By 4am on Thursday, the sky still pitch black, 19-year-old Pvt Grayden Monroe and his mom had arrived to the naval base in San Diego, California, the very first military family members huddled on a set of metal bleachers overlooking the dark water. They were waiting for Monroe’s 21-year-old sister to step off the USS Abraham Lincoln, the embattled aircraft carrier that has been at sea for the better part of a year.
Monroe, a soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, was wearing his army uniform for the occasion. “I hope she’s proud of me,” he said of his sister, “and I hope she knows damn well that I’m just as proud of her.”
