Photo By Airman 1st Class Edward Yankus | A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Fighter...... read more read more
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KADENA AIR BASE, Japan – The 34th Fighter Squadron, affectionately known as the Rude Rams, is one of three fighter squadrons assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The 34th FS was activated at Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, Oct. 15, 1944, flying the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
The squadron served in the final stages of World War II, seeing combat operations in the Western Pacific from May 1945 to August 1946 while stationed in the Ryukyu Islands, first on Ie Shima and later Okinawa.
They had a distinguished combat record, flying the F-105 Thunderchief and F-4E Phantom II during the Vietnam War. The 34th FS has returned to Okinawa as a rotational unit at Kadena Air Base.
“The tempo is obviously different and what's being asked of us is different in a good way,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jideofur Emeka, 34th Force Generation Squadron dedicated crew chief. “Here we have near-peer threats right across the water and we are expected to go out and perform every day with a moment's notice.”
The 34th FGS's around-the-clock efforts reflect the broader strategic goals of integrated deterrence and operational readiness, ensuring that U.S. forces can effectively address global challenges. This practice is a crucial tool in achieving these goals, providing a rapidly deployable, trained and equipped force capable of operating in contested environments and meeting the evolving needs of combatant commanders.
“Deployments like this are great. It allows us to use systems that we practice with back home [like] countermeasure systems or actual defensive systems of the aircraft,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Rebecca McKenna, 34th FGS avionics technician. “Our mission systems play a big part in what our pilots do, and it's always rewarding knowing that they're testing our systems and pushing the capabilities of the systems they operate.”
During their deployment to Kadena, the 34th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron has the opportunity to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures with a variety of flying units and support deterrence measures throughout the Indo-Pacific theater.
“Being out here gives us the opportunity to fly with the other aircraft that are out here rotationally like the F-22, the F-16, the F-15s that are still here. We also get to fly with units that we wouldn't normally get to train with outside of exercises,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Stephen Schultz, 34th EFS pilot and weapons team chief.
The 34th EFS’s operations in the Pacific have given the team valuable opportunities to learn and improve amid rotational deployments.
“We're here to support whatever is requested from us as [an F-35 unit] and take advantage of training opportunities that we have with all the assets that are on base for integration,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ian Ostrreicher, 34th EFS commander. “Whether it's sitting alert or higher headquarters taskings that this base sees weekly, we're here to participate.”
| Date Taken: | 12.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.02.2025 18:27 |
| Story ID: | 488341 |
| Location: | KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 205 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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