Welcome Home: Marines embrace families, friends after Afghan deployment

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, NC, UNITED STATES

10.12.2014

Story by Cpl. James Smith 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. - Families and friends waited with signs and smiles as Marines and sailors with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing returned to Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, Oct. 12, ending their nine-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

While deployed, the squadron provided emergency casualty evacuation in Helmand province, while supporting combat operations and troop movements.

“We started off supporting not just U.S. troops, but [International Security Assistance Force] troops as well,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Gallman, the squadron’s commanding officer. “Later on in the deployment, we moved to Kuwait to support the Special Purpose [Marine Air Ground Task Force] that is being established there.”

During the squadron’s move to Kuwait, the unit relocated all of their aircraft out of Afghanistan, which had been there since 2009 and turned them over to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

In addition to supporting Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan, the service members with VMM-261 had the opportunity to support coalition-led air strikes in Syria and Iraq.

“To me, it’s an historical achievement to be in the fight against ISIS,” said Capt. Jacob Atkinson, a future operations officer with the squadron.

With the squadron’s mission complete, the Marines and sailors said they look forward to some much needed rest before they prepare for their next mission.

“We brought back everyone we took out there with us,” said Atkinson. “That’s the greatest measure of success.”

• Date Taken: 10.12.2014
• Date Posted: 10.17.2014 13:25
• Story ID: 145351
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, NC, US