AIR BASE KADENA IWAKUNI, Japan -- Lt. Gen. Terry G. Robling, took his last flight here Dec. 28 as the III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan commander.
“I had a great flight today,” said Robling. “This has been a great command with a lot of great Marines, and I hate to leave it.”
Robling is headed to Washington D.C. where he will serve as the deputy commandant of aviation at the Pentagon.
“It is a great command. One of the things we wanted to improve was our readiness,” said Robling. “We improved our readiness and support to the contingency plans that are in this (area of responsibility) and overall got the Marines headed in the right direction as far as off base liberty incidents, too.”
Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 and 225 Marines assisted in coordinating Robling’s last flight.
Although Robling has years of flight experience under his belt, he had to prepare for his final 3rd MEF flight as if he were a new pilot.
“Every time a pilot gets a new harness or every 360 days, we have to perform a hang check,” said Cpl. Brian Wendely, VMFA(AW)-225 flight equipment technician.
During a hang check, pilots are hoisted onto pull-up bars to check the security of several parts of their flight equipment, including their harness and parachute.
“We had to have him put on his G-suit, his harness, and his helmet and basically simulate him having to eject to make sure everything works properly,” said Wendely.
After ensuring safety, Robling made his way into the aircraft. Robling took the role of the aircraft weaponssystem operator and lt. Col. Jeffery Ertwine, Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 executive officer, piloted the aircraft.
One hour after take-off, fire trucks parked at the end of the runway to spray two victory streams of water over the aircraft as it taxied in.
The aircraft made its way through the streams of water and parked. Robling’s last 3rd MEF flight was complete.
“I think the Pacific Asia region is probably the most important region for America, and I think the Marines will be a big supporting role in that,” said Robling. “I would expect that our presence in the future will be increased because of that.”
Robling thanked the Marines for making his last 3rd MEF flight successful and removed his flight equipment, possibly for the last time in his career.