NORFOLK, Va. — This wasn’t David and Vicki Duff’s first rodeo. They’ve been attending their son’s Navy homecomings for 30 years.

On Saturday morning, they waited on Naval Station Norfolk’s Pier 11 to welcome their son — the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s commanding officer Rear Adm. Gavin Duff — back from a record-breaking deployment.

“He was made to be on a ship,” Vicki Duff said. “He loves being on a ship. He was so excited about doing it.”

Gavin Duff joined the deployment six weeks ago. Vicki Duff said before her son left, she asked what he was feeling and thinking.

“He said, ‘You know, mom, my job right now is to get out and listen and know where I can add value,’ ” she said. “And that’s truly what leadership is all about.”

The Ford’s deployment was the longest of the post-Vietnam era. Gavin Duff said it is not lost on him the sacrifices his sailors made over the past 11 months — including missed birthdays, anniversaries, holidays — and in over 50 cases, the births of newborns.

Aircrew Survival Equipmentman, Third Class Omar Mora became a father while deployed. He met his 4-month-old son, Santiago, on Pier 11.

“There’s excitement, a lot of nervous jitters. There’s no other feeling in the world I can compare it to,” Mora said. “It’s the first time for everything, so we’ll see how this goes.”

Santiago’s mother, Jalyssa De La Rosa, also is in the Navy. She said this is the first deployment she and Mora have been apart. She said he wasn’t allowed to travel home for the birth of their son.

“It’s hard because I don’t have no family here, so it’s just me,” De La Rosa said. “For him, not being able to come home for the birth and being extended, watching (Santiago) grow up for the first four months of life on FaceTime, every day sending pictures. It took a toll on him, just because they didn’t allow him to come home and be there for at least (the first) week.”

The record-breaking deployment also drew national attention for problems that plagued quality of life for the sailors onboard. In March, a fire in the laundry destroyed hundreds of mattresses and left sailors without bedding and clothing. Photos of sparse meal trays surfaced toward the end of the deployment.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle confirmed an investigation into the cause of the fire remains underway.

“When those final results come out, we’ll make sure that’s completely transparent and open — what caused it and the extent of the final damage reports.”

Caudle continued to deny allegations of inadequate food on the ship, and said it was “offensive” to say that the quality of the food onboard was not high.

In its 11 months at sea, the Ford sailed the equivalent of four trips around the globe. The strike group left Norfolk last summer for the Mediterranean, before being rerouted to the Caribbean. In February, the Ford returned to the Middle East to support conflict operations.

The carrier’s air wing returned quietly Monday — media weren’t invited to its homecoming. A Navy spokesperson said leadership took precautions to protect the airmen’s identities as they returned.

Saturday’s fanfare for the carrier and its destroyers — the Mahan and Bainbridge — included a visit from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer. They greeted sailors and families and brought teddy bears to children while they waited for their loved ones to disembark.

“You held the line for our nation,” Hegseth said to the Ford’s crew. “And your families have held the line alongside (you) as well.”

Duff took a moment to thank his crew for their work — and the Hampton Roads community for their support.

“Every act of kindness, every meal delivered, lawn mowed, play dates scheduled, sporting event coached and moment of support offered mattered,” Duff said. “This community understands military service because this community lives military service.”

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(Staff writer Natalie Anderson contributed to this report.)

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