City of Marysville officials joined family and friends on a sunny May 9 at Naval Station Everetts Pier Alpha for a rousing welcome home to sailors aboard the citys adopted ship, USS Ingraham. Family and friends greeted sailors waving welcome home placards, American flags, balloons, flowers … and new members of the family that sailors had not seen since their deployment six months earlier to the Persian Gulf as part of the Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group, participating in exercises with Egyptian, Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates (UAE) navies. Cmdr. Matthew Ovios gave the order to allow boarding of the ship by family and friends. Attending on behalf of the city of Marysville were Councilmembers Donna Wright and Carmen Rasmussen, Community Information Officer Doug Buell and Executive Secretary Lynn Schroeder. The Councilmembers invited Cmdr. Ovios and staff to a future City Council meeting for a special presentation in honor of the adopt-a-ship relationship between the city and USS Ingraham, which will mark its 10th anniversary in 2009.