1st Combat Vessel Home From War
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NORFOLK, Va. — Nearly 200 flag-waving friends and relatives waited on a pier Tuesday as the attack submarine Boise and its 138 sailors became the first combat boat to return from duty in the Iraq war.
Before the sub pulled in at Norfolk Naval Station, a Navy man in a bunny costume handed Easter baskets to waiting children.
The enthusiastic homecoming was unusual for a submarine, whose comings and goings are generally kept quiet by the Navy. Spokesman Phil McGuinn said the Navy held the public event so it could show its appreciation for a job well done.
The 360-foot Boise was deployed Feb. 13 to conduct strike operations on Iraq, launching Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Navy brought the Boise and the attack submarine Toledo home after the heaviest fighting subsided. The Toledo arrived later Tuesday in Groton, Conn. It had fired some of the first long-range cruise missiles in the early days of the war.
The dock landing ship Portland returned home last week. It had not been on combat duty.
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