--- title: "Vermont F-35 wing returns home after 9-month deployment across two hemispheres" description: "The Vermont Air National Guard returned home after rare back-to-back combat deployments in two hemispheres." date: "2026-09-09" modified: "2026-09-09" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" - name: "Matt White" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/matt-white.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/vermont-unit-returns-9-month/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # Vermont F-35 wing returns home after 9-month deployment across two hemispheres ![U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing return from an overseas deployment, arriving back to the Vermont Air National Guard, South Burlington, VT, Aug 5, 2026. These Airmen came home from an overseas deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Raymond LaChance)]() *A member of 158th Fighter Wing returns to Burlington, Vermont in early August. The last deployed members of the wing returned home Sept. 6. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Raymond LaChance.* Pilots and crews of the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing returned home Sunday from a deployment that began before last Christmas and sent the unit into combat in two hemispheres. The extended stint away from home for the F-35 unit included a rare back-to-back redeployment from one combat theater to another, first in operations in the Caribbean and South America and then directly to the Middle East. The final deployed members of the wing [arrived home Sunday in Burlington](). An earlier group returned in early August, according to [photos released by the 158th](). Guard officials said that local leaders had had little say on when the wing might return, and instead focused on the families of airmen deployed. “For months, our Airmen remained focused on the mission while their families carried on at home,” said Col. Michael Blair, the 158th Fighter Wing commander. “Their professionalism and resilience throughout this deployment have been remarkable.” The wing left Burlington in [December for Puerto Rico, where its jets flew missions out of José Aponte de la Torre Airport, Ceiba](), in support of U.S. Southern Command’s operations in the Caribbean. Local media reported that the unit flew missions into Venezuela. The wing, which flies under the nickname of The Green Mountain Boys, shifted to Central Command over the summer, flying missions during the ongoing war with Iran. ![U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing return from an overseas deployment, arriving back to the Vermont Air National Guard, South Burlington, VT, Sept. 6, 2026. These Airmen came home from an overseas deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Michael Davis)]() *Airmen assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing return to Burlington, Vermont, Sept. 6, 2026. The 158th deployed to both the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and Puerto Rico during the nine-month activation. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Michael Davis.* The Vermont unit was the [first Air National Guard unit in the nation to begin flying the F-35A](). The extended deployment with back-to-back combat tours roughly matches the time away from home for sailors aboard the [USS Abraham Lincoln, a tour that has drawn scrutiny for the toll taken on the crew](). However, the Vermont unit, according to local media, has been able to swap out personnel throughout the deployment. A Guard spokesperson told Vermont Public Radio in [August that over 200 members were]() deployed. As the Iran war has stretched into its seventh month, the military has extended several units' deployments, such as the 158th Fighter Wing's and the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Most recently, the Army confirmed that it was extending the deployment of more than 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division into 2027, after sending them to the region in March. Other moves have been rotating in new forces to relieve troops after longer-than-average deployments, such as the USS George Washington deploying to replace the Lincoln. Air & Space Forces Magazine [reported]() that the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing is deploying F-16s to replace some fighter units leaving the CENTCOM area of responsibility. A Guard spokesperson said Sunday that most members of the 158th live and work in Vermont and the surrounding region, but some commute to the unit from across the country — a fairly common arrangement for pilots in many Air National Guard flying units who fly for airlines in full- time civilian jobs. “This deployment asked a great deal of our Airmen and of those who stood behind them,” said Army Maj. Gen. Henry Harder Jr., adjutant general of Vermont. “We are incredibly proud of what they represent, but today, more than anything, we are grateful to welcome them home.” ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()