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Good afternoon you guys back taxi 

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runway 15 year discretion and the 

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1250 at four south . Cable indicates up , 

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proceed as requested when we won five 

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to take on . Welcome to the one 

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58th Fighter Wing , the first Air 

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National Guard Wing to receive the F 35 

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A Lightning too . We the Green 

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Mountain Boys have faced and overcome 

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many challenges on our road to combat 

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readiness from construction to 

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conversion to pandemic . We improved 

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the unit , we managed our resources , 

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we let our people and we executed the 

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mission . This is our story . 

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Our conversion journey began in 2017 

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with the start of various construction 

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projects that would impact the wing 

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over the coming five years . The first 

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construction contract during our 

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conversion was the replacement of the 

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aircraft parking ramp on both delta and 

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foxtrot taxiways . This 

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$39 million 

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75 

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ft widths , increasing the apron 

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allowable loads for heavy aircraft that 

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would accommodate all aircraft in the 

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air force inventory and conform to the 

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unified facilities criteria . 

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This construction project alone 

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eliminated our ability to continue 

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routine F- 16 flying operations on our 

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military base . We had to find a 

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solution that would allow flying 

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operations to continue and not hinder 

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the operations of the nearby Burlington 

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International Airport and the shared 

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main runway In what became 

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known as V- 10 West . A small parking 

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ramp on the civilian side of the 

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airport provided a solution and became 

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home to the diminishing F- 16 fleet in 

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late 2017 . During the operational move 

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of the F- 16-10 West . Airman saw 

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various challenges , including 

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providing electrical and communications 

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hookups in temporary facilities , 

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navigating airport security 

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restrictions , managing fuel deliveries 

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and finding adequate work space for 

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those who were displaced . In addition 

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to the ongoing operations at beating 

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West , a temporary hanger was erected 

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on base to accommodate routine F- 16 

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maintenance . In total , 12 buildings 

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at the 158th Fighter Wing were impacted 

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by a $76 million 

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400 

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airmen From the operations 

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group , taking over the dining facility 

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to the weapons shop , being moved into 

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the installation deployment building 

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all available space was retrofitted 

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towards mission support for our F- 16 

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flying operations . Finally , on a 

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bittersweet day in april 2019 , after 

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34 years of successful flying 

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operations with the F 16 , the final 

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four jets departed Vermont in a 

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ceremony attended by thousands of 

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military and civilian partners . 

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This departure signaled the Vermont Air 

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National Guard's landmark transition to 

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the F 35 a lightning too , and our 

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focus shifted to preparing to accept In 

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total 20 of the Air Force's newest 

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fifth generation fighter 

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F 16 parts and equipment now , no 

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longer part of the wings mission were 

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inventoried and prepared for shipment 

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new computer systems to support the F 

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30 five's were installed . F 35 

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simulators came online and new 

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equipment arrived , which was inventory 

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and inspected . Every airman on base 

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was in one way or another supporting 

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the preparation for this new chapter in 

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the Vermont Air National Guard's 

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history . In regards to training 

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personnel on the F- 35 platform . The 

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wing had approximately 50 airmen on a 

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three year tour with active duty 

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counterparts at F- 35 wings across the 

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country . Their task was to not only 

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train on the F- 35 but to find a way to 

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innovate , apply lessons learned and 

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create best practices for the wing and 

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the Air National Guard as a whole . 

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Finally , in september 2019 , the 

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highly anticipated fifth generation 

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fighters began to arrive with the first 

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two F 35 touching down at 1 34 in the 

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afternoon of september 19th 

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as F 35 training started ramping up at 

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home station and with new aircraft 

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arriving monthly , the unit , in an 

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unprecedented move deployed airmen in 

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january 2020 for three months to Eglin 

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Air Force Base florida Only four months 

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after the first aircraft arrival , 

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flying operations would be split 

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between Home station and a deployment 

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termed as Southern Lightning in order 

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to refine skills and build experience 

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with the new fighters . In March 2020 , 

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with southern lightning in full swing , 

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we also conducted an exercise at home 

