VP-9 Golden Eagles Soar Home From Six-Month Deployment
(December 4, 2010) |
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| | MARINES CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii - Six months spent apart
from family and friends may have felt like an eternity to
380 sailors from Patrol Squadron 9, but time faded away when
they started returning, Nov. 16, to Marine Corps Base Hawaii
from a deployment to Kadena Air Base in Japan and Isa Air
Base in Bahrain. The last of the Golden Eagles returned,
Nov. 24.
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Cmdr. Rich Prest, executive officer, Patrol Squadron 9, walks into Hangar 105 with his family after returning to Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, from a six-month deployment, Nov. 16, 2010. |
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During the deployment, the squadron,
comprised of P-3C Orion anti-submarine and
maritime surveillance aircraft, supported the
Navy's 5th and 7th Fleet areas of
responsibility.
A group of VP-9 P-3s traveled to Isa AB, where
they supported 5th Fleet maritime operations in
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
From their hub at Kadena AB, the remaining
portion of VP-9 detached throughout the 7th
Fleet area of responsibility, working with a
variety of coalition partners including Guam,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
South Korea and Thailand.
“The emphasis of these detachments was to
enhance interoperability and strengthen
relationships with our key regional partners,”
said Cmdr. Rich Prest, executive officer, VP-9.
This included working to improve maritime domain
awareness, said Prest, of Lower Merion Township,
Pa. This enabled them to monitor and track
maritime activity within the coastal waters of
each respective regional partner. |
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Over the deployment's six-month course, VP-9 worked to
enhance coalition interoperability by supporting and
participating in two major theater exercises.
In June, they worked with Japan during the Undersea Warfare
Exercise 2010 in the Western Pacific Ocean. In September,
they supported joint forces during Exercise Valiant Shield
2010 from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
“In both of these exercises, the heralded Golden Eagle
maintenance team put forth herculean efforts,” said Lt.
Cmdr. Alan Miller, training officer, VP-9. “They provided
mission-capable aircraft, enabling the squadron a 100
percent completion rate for all 39 missions during USWEX and
95 percent of missions during Valiant Shield.”
These aircrafts were employed across the full spectrum of
maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft operational
mission sets, said Miller, of Grand Rapids, Mich.
While detached to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in
October, VP-9 provided humanitarian assistance to the
Philippine military. Using the intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance capabilities of their P-3s, the squadron
assisted in disaster relief operations by surveying storm
damage from Super Typhoon Megi.
“Our capabilities are responsive, which allowed us to
quickly show our regional partners how we can assist when
they are in need,” Prest said.
In addition, VP-9 took more than 10 intelligence community
representatives on P-3 missions while in the Philippines,
permitting them to experience the squadron's capabilities
firsthand.
“We showed them what the squadron can do so they can better
understand how we can help them and further our strategic
relationship,” Prest said.
Working on detachments in numerous countries enhanced
theater security cooperation and mutual understanding
between militaries, and also provided VP-9 sailors the
opportunity to increase their cultural understanding of
their Asian neighbors, Miller said.
“This was an incredibly rewarding experience for our younger
sailors in a ‘see the world' sense,” Miller said.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Begay, an aviation
structural mechanic with VP-9, said the deployment was
challenging and demanding, but offered the sailors a unique
taste of the world. Her co-worker agreed.
“I got addicted to chopsticks,” said Seaman Ashley Romero,
an aviation structural mechanic with VP-9, from Las Banos,
Calif.
While the deployment was different from others because of
the frequent detachments, Begay, of Phoenix, said seeing all
of the new countries, taking in the varied cultures and
tasting their food was an experience that would be hard to
forget. |
Article and photo by USMC LCpl. Reece Lodder
Marine Corps Base Hawaii – Kaneohe Bay
Copyright 2010
Provided
through DVIDS
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