MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni’s newest Unit Deployment Program squadron, Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 returns, once again, 61 years after their original tour of duty in Japan.
The “Fighting Bengals” landed here, Nov. 1, 2012, with approximately 200 Marines and 10 F/A-18 Hornet Aircraft under the command of Lt. Col. Peter L. McArdle.
“Coming out to the western pacific is its own unique training environment for my young aircrew,” said McArdle. “It’s an opportunity for them to operate with foreign controllers, interact with foreign militaries and learn how others do business.”
McArdle also said there are some unique capabilities in the Pacific not readily available for the squadron back in South Carolina.
“When we deploy to Guam, we have the chance to employ some high explosive ordnance, as well as an opportunity to work with foreign units, which is also something that we wouldn’t be able to do back in South Carolina,” said McArdle.
VMFA(AW)-224 is scheduled to spend approximately six months in Iwakuni before returning to MCAS Beaufort.
“We will spend roughly half of our time here at Iwakuni,” said McArdle. “Of that remaining time, we will conduct theater security and training around the pacific. Our goals are to maintain our combat readiness so that we can execute our mission if called upon, and if we’re not called upon, then just overall improve our qualifications and designations so that we can return to CONUS as ready as possible.”
This deployment has been a long time coming for the Bengals, and wheels on deck in Iwakuni signify months of hard work from the Marines.
“We have spent the better part of the past 18 months preparing to go on deployment,” said McArdle. “We have been put on tether for multiple different contingencies, but never had the opportunity to deploy. So, from a confidence and execution standpoint, it’s great for us to get this opportunity and actually pull chalks, come over to the western Pacific, and do what we get paid to do.”
In addition to training and participating in various exercises, the Bengals also expect to face some challenges.
“The biggest challenge the Marines will face, is keeping the aircraft up,” said Sgt. Maj. Patrick I. Deherrera, VMFA (AW)-224 sergeant major. “It’s an old aircraft and there is a lot of maintenance, but as long as they have the parts they will get it done. The Marines are very proficient. Here in Iwakuni, they have a great MALS (Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron), MALS-12. The challenge will be when we are in Guam or other locations and getting the parts we need flown out to us.”
Deherrera mentioned, along with increasing the Marines’ military occupational specialty proficiency, he also plans to have them attend professional military education courses.
“The opportunity out here is great PME wise,” said Deherrera. “I can send a lot more Marines being out here than being on a quota back in the rear. In Beaufort, we may only get four quotas per class and we are competing with the whole MAG (Marine Aircraft Group). Here, I can send 20 if I could afford to lose that many.”
If all goes as planned, in six months’ time, the Bengals will return to the United States once again, adding yet another page in their history book, and continuing their long relationship of training in the pacific and Iwakuni.