EVERETT, Wash. -- Families and business people around Everett are celebrating the return of thousands of Navy personnel.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and guided missile destroyers USS Momsen and the USS Shoup returned to their home base Sunday. About 3,500 crew members on the three ships supported war efforts and participated in training exercises during a seven-month deployment.

KIRO 7's newspaper partner, The Herald of Everett, reports that welcoming signs have been posted on business reader boards around town, and merchants have been eager for the return of Navy troops with unspent paychecks.

For sailors on the Lincoln, much of their earnings were tax-free because they were supporting war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.