Welcome Home! Old Lyme Family Joyfully Greets USCG Cmdr./Husband/Dad on his Return From Two-Year Assignment

OLD LYME — Have you noticed the wonderful decorations outside the house at 73 Lyme St.?

At first glance, you might have thought they were the traditional Memorial Day banners and flags but a closer look reveals they carry an additional, and perhaps even more significant message for the family that lives there.

The air at #73 was filled with eager anticipation and great excitement last Thursday because the Harris family (mom Ginger, four-year-old Hugh and 18-month-old Leigh) whose home it is, was expecting their husband/dad home after a two-year assignment.

Jon Harris, who subsequently arrived home safely to the delight of his waiting family, has served on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard for the past 18 years. He is a Commander and has served at sea on board five different U.S. Coast Guard Cutters (USCGCs) during his career.

Ginger explained in an email that Jon has, “Just completed a two-year assignment as Executive Officer of USCGC Hamilton, homeported in Charleston, S.C.”

She elaborated on the work in which he has been involved, saying, “The multi-mission cutter conducts counter drug and migrant interdiction operations, as well as international engagements and training around the world while sailing in the Mediterranean, Black, Baltic and Caribbean Seas, as well as the Northern Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans.” 

And how long will he be home in Old Lyme? Ginger responded, “He begins his next assignment in Newport, R.I. in June, to serve as the Commanding Officer of the USCGC Campbell.”

Asked how the family was feeling about Jon returning home, Ginger said, “We look forward to enjoying simple family moments as a family of four. Our son has already asked for his Daddy to take him to all the playgrounds in the area and a swimming pool this summer.”

She added that, looking to the future, “Our family is excited to have Jon living with us at home between Campbell’s future deployments.” He was rarely able to return home to Old Lyme when his homebase was Charleston, S.C.

Ginger took the opportunity during the e-mail conversation to express her and her family’s gratitude to many people in town. She wrote, “We wish to thank all our neighbors in the village and Hugh and Leigh’s teachers at Center School, the After-Care program at the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center, and the Coast Guard Child Development Center for helping take such great care of our children these past two years.”

She continued, “The friends and neighbors we have met in town are a blessing, especially since none of our family members live nearby. We cherish the chats during our family walks, the gifts from secret Santas and Easter Bunnies, birthday and Halloween surprises, the offers for hot soup when we are sick, meals and gifts after the arrival of our baby girl, and neighbors who drop everything they are doing to run over to our house and assist during difficult times.”

On a poignant note, Ginger concluded, “Thank you for choosing to share our family’s story during the first of a series of patriotic holidays that encourage us to pause and remember the contributions and sacrifices that our service members and families made in support of the ideals and values embodied in our Constitution.”

Her final thoughts, which are so pertinent with the imminent approach of Memorial Day, were, “We join our neighbors in thanking the many other current and past military members in Old Lyme and throughout our country, and we honor our Gold Star Families and their loved ones, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.” 

Editor’s Note: We would like to express our sincere thanks to Tammy Noyes, who alerted us to the decorations at 73 Lyme St., and made preliminary inquiries with the family to determine if their story could be shared on LymeLine.com.