Kim Rixen, the mother of a Navy navigation technician, was reunited with her son aboard the USS Somerset as the ship departed for San Francisco Fleet Week.
Her son Connor joined the Navy a year and a half ago.
Connor grew up in the East Bay and spent most of his upbringing in El Sobrante. Kim moved to the East Coast, while Connor stayed in the Bay Area, where his father, sister, brother and cousins still live.
“A lot has changed in my life in the last year and a half. I’ve seen (and had) a lot of new things. It’s been amazing. I’ve learned a lot too. I’m just excited to take on this new journey that the Navy has given me has brought,” Connor said. “I miss my family the most. I have a new niece(s) and a new nephew. I can’t really see much because I’m here.”
CBS
As for how this reunion happened, Connor managed to bring Kim aboard the USS Somerset on a Tiger Cruise, a sea voyage that allowed family and friends of deployed soldiers to spend time at an open-sea embarkation.
Kim said she heard about Tiger cruises online and asked Connor to look into it.
“I was really happy to get her on board so she could see what I see every day. And get a little bit of life,” Connor told CBS News Bay Area. “(When) you go to bed late every night in your stretch, you think about your family and how much you miss them. It’s good that I can just wake up in the morning (and) have breakfast with my mom while I’m I’m here at sea.”
Kim and Connor were able to eat and spend time together when Connor wasn’t working on the ship. Their journey lasted three days and two nights as the USS Somerset sailed from San Diego to San Francisco.
“It’s amazing what he’s done. Amazing what all these people have done. It’s amazing. Everyone has their job to do,” Kim said. “It was a great experience for me to be here with my son (and) see what he does.”
Having attended Fleet Week several times growing up in the East Bay, Connor is looking forward to being part of his first.
‘Now I’m in the middle of it. I’ll have my family and friends there to see what’s going on,” Connor said. “I’m just happy to be here. (I) get to have my mom with me (and) hopefully I can visit my family while I’m there if I have a little time off from work.”
There’s some heartbreak Connor will experience during his short stay at home: He’s a sports fan from Oakland, returning to the Bay Area for the first time since his A’s played their last game at the Coliseum.
