JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After six months overseas, the War Eagles of Patrol Squadron VP 16 returned home Sunday morning.

At NAS Jacksonville, families reunited with their sailors who’ve been deployed to the Indo-Pacific.

The squadron’s 286 sailors operated out of Japan and Bahrain, flying over 3,100 flight hours and executing over 400 sorties. From intelligence and surveillance to anti-submarine warfare, their work assisted U.S. 7th and 5th Fleets in a dual-site deployment, a release said.

Before the plane landed on the runway, families waited to be reunited with their loved ones.

Megan Gulyard, a mother of two, waited to see her husband come home today, describing the moment as surreal, telling First Coast News she’s happy to have her family complete again.

“We don’t have any family support here, so it’s just been solely on me and yeah, it’s been a rough ride, especially having a toddler,” said Gulyard.

The minute her husband came off the plane, her wish to have her family united again came true.

“He’s home and I’m just so happy, just a million emotions right now,” she said.

Her husband, who was one of the many sailors who came home Sunday, described what it meant to see his family welcome him home.

“It makes everything that we do in the military worth it, and it’s an experience that is indescribable,” said Gulyard.

Cmdr. Jacob Weinzatl described the importance of the work these sailors completed the last six months and said the success of the sailors wouldn’t have been possible without the support of their families.

“The whole time out during the 5th fleet and 7th fleet were doing things that we can do to promote democracy around the world,” said Weinzatl.