FPP211 - The Last Harrier: Inside the Final AV-8B Squadron

Yeah, gentlemen, awesome.

Thank you so much for sharing.

And there's a few things.

One, I very much appreciate speaking with folks that went through API because I'm one of the very few Air Force people that got to experience API myself going through VT3 at Whitingfield.

So a fun connection there.

But as you're talking about your career, it's just such a small community, the Harrier, let alone it kind of going through its sundown right now.

But you're one squadron, you're another squadron, you're back to the one squadron, you're back to the other squadron, and you're kind of back and forth.

Tell me a little bit about, and Trapper, I'll throw this to you, but tell me a little bit about how that kind of shaped the culture of the platform, having such a unique... basically, environment and culture and people that were somewhat small, I think, in the Marine Corps, from my understanding, and how that kind of shaped the platform and the people that were involved.

Yeah, great question, Cinco.

So it's interesting because like you said, it's a relatively small community.

I think Porky and I looked at the number of 7509s, which is our MOS in the Marine Corps, 7509.

At any given time, there's probably about 100 to 120 of those pilots in existence at the height of the Harrier.

which with VMAT 203, we had three fleet squadrons on the East Coast and four on the West Coast in Yuma, Arizona.

So eight total squadrons at the height of Harrier.

So relatively small community, but unlike some of the other communities, other than 203, all the jets are single seat.

So you're always pretty much flying your own jet in your own cockpit without anybody else in there with you.

So definitely a small tight-knit group, like you said, As you go from fleet tours to, you know, B-Billet, JTAC, FACT tours or school or whatever else you might do in the Marine Corps Test Pilot School, you know, there's a lot of different things

you could do.

But everybody seems to always find their way back to the fleet.

It's like coming back to, you know, a reunion with all your best friends and you've either deployed with the guys, you've replaced them on deployment or they've replaced you on deployment.

So it's a super small community.

And then, of course, when you go out on your FACT tours, or, you know, non-flying tours, staff tours, you're constantly interacting with the guys back in the community to support whatever else you're doing, you know, ultimately support the Marine infantrymen, but the whole kind of entity exists to do that.

And so you're working in your various roles across the Marine Corps, which is a pretty small force as it is, but the Harrier community, Super small, super tight group.

You can ask Porky, but we're all in chat groups and social media groups with all the guys from our JO tours, you know, like 15 years ago.

And we still keep in touch, still attend, you know, family functions, you know, things out of town.