PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) — Ensign Kristen Compton of the USS Mount Rushmore was away from her family for more than a year, stationed out of Nagasaki, Japan.
During her time there, Compton took in many aspects of Japanese culture.
But, nothing could replace what she left behind.
Even though Compton missed her family, she said she did not feel homesick.
“It actually wasn’t too hard because I went over there with some people that I knew, prior to going to Japan,” said Compton. “I meet them on my route, stuff with the Navy, like schools I had to go to so it wasn’t bad. I think if I had to do it, like completely alone and I didn’t know anyone going in, it would have been kind of hard. And the Japanese people are so welcoming and nice that it wasn’t really that hard to be over there.”
Upon coming home, Compton got to meet her sister Kaleigh’s daughter, Jasmine for the first time.
“Yeah, I do miss them. I really wanted to meet Jasmine, Kaleigh’s baby. So I hated that I didn’t get to meet her for so long. She’s almost a year old but I got to meet her before she turned one which is what I wanted to be able to meet her before she hit that milestone.”
For Kaleigh, the chance to spend the holidays with Kristen is the best gift she could get.
“It was really sweet cause I don’t really get to see my family that much because I’m the only one that still lives in the area like my mom lives in Pennsylvania, Kristen is in Japan so I don’t really get to see my family,” said Fourie. “So for her to come back from japan was a really big deal. I’m really thankful for it, we’re really close.”
Kristen only had a few days to spend with her family but each and everyone creates a memory to last a lifetime.