Details on the Vermont Air National Guard mission abroad

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - With many Vermont National Guard troops back from their recent deployment in Eastern Europe, we’re learning more about the 158th Fighter Wing’s mission.

The Vermont National Guard says this was the first ever overseas deployment of the F-35A Lightning II. Eight aircraft were flown by the Air Guard’s 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. They left in April and returned earlier this month.

Officials say they flew along the entirety of NATO’s eastern flank from Estonia to Bulgaria. Over the course of three months, the Green Mountain Boys tallied up more than 2,000 flying hours.

The soldiers conducted missions that were new to them and volunteered to give up their summer in Vermont to fly abroad.

“We were able to do an amazing amount of work in such a short period of time,” said Lt. Col. John MacRae, commander of the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

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