For the past nine years, Keith Davis has served his country, placing himself in harm’s way as a member of the U.S. Navy.

While members of other branches of the military see fanfare when they return, Navy sailors usually return home via plane through Virginia. Only recently did Davis’ wife, Laura, see her soldier come home via ship.

Family members in Texas have formed a welcome home party for the 1999 Port Neches-Groves High School graduate and are asking for the public to show their patriotism and greet Davis.

Participants will begin lining up at 1 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Wal-Mart in Bridge City. From there the group will head, via highway, to Texas Artists Museum, 3501 Cultural Center Drive, in Port Arthur.

Cathy Perry, Davis’ mother-in-law, came up with the idea of a welcome home party, discussing it with a friend, and soon the ball was rolling.

Perry said some members of the Patriot Guard will escort Davis and members of the Red Knights and Blue Knights, firefighters and police officers who ride motorcycles, will also participate.

Perry said Keith and her daughter Laura were high school sweethearts who married not long after Laura graduated from PN-G High School. The couple have been together ever since.

A heartfelt message on Laura’s MySpace page tells of the life of a Navy wife. “I am not the perfect Navy wife. The deployments sometimes get to me and there are times when nothing seems to go right when he is gone. I think about how wonderful it would be to have my sailor home all the time...”

Davis is the recipient of a Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Global War on terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal and more.