Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jori D. Avaire with the 242nd Fixed Wing Marine Fighter Attack...... read more read more
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KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Thailand -- The 242nd Fixed Wing Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (all weather) (VMFA(AW)) is currently conducting training at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand in support of international training mission Cobra Gold 2016.
Working Jointly with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), the primary mission of the 242nd throughout the training event is to maintain six Marine F-18 Hornets that are being used to practice maneuvers, and joint flying techniques and tactics.
Maintainers, the backbone of any aviation unit, are responsible for a number of critical tasks that keep the jets in the air. U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Gregory D. Brown, the maintenance chief for the 242nd VMFA(AW), has been one of the key individuals in his unit responsible for coordinating maintenance for U.S. Marines and USAF to conduct coordinated air training operations with RTAF.
“The basic training mission is to make sure that we have two to four jets to fly with the Royal Thai Air Force, make sure that the pilots get their training,” said Brown.
While Cobra Gold 2016 is the current mission for the 242nd VMFA(AW), Brown said the unit participates in more training missions that any other Marine unit of its kind. Brown said it is missions like Cobra Gold that results in the high level of skills and quality maintenance within his unit.
Brown praised his maintainers saying, “I have some of the most highly skilled maintainers in the fleet.”
Cobra Gold is the largest combined task force exercise that will be conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region this year and is designed to improve interoperability over a wide range of activities.
U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew P. Gillette, an aviation ordnance technician with the 242nd VMFA (AW), has been with the unit for just nearly three years and has been sent on training missions in the Philippines, Guam, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
“(Deploying frequently) definitely sets everyone who comes to the unit as a new Marines, new ordnance men up for success, because you work a lot more than the squadrons back in the states,” said Gillette.
Gillette said he attributes the level of expertise and success in his shop to not only their increased opportunity to practice their job skills, but also to the high level of camaraderie within his shop.
“We are a big family, we stay tight; if anyone has an issue, it's everyone’s issue,” said Gillette.
| Date Taken: | 02.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2016 14:47 |
| Story ID: | 189456 |
| Location: | TH |
| Web Views: | 337 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, US Marine F-18 Hornet maintainers participate in Cobra Gold 2016, by SGT Lisa Laughlin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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