By Marine Cpl. John Jackson, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251/USS Enterprise Public Affairs
ABOARD USS ENTERPRISE (NNS) -- The “Thunderbolts” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 251 and the “Sidewinders” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 returned to USS Enterprise (CVN 65) (Big E) Feb. 25 for three weeks of training.
Both of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., squadrons were aboard Enterprise last year for a historic six-month deployment, which included a two-month tour in Iraq.
This time while aboard Big E, VMFA-251 and VFA-86 are here to train new Marines and Sailors, as well as refresh the ones who have been on the aircraft carrier before.
“We’ve had a 62 percent turnover since the last time we were on the carrier,” said Marine Maj. Timothy Frank, the Thunderbolt’s executive officer. “We really want to get the new Marines in the squadron exposed to the environment on the ship and refamiliarize the ones who have been here before.”
“We’ve got a lot of new Sailors that have never seen a flight deck before,” said Lt. Jason Dalby, a Sidewinders’ pilot. “It’s a great experience for them to be able to have this opportunity to train.”
For those Marines and Sailors who have not been aboard Enterprise, there are some challenges they must overcome.
“I think the hardest part is getting use to everything,” said Marine Sgt. Enoch Thorne, a Thunderbolt maintenance control Marine. “I’m not use to sleeping with 18 guys in one room.”
Not only do the berthing quarters take some getting use to, but just maneuvering throughout the ship is a challenging task for new Marines and Sailors on the carrier.
“I’ve gotten lost twice,” Thorne said. “But I’m slowly getting the hang of where I am going.”
Even though life on the ship is different than back in Beaufort, the Marines and Sailors are still accomplishing their mission.
“It’s been several months since we’ve been aboard the ship, but the Sailors are performing outstanding,” Dalby said. “Everyone is getting their job done quickly and more important, safely.”
“I’m very proud of the Marines performance so far,” Frank said. “We got here and are doing what has to get done.”
In addition to getting the enlisted personnel up to speed with life at sea, the Thunderbolts and the Sidewinders are going to be getting their pilots trained for the ship as well.
Several VMFA-251 and VFA-86 pilots are also new to Enterprise and have their work cut out for them.
“The main thing is to get everyone carrier qualified,” said Marine Capt. Ben Taylor, a Thunderbolt pilot. “This three weeks gives (pilots) the opportunity to do training operations while taking off and landing on the ship.”
“While we are here, the main focus is to get the pilots trained,” Dalby said. “We will be doing several different training operations to prepare us all.”
The squadrons are adjusting to life aboard Enterprise, and both plan for a successful three-week training deployment.
“Everyone on the ship works together as one big team and the Thunderbolts and Sidewinders are prepared to work hard and get everyone well trained for the carrier,” Frank said.