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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:05 p.m., Wednesday, October 1, 2008

USS Russell returns from 6-month deployment

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Boatswain's Mate Seaman Ryan Cook meets his infant daughter, born after his deployment, for the first time.

Photo by MC2 Michael A. Lantron, U.S. Navy

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Special homecoming welcoming group.

Photo by MC2 Michael A. Lantron, U.S. Navy

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Waiting for daddy's return in a ship like his.

Photo by MC2 Michael A. Lantron, U.S. Navy

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

USS Russell back home at Pearl Harbor.

Photo by MC2 Michael A. Lantron, U.S. Navy

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The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell returned to Pearl Harbor today from a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific with a lei on its bow.

"It feels great to be home," Boatswain's Mate Seaman Ryan Cook said. "I've been waiting five months to finally meet my daughter (for the first time) and it's an amazing feeling."

Cmdr. Jeff Weston, the Russell's commanding officer, was pleased with the crew's performance.

"We spent very little time in port and they all did amazing work out there," Weston said. "Every mission we were tasked with we performed flawlessly and it's a credit to them."

The Russell left Pearl Harbor March 24 as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.

During the deployment, Russell interacted with coalition forces, offered humanitarian assistance to a stranded boat with 70 Somalis onboard, participated in joint exercises, and pulled into six ports, where its crew contributed to the host nation in community relations projects.