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station to test command and control 

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capabilities . This carefully 

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orchestrated exercise was designed to 

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challenge decision making processes and 

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communication flow that has not been 

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tasked in many years . This readiness 

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exercise prepared the unit for a real 

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world contingency only weeks later , 

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state activation for the COVID-19 

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response . Our initial Covid 19 

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response included airmen delivering 

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more than three million meals , 

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Volunteering to work at Covid testing 

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facilities throughout the state and 

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partnering with the Vermont Army 

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National Guard to construct a 400 bed 

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alternate health facility in four days 

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at a local exposition center , which we 

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did two separate times . And at one 

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point the facility treated 35% of all 

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Vermont covid patients . Airman also 

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completed the contact tracing mission 

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notifying more than 13,000 COVID-19 

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positive close contacts while 

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supporting the pandemic response . The 

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wing also remained focused on their 

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federal mission continuing f 35 flying 

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operations and preparing more than 70 

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Airmen for RCP five later in the fall , 

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RCP is a deployment cycle sending 

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airmen worldwide supporting operations 

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for approximately six months . 

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Despite all of these challenges from 

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our COVID-19 state support mission to 

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scheduled our c . deployments . Airman 

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will once again leaving for a large 

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scale two week training exercise in 

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August 2020 . This time to Vote 

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Field an Air National Guard Base and 

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Total Force Training center in 

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Wisconsin known as Northern Lightning . 

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This exercise was our first opportunity 

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to self assess our ability to mobilize 

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aircraft equipment and personnel to a 

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remote location and conduct flying 

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operations alongside a variety of U . S . 

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Air Force U . S . Navy and Air National 

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Guard counterparts . 

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By January 2021 , the 158th Fighter 

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Wing deployed again this time to 

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Tyndall Air Force base florida to 

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participate in the weapons system 

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evaluation program . Moving us closer 

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to becoming a combat ready fighter wing 

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with an anticipated end of conversion 

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with the F 35 . In late 2021 

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the Vermont Air National Guard adopted 

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three priorities to aid in 

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accomplishing our end of conversion and 

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becoming declared a combat ready 

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fighter wing generate growth , maximize 

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mission readiness and build leaders 

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otherwise known as G M B 

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G . We continue to grow our manning 

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levels which is our number one priority 

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in terms of end strength . The 158 

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fighter wings goal is for 80% of all 

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operations squadrons to reach AC-1 

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rating , meaning the unit can complete 

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most or all of its wartime mission . 

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M maximizing mission readiness is being 

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met through our internal programs , 

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deployment exercises and developmental 

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opportunities . Airmen and their 

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supervisors are working hard at the 

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second priority . From all angles B 

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We remain focused on mission transition 

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and combat readiness as we continue on 

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this journey that will ultimately 

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define our future and build our leaders 

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for tomorrow By the spring of 

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2022 . Just a few months out of 

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conversion a aircraft formed by the 

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Vermont Air National Guard's one 34th 

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expeditionary fighter squadron along 

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with more than 200 airmen deployed to 

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spangdahlem air base Germany to support 

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ongoing NATO air shielding missions 

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From April to one . We just did a 

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flyover of Estonia , Latvia and 

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Lithuania . It feels good to be able to 

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be supportive of all of our Baltic NATO 

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allies , so happy to be a part of it . 

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Over the course of the three month 

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deployment , we flew more than 450 

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sorties , totaling more than 2000 

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flying hours . They were regularly 

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joined on these flying missions by 

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aircraft from other NATO countries and 

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landed in a few of them for further 

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integration , including Romania , 

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Bulgaria , Estonia and North 

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Macedonia , meeting with civilian and 

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military leadership to highlight 

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relations between the NATO members . 

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All of our Green Mountain Boys return 

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home safely . The 158th Fighter Wing is 

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a premier unit with deep rooted history 

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and tradition of meeting both federal 

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and state missions we the Green 

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Mountain Boys have faced and overcome 

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many challenges throughout the years , 

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never wavering in our commitment 

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towards community , state and nation