A Soldier’s Welcome
Petty Office Chris Daugherty returned to San Diego on June 23, 2017. His family made the journey to meet him, and the USS Vinson, as his ship docked. Smiling ear-to-ear, Chris disembarked and headed toward the grinning faces of his children and wife, all holding signs to welcome their dad homes.
All three of the Daugherty children wore miniature sailor outfits and ran to hug their father as he descended to greet them. The trio embraced their father, also in uniform, almost forcing him to the ground. Only Natasha held back from the group embrace. It took Chris a moment to realize why his wife did not join their children.
Torn With Uncertainty
Natasha stood firm on her decision to only speak to Chris in person. But as she watched the news surrounding North Korea she worried, if anything happened to Chris, how would she ever forgive herself for hiding so much from him for so long? It wasn't about how she would or wouldn't forgive herself, Natasha decided, it was about Chris, and making sure he could focus on his mission, and come home safely.
Natasha told NBC news, "As soon as we started having trouble with North Korea, I became worried. He was telling me goodbye." And yet the mother of three kept her calm. She kept her problems and her worries to herself to make sure her husband, a member of America's military, could do the best job possible. He could be their for his crew, his country, and, eventually, his family.
Homeward Bound
Six months finally came and went and Chris's deployment ended. The USS Vinson was on its way back to the United States of America. Chris Daugherty was on his way back to his home, his children, and his wife, Natasha. The family man could finally return to the loved ones that had been fighting the every day battles without him for more than half a year.
All three of the Daugherty children were ecstatic that they would soon be reunited with their dad. Natasha too couldn't wait to hold her husband in her arms. Yet, she worried that he wouldn't understand, when he finally saw her, how she had kept so much from him. For his own good. For the good of his crewmates. As the USS Vinson headed back toward the west coast of America, Natasha prepared to meet the wave that would come with it.
Unbelievable Moment
Extricating himself from the arms of his children, Chris was finally able to approach his wife, standing a few feet away. She was still holding the sign she had made to welcome her husband home. Chris didn't take the time to process the words on her sign, but immediately went in to hug his wife of almost six years. But there was something, besides time, and his three children, in the way.
Chris reached out his arms, but Natasha stepped back, finally releasing the poster board from her hands. Chris blinked. He stared at his wife. He stepped back himself. He stared. He froze. There was silence. There was shock. Finally the Petty Officer asked, "Is that real? Are you serious?"
Moment Of Truth
The sign, that now lay on the ground between husband and wife, read, "Welcome Home Baby Daddy." Already a parent to three children the sign had not seemed out of the ordinary. But the sign had been strategically held by Natasha, hiding something from Chris, the very something she had been hiding from her husband for the six months he had been away.
Behind her sign Natasha wore a t-shirt that read, "I am the present my daddy gave my mommy before he deployed." The shirt was stretched across Natasha's very pregnant stomach. A crowd had slowly gathered around the couple. Natasha and Chris were far from the only ones crying under the watchful eye of the USS Vinson.