It shines yellow. It flows. It conveys elegance. It makes wearers feel like royalty. Jewelry may seem like the word that fills in the blank,
but in this case the only correct answer is a yellow tutu.
Daughters of deployed U.S. Navy Sailors have a new way to show their love and support at Mom or Dad’s homecomings. By wearing a
yellow ribbon tutu at a homecoming ceremony, little girls can look and feel special when mom or dad returns from duty.
The tutus are part of Operation Sea of Support, a program sponsored by Texas-based Enchanted Tutu. The goal of the tutus is to make
every little girl “feel like a princess when their mom or dad comes home,” said Brandy Runyan, owner of Enchanted Tutu.
The Yellow Ribbon Tutu is inspired by the traditional Yellow Ribbon concept of maintaining steadfast care and concern for military personnel
abroad.
Runyan and her husband Stephen launched Operation Sea of Support in 2008 to reach the daughters of military personnel serving in Iraq. 
Since then the program has spread to 14 bases across all military organizations. Locally, Naval Base Kitsap (NBK), Bremerton, NBK, Bangor,
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and Naval Station Everett are participating in the program.
Tara Marr, the program organizer for these bases, got involved with the program after working with Individual Augmentee (IA) spouses through
COMPASS. COMPASS is a Navy spouse-counseling program that helps Navy spouses get acquainted with a military lifestyle. Marr’s husband,
Robert Marr, is a sub-mariner stationed at NBK, Bangor.
“I wanted to reach people going through the same thing I am,” said Marr. “I volunteer my heart out.”
Marr stressed that families waiting for a family member to come back home, especially IA families, are the focus of Operation Sea of Support.
“We didn’t forget about you,” she said, referring to the hardship that comes along with watching a family Sailor leave for months at a time.
The homecoming of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is the first scheduled Navy event where girls will be able to wear their tutus for their returning
fathers or mothers.
When service members return, “they will be welcomed by a “sea of yellow” being worn by their own loved ones, grateful for their return and
appreciative of those who showed them love, support, and appreciation in their time of need,” an Operation Sea of Support document stated.
Tutus are free for daughters of active duty and reservist Navy personnel returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. After requesting a tutu, it takes
approximately four months for the skirt to be made and then sent to the recipient.
Tutus are also available to other Navy families and the public for $40 each. Forty percent of the proceeds are sent to the Yellow Ribbon Fund,
an organization that aids injured military personnel and their families once a service member returns to the U.S. These tutus take around three
weeks to reach a recipient.
The tutus are handmade by Runyan from yellow tulle, a net-like material often used in the production of tutus. A yellow awareness ribbon, which
traditionally signifies support for military members away from home, adorns the skirt as well. The final accessory is a yellow hair bow, made by
Bows 4 Maddie.
Operation Sea of Support is funded entirely from donations. Donors can contribute at http://www.enchantedtutu.com{{PERIOD}}
Currently, Operation Sea of Support is brainstorming on how to reach out to sons of returning service members as well.
Navy families interested in participating in Operation Sea of Support can contact Tara Marr, the program organizer at NBK Bangor, NBK Bremerton,
NAS Whidbey Island, and Naval Station Everett, at (360) 627-7747 or .
The information needed includes the name of the girl receiving the tutu, the parents name, the size of the tutu needed at the time of the homecoming,
and a phone number or e-mail address.