"We've been in the ocean for three months straight, and we were waiting to reach shore," one soldier said. "We've come to find Haifa is a completely European city, especially compared to the rest of the Mideast."
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The Egged bus driver who drove the soldiers to the Haifa streets said that the warship was meant to spend seven days in Israel, but its trip was shortened to two days. "I asked them if the stay being shortened had to do with the Syria strike, and they said they don't know, and I should ask Barack Obama that question," he said.
- Many sailors arrived at the After Dark pub and restaurant in the Carmel Center. They celebrated their leave with beer, dressed in plain clothes. One man, who introduced himself only as "Dan from Connecticut ",said they were headed "to sea" after lifting off from Haifa Port. When we insisted further—whether they are going to Syria—Dan responded with a smile, saying, "I hope so." A friend of his who would not identify himself was interested if the American military would see any signs of the IDF in the case of Syria strike.
"I actually would want to see if I can serve in the IDF ,"said Dan, 21. "I've heard from friends of mine who have trained with it that it's the best army in the world, the most professional, with the best operations."
The soldiers also spent considerable time corresponding with their relatives and friends in the US using laptops. "They told me they've been deployed for 10 months and that they really miss their families," said the restaurant manager. "We weren't set for how many of them turned up, but we made do. It was a pleasure to have them."
The soldiers were driven back to the warship by 11:00 pm, and on Friday the USS San Antonio undocked and left the Haifa port .The destination: unknown.