Photo By Sgt. Kirstin Rodgers | Marines with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 112 perform an operations check...... read more read more
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas – Marines part of the “Cowboys” plan to leave this July for a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific Area. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, Marine Aircraft Group 41, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing has more than 200 active and reserve Marines scheduled for this “WestPac” deployment. Marines have recently been conducting regular training in preparation for this upcoming deployment.
“We will be participating in several training exercises,” said Lt. Col. Michael P. Jeffries, commanding officer of VMFA-112. “First we will head out to Lava Viper in Hawaii.”
Lava Viper is an exercise which takes place twice a year at the Pohakuloa Training Area of US Army Garrison-Hawaii. The exercise consists of training operations including assault support, anti-air warfare, offensive air support, electronic warfare, control of aircraft and missiles and aerial reconnaissance.
Lava Viper allows Marines to complete vital training, and gain the confidence needed to be ready for any mission which may arise.
"Honestly, I’m really excited about going to Hawaii,” said Lance Cpl. Sean Ryan, 22, an aviation maintenance Marine from Euless, Texas. “Getting to go and be a part of something like this is a great opportunity.”
The Cowboys will not only stop at Hawaii, they will conduct deployment operations in other countries as well.
“We are also scheduled to do an exercise with the Malaysian Air Force,” said Jeffries. Other destinations for the upcoming WestPac are Iwakuni, Japan; Clark Air Base in the Philippines; and Guam, said Jeffries.
VMFA-112 has been activated several times in the recent past, including responding to terror attacks following the fatal attacks on September 11, 2001. They have also taken part in a “mini” WestPac in 2004, and a combat deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009.
“It will be nice to be going somewhere that has water,” joked Cpl. Christopher Ruffner, referencing his last deployment to Iraq. Ruffner, 25, is the non-commissioned-officer-in-charge for the unit’s tool control program, and a native of Niles, Michigan. “I am looking forward to this deployment. It’ll be a lot of work, but we will get to see a lot and gain experience.”
The squadron was activated last April, giving the unit a rather small window of time to complete the training necessary for this deployment. Hard work has gotten the Marines of VMFA-112 to where they need to be before they take off, says Ruffner.
The Cowboys have also faced some challenges while training for this deployment. At the beginning of the year, several of the F/A-18 Hornets were unable to fly due to maintenance challenges. Now, these issues have been resolved and the aircrafts are fully functional in time for July.
“Our mission is to integrate and work smoothly with the other forces we will be joining, and to carry out any and all missions assigned to us successfully,” said Jeffries.
VMFA-112’s has a long history of mission readiness, but Jeffries had a few words to offer about the squadron’s capability, commenting that he knows his Marines are up to the task, and he can count on his seasoned crewmembers to get the job done.
“We are going to do just fine. We’ve been doing nothing but integrate for the past five years,” he said. “We have a lot of experience to fall back on, and I know I can count on my Marines.”
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2013 12:55 |
| Story ID: | 109289 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 1,508 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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