U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric Thurau, center, from Florida and an aviation ordnance officer with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 167, speaks with Royal Bahraini Air Force personnel at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, Dec. 10, 2024. HMLA-167 welcomed members of the Royal Bahraini Air Force as part of a visit that allowed them to observe daily squadron operations, exchange best practices, and increase interoperability with U.S. Marine Corps light attack helicopter units. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Christopher Hernandez)
U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 251 conduct the squadron's reactivation ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, Dec. 5, 2024. VMFA-251 is the first East Coast-based Marine Corps squadron to employ the F-35C Lightning II, which is designed to operate from conventional aircraft carriers or land bases and provides operational flexibility and persistence to II Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Christopher Hernandez)
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 251, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), reactivated during a ceremony on Thursday aboard Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, following a four-year, seven-month hiatus.
VMFA-251, known as the “Thunderbolts” or “T-Bolts,” was previously deactivated during a ceremony on April 23, 2020, aboard MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, after returning from deployment in 2020 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The Thunderbolts’ deactivation concluded its 34 years as an F/A-18 Hornet squadron. The squadron was then relocated to MCAS Cherry Point to begin its transition to the F-35.
VMFA-251 received its first F-35C Lightning II Joint...
