For the first time in seven months, the men and women of Electronic Attack Squadron 134 are home.
The EA-6B Prowler Squadron’s jets arrived at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island early Tuesday afternoon, amid cheers and tears from family members waiting anxiously to greet the returning sailors. Maintenance and support personnel were scheduled to return Wednesday.
When the Garudas left Whidbey Island last November under the leadership of Cmdr. Lee Jackson, the squadron was about to embark on its first carrier-based deployment in 16 years, heading to San Diego to join Carrier Air Wing 17 on board the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). VAQ-134 had been deploying as an expeditionary squadron to a land base in Afghanistan since 2004, so life on board ship presented new challenges for the 180 officers and enlisted members of the Garudas.
Once CVW 17 commenced combat operations in February, however, the mission for VAQ-134 was a familiar one — providing support to coalition forces engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom. The squadron had an aggressive schedule in support of ground troops, which resulted in a 47 percent increase in electronic attack coverage compared to previous air wings. The Garudas maintained a 96 percent completion rate of of combat sorties and conducted more than 156 missions.
An advantage to a carrier deployment versus being an expeditionary unit, is the ability to see different parts of the world. The Garudas visited several ports of call, including Busan, South Korea; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Manila, Republic of the Philippines; Hong Kong, China; and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
“Many of our Sailors joined the Navy to see the world and this has given us the chance to visit places that would never have been an option if we had still been an expeditionary unit,” said Lt. Charles Fatora.
Upon his homecoming Tuesday, Fatora met his son, 7-week-old Brendan, for the first time.
The Vinson made headlines more than once during this deployment. A jet fire during a touch-and-go landing of a F/A-18C Hornet on April 11 made news, although the blaze was extinguished within seconds and there were no injuries. The Vinson and Carrier Strike Group One also intervened in two piracy attempts on civilian vessels.
Most notable, however, were the headlines made when the body of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was placed on the Vinson before his burial at sea.
Also returning with VAQ-134 are 17 members of the Sea Operational Detachment from Fleet Readiness Center Northwest, who provide technical support to keep the Navy jets in top condition.
Before completing carrier qualifications aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in March, 2010, the last time a Prowler from VAQ-134 made an arrested landing on a carrier was during a Western Pacific deployment with the USS Kitty Hawk (CVN 63) in 1994.
