AV-8B Harriers stop at Lajes on trip home

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Mara Title
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores --  Ten AV-8B Harriers from Marine Attack Squadron 513, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., returning home from a six-month deployment at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, could be seen spanning the Lajes Field runway, Nov. 18, 2011.

Capt. Dan Fletcher said if there's one thing he could tell people, it's acknowledging how intense the fight still is in Afghanistan.

"There are a lot of guys in really tough conditions," he said. "I'd just say to keep them in your thoughts and prayers."

Thankfully, for the Harrier crews and numerous other coalition warriors, Lajes Field continues to provide unmatched beddown support as the U.S. continues to wage war against terrorism.

Fletcher, AV-8B pilot, and the 60 Marines of the Harrier crew, it was the first time stopping through Lajes Field, although they've landed at numerous Air Force bases in the past.

"We were here for a day and a half, and it was pretty much as good as I've ever seen it," said Fletcher. "When you walk off the jet after traveling across the Atlantic for six hours, and you've got burgers and beer ready for you, that's pretty classy in our books.

"There are just a lot of little indicators that people go the extra mile here," he said. "There's always someone to help--you're never having to hunt people down. It's really the best service we've had. As a Marine, especially, I appreciate it."

Although Fletcher had deployed once before to Japan, this was his first combat deployment. The Harrier crew provided fellow Marines and coalition forces with close air support, conducting missions up and down the Helmand River Valley, the longest river in Afghanistan. In July 2009, 4,000 U.S. Marines pushed into the Helmand River valley in a major offensive to liberate the area from Taliban combatants.