Homecoming -- with no one there?

[Eryn]

Does anyone know what homecoming is like for a sailor if he/she doesn't have any family or friends there? I'm really worried about this!!! I won't be able to make it to WA for homecoming (from OH) and I know none of his family will either. I feel horrible. It's not that I don't want to go or that I wouldn't give up a lot to go, but for every day I miss of school I lose a letter off of my final grade and I have to get at least a C or I get kicked out of the program. He would KILL me if I missed school and had to take another year+ to graduate. My teachers don't care what the circumstance is and Saturday and Sunday just isn't long enough to fly out there, see him, and fly back. Plus the actual homecoming could be on a weekday. I've gone over it a ton and I just won't be able to make it work. His family isn't the type to fly across the country to see him, unfortunately. I don't know what to do. It breaks my heart thinking about him being all alone while he watches everyone else seeing their friends and family for the first time in months.

[Emily-aaronsgirl11]

I know the feeling of not being able to be there. I made it to his first when we weren't married and it was just a quick three day trip. I actually had to take a red eye from Seattle to SC in order to make it back to campus just in time to catch my Biology lab. But the second time around, I was living in the area the entire time, but somehow (and don't ask me how) the wedding my brother and sister in law had planned (he is also navy and did a court house and a real wedding later) for months (and had already had to reschedule twice because of the Navy) happened to fall on the exact same day as my husband's homecoming from an 8 month deployment. I cried over the decision for weeks, but in the end my husband made the decision for me and told me to go home (to Ohio!) for the wedding because he knew how much my family meant to me. So I moved all of our stuff into a new house a month before hand, parked his car in the base parking lot before I left town, and gave the key to the car to a friend who could pass it off to him. I was incredibly sad that he had to come home alone after all those months out to sea, but in all honesty, it was good for him. 

They're always sleep deprived, so he'll love being able to catch up on a little sleep. And of course it takes a little time to adjust to living in the real world again, so the chance to do so without someone clinging to his side (because let's face it, we're all clingy at first especially when it's a long distance relationship) might actually be relieving. I'm sure he has plenty of friends on board that will have family in town he can spend time with if he wants, and he'll probably have plenty of friends that won't have family in town that he can spend time with if he wants. 

It sucks, I know first hand how bad it sucks. But try to remember it's not the end of the world. The important thing is that he'll be back on U.S. soil and have the freedom to do what he wants again (and I'm sure that includes phone calls and skype calls to you!). :)

[Eryn]

That's a really good way to look at it! Plus hopefully I'll be able to get out there about two months later so he'll have that to look forward to. 

[Eryn]

Thank you everyone! I feel a lot better after reading all of these responses!