Six weeks later, the SS Canberra, surrounded by a fleet of smaller, escorting boats, approached Southampton Dock, crammed with shoulder-to-shoulder smiling marines. Fletcher had to place his hand on the wall to steady himself as a rush of marines pushed past him to get closer to the ship’s railing. He was having a hard time looking over the sea of berets atop all the marines’ heads. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath as the sounds from the tens of thousands of onlookers crowded the dock. He lowered his head a bit so he could see through the cracks between two marines and scratched the back of his neck when he noticed the hand-drawn signs, banners, and flags waving. He bit his bottom lip as he scanned the clusters of smooshed-together families and friends. He couldn’t see a single inc
