10/13/16 — Chiefs return home after combat mission

View Archive

Chiefs return home after combat mission

By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on October 13, 2016 10:00 AM

Full Size

News-Argus/SETH COMBS

Capt. Skylar Collins of the 335th Fighter Squadron greets his two sons on the flightline at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base on Wednesday afternoon.

Six months ago, around 20 airmen from the 335th Fighter Squadron deployed to southwest Asia to join the fight against Islamic State.

On Wednesday, friends and family welcomed those airmen home.

A large group gathered at the Seymour Johnson flight line around 1 p.m. to greet the "Chiefs," as the 335th airmen are known, who spent the previous half-year flying combat missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The operation includes U.S.-led bombings of ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq, as well as training Iraqi forces to encircle and retake the ISIS strongholds of Mosul and Raqqah.

For the Chiefs, however, the fight is over - for now.

Waiting in the hangar was Sarah Letchworth, whose boyfriend, Capt. Mike Sanacore, was returning home. Sanacore sat somewhere in one of the just-landed F-15E Strike Eagles, out of sight of the crowd. Ms. Letchworth said that just knowing he was home was a good feeling.

"I can't believe he's right there, and I'm going to be able to touch him and hug him again, it's amazing," she said. "Fortunately we got to Skype with each other every day."

Usually, the area directly around the jets is highly regulated, and access is strictly limited to essential personnel. For the families of the Chiefs, however, the rules were briefly relaxed. Once the Strike Eagles were fully powered down and the area was safe, friends and families rushed across the tarmac to greet their returning loved ones.

Ms. Letchworth walked with her parents and Sanacore's parents, her eyes scanning the airmen as they emerged from their jets and moved toward the hangar. After a brief moment, she spotted a solitary figure in the distance. It was Sanacore.

Ms. Letchworth broke into a run and didn't stop until she had buried her face in his shoulder.

Sanacore said that he was a bit nervous as his aircraft descended, a bit apprehensive to see everyone again. But above all else, he was happy to be home.

"I'm in disbelief right now, I feel great," he said with a smile.

Sanacore also offered praise for the airmen of the 335th.

"Our mission went great," he said. "We performed very effectively."

His loved ones by his side, Sanacore laid out his immediate plans now that he is back in the states.

"I think first I'm going to get some lunch," he said, grinning.

Elsewhere, Cynthia Collins and her three children greeted husband and father Capt. Skylar Collins with hugs and American flags. While Skylar embraced the couple's two sons, Mrs. Collins held their 2-month-old daughter, who was born during Skylar's deployment. Skylar was able to meet his daughter for the first time in person, having only been introduced