My old squadron is now famous

I joined up with the Green Knights, VMA 121 in Chu Lai, South Vietnam during the war after being stationed at Beaufort, South Carolina. We called it "beautiful Beaufort by the sea." 

I was reading a story from Fox News about an Idaho pilot who is the first woman to fly the F-35 supersonic stealth fighter for the Marine Corps, Captain Anneliese Satz.

Capt. Satz is a 29-year-old helicopter pilot from Boise and she completed her training at my old Air Station Beaufort, just down the way from Parris Island, S.C. The training for the F-35 lasted 4 years.

Satz graduated the F-35B Lighting II Pilot Training Program June and will be assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 in Iwakuni, Japan. Yes, my old squadron.

“The first flight in an F-35 is by yourself,” Satz said. "The syllabus thoroughly prepares you for that first time you take off and for every flight after that, it’s an exhilarating experience."

Now, with over 300 flight hours under her belt, she is prepared to pilot the F-35B Lightning II as part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the Green Knights, in Iwakuni, Japan. The aircraft is designed to operate from short-field bases and near front-line combat zones, the Corps said.

Women have only been allowed to fly in the Marines since 1993, when pilot positions were first made available to women, Military.com reported.

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