Raider detachment returns from Afghanistan
Submitted by: MCAS Miramar
Story Identification Number: 2002214153419
Story by Sgt. W.A. Napper
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif.(February
14, 2002) -- The last of the Raiders' original detachment to
Afghanistan returned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Monday, after
being deployed for six months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The KC-130 Hercules came to a rest in the afternoon with family and
friends waiting for their Marines with open arms.
According to
Capt. Mike Alvarez, powerline division officer, Marine Aerial Refueler
Squadron 352 (VMGR-352), the aircraft was the last of the original four
KC-130s that departed the Air Station Sept. 27 - only 16 days after the
tragedy at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Alvarez, 30,
Huntington, N.Y., native, returned from Operation Enduring Freedom in
December and he said he could relate to what Raiders were going through
during the long flight home.
"You feel euphoric when you finally
get back on the ground," he said. "The last hour (of the flight), right
about when you're over Nevada, is the worst. Everyone starts getting
anxious and you see people walking around the aircraft. I just missed the
general every day infrastructure of American society. Things like paved
roads and showers - a clean environment doesn't exist over
there."
Lieutenant Col. C.T. Parker, commanding officer, VMGR-352,
said he was proud of his returning Marines, although he wished everyone
who left could have returned.
"It was great to get the guys home,"
he said. "It's kind of bittersweet because not everyone can come home. You
get mixed emotions because of everything. They did an outstanding job over
there. They were the most reliable and hardest working (military force)
out there."
Alvarez said the first two of the four Raider KC-130s
returned in December. The final two were supposed to return today, but
tragedy struck in January when one of the birds crashed in Pakistan. The
cause of the accident is still under investigation.
"Those guys
just went through so much - especially with that," said Alvarez. "It's
just great to have them home."
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