Courtesy Photo | U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Ben Grant, a Cincinnati native, and aircraft commander...... read more read more
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UTAPAO, Thailand — Marines Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron-152 deftly maneuver their giant KC-130J tanker aircraft around the airstrip, in preparation for takeoff. Their mission: to conduct an in-air refuel for two AV-8B Harrier II jets in flight in support of Cobra Gold 2010, Feb. 4.
"Refueling jets in the air keeps them in the fight longer, to help Marines and Soldiers on the ground," said Cincinnati native, Capt. Ben Grant, aircraft commander, assigned to the VMGR-152.
Since the Marines assigned to the VMGR-152 arrived in Thailand the crew is in the air daily providing fuel to various aircrafts on mission. This not only supports the Cobra Gold multinational training exercise, but also provides training for the crew.
"All of the training we do is in preparation for the real fight," Grant said. "We are far more effective when we execute these missions in real-world scenarios."
"Back at home we're busy executing other missions, so this is a great way to accomplish squadron training," Grant said. He said the training here gives the younger members of the air crew more opportunities to receive training they may not otherwise receive.
Cpl. Josh Palmer, of Beaver Falls, Pa., is a load master assigned to the VGMR-152. He says training on a daily basis improves his team's performance.
"It's all about experience," Palmer said. "The more we do it the better we get at it, and the more efficient we'll be. That's our ultimate goal."
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2010 11:50 |
| Story ID: | 45016 |
| Location: | UTAPAO, TH |
| Web Views: | 575 |
| Downloads: | 463 |
This work, U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Refueler Squadron supports Cobra Gold 2010, by SSG Lyndsey Prax, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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