Cheers, cold beer welcome Louisville
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
PEARL HARBOR — About 2 1/2 weeks after a succession of Navy ships returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom, the attack submarine USS Louisville yesterday arrived home to its own heroes' welcome.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
A chorus of shouts from family members who had waited eight long months for the moment greeted the crew of about 130 as the sub pulled up to the pier. A band played, and a Kentucky long rifle and Louisville slugger baseball bat were presented to the ship.
Senior Chief James Coleman and his wife, Rebecca, were among couples reunited at dockside yesterday when the USS Louisville returned to Pearl Harbor from its assignment in the Persian Gulf.
Marty Muckian, the ship's engineer, quickly had a Gordon Biersch Märzen lager in hand, courtesy of his girlfriend and some friends. Having it back in Hawai'i made it taste that much better.
"It tastes great," Muckian said. "It feels great to be home."
A huge lei was draped across the sub's sail, which was topped by an upended broom — a sign of a mission's clean sweep.
The Louisville, which fired the first submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missile in Operation Desert Storm 12 years ago, made history again as one of four attack submarines from Pearl Harbor to fire Tomahawks in the opening rounds of the war in Iraq.
The USS Cheyenne returned to Pearl Harbor on April 24. The Key West and Columbia remain on deployment.
Louisville's commanding officer, Cmdr. Michael E. Jabaley Jr., said of the deployment: "It was an endurance for both the ship and the crew, but we were glad to do it."
The 360-foot attack sub was on its way to Australia in January for a liberty call when it was redirected to Guam. More Tomahawks were loaded, along with provisions for 90 days, the most the submarine could carry. The Louisville then headed for the Persian Gulf.
When the Louisville got word its mission had been extended, Jabaley surfaced the sub and let his crew have a day off topside to get some sun and fresh air. They were also allowed to make calls home on two Iridium satellite phones aboard.
"I was able to let every sailor call home for about three minutes," Jabaley said. "I wished it could have been a lot more, but that in itself just provided the most amazing (morale) boost."
Jonathan Sontchi, an electronics technician 2nd class, was greeted by wife Meredith and their 6-month-old son, Alex. Alex was 2 weeks old when his dad last saw him.
"Unbelievable. He's like quadrupled in size," said Sontchi as he hugged little Alex.
About two weeks ago, Meredith Sontchi watched as a procession of Navy ships returned home to Pearl Harbor or stopped here.
"I was really happy for the other families, but I was really jealous," she said.
Shawn McCormick of Mililani was waiting for her husband, Toshi, an electronics mate 1st class, to get off the boat.
"We did OK — it was hard because I have four children," she said. "But I'm from here, so I have my family here and I have a lot of support."
