Sailors rom the USS Ronald Reagan disembark after three months at sea at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. (Christian Lopez/ Stars and Stripes )

Sailors rom the USS Ronald Reagan  disembark after three months at sea at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.

Sailors rom the USS Ronald Reagan disembark after three months at sea at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. (Christian Lopez/ Stars and Stripes )

Electrician's Mate Nuclear 1st Class Stephen Stockard, of the USS Ronald Reagan, home after three months at sea, waits on a taxi at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.

Electrician's Mate Nuclear 1st Class Stephen Stockard, of the USS Ronald Reagan, home after three months at sea, waits on a taxi at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. (Christian Lopez/ Stars and Stripes)

A sailor assigned to the USS Ronald Reagan, at sea in the western Pacific Ocean for three months, returned home to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.

A sailor assigned to the USS Ronald Reagan, at sea in the western Pacific Ocean for three months, returned home to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. (Christian Lopez/ Stars and Stripes)

Lt. Troy Balding, a catapult officer aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, greets his wife, Chrissy Balding, upon his return after three months at sea to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.

Lt. Troy Balding, a catapult officer aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, greets his wife, Chrissy Balding, upon his return after three months at sea to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. (Christian Lopez/ Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – Three months after the USS Ronald Reagan left for a patrol of the western Pacific, the aircraft carrier and its crew of about 4,500 returned home Saturday afternoon.

Loved ones waited outside the gates to the pier for their sailors during the understated homecoming without much fanfare. Still, reunions were cheerful as servicemembers embraced their families.

Navy spouse Chrissy Balding said she has gone through six deployment homecomings with her husband, Lt. Troy Balding, but before Saturday had never met him at the ship.

She said seeing families with small children reunite with their sailors usually makes her cry, so she shies away from the events.

But she knew she had to break her tradition when she learned her husband, a catapult officer, was chosen for promotion when the list of lieutenant commander selectees was published that same morning.

“Usually I wait in the car and then do a drive-by to grab him,” Balding said. “I couldn’t not meet him this time because it’s such a big day for him.”

The Reagan made two stops over its 94-day deployment. First at Brisbane, Australia, to join in the Talisman Sabre 2019 war games off Australia’s east coast, then at Manila, Philippines for a brief port visit.

The Reagan also participated in several exercises at sea with partner nations, most recently with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

From Aug. 13-23, the Reagan conducted communication drills with Japan’s guided-missile destroyer JS Myoko, according to a Navy statement Friday.

It is unclear how long the Reagan will remain in Yokosuka. The Navy as policy does not discuss future ship movements.doornbos.caitlin@stripes.com Twitter: @caitlindoornbos

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Caitlin Doornbos covers the Pentagon for Stars and Stripes after covering the Navy’s 7th Fleet as Stripes’ Indo-Pacific correspondent at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Previously, she worked as a crime reporter in Lawrence, Kan., and Orlando, Fla., where she was part of the Orlando Sentinel team that placed as finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. Caitlin has a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Kansas and master’s degree in defense and strategic studies from the University of Texas at El Paso.

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