It was a happy homecoming Monday for medical professionals and civilian mariners who’ve helped thousands in Central and South America.

They got off the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort to the waiting arms of family and friends.

During the four-month deployment, the ship stopped and help people in 12 Latin American countries.

During the trip, Navy personnel, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, Army and Air Force plus the Public Health Service, Project Hope and Operation Smile, provided 386,000 "medical encounters.”

Personnel dispensed 32,000 medications, gave away 24,000 pairs of glasses, pulled 4,000 teeth and performed 1,170 surgeries, including 50 cleft lip and cleft palate operations.

Members said the trip was overwhelming.

"This has certainly been one of the best things I've done in my life. I've done other missions in my life with other non-governmental organizations. The resources that we've had on this ship, to be able to help people have just been amazing.  To be able to do surgeries and cat scans and x-rays, it has been amazing," said LCDR Jamal Gwathney, MD, with the U.S. Public Health Service.

"This kind of mission changes countries' interactions with each other, because they can see that we care about their people," added Capt. Bruce Boynton, USNS Comfort Medical Corps.

Crew members will now return to their home commands, and the military sealift command will return the comfort to its homeport of Baltimore.