Homecoming Day for Carrier Bush Aircraft

VIRGINIA BEACH - The aircraft of the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group flew home Friday after a nine-month deployment that included airstrikes against the Islamic State. The jets of Carrier Air Wing 8 arrived at NAS Oceana ahead of the ships' return to Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday. CVW 8's 72 aircraft supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Inhererent Resolve in Iraq and Syria. Operation Inherent Resolve included the first strike operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. "You know the flexibility inherent in the Navy is everything. We're where we're needed when we're needed and that shows the flexibility. And the sailors and the families and friends that support them, that's the magic of the Navy," Capt. Dan Cheever said. The F/A-18s dropped 500 pound laser-guided bombs against ISIL artillery targets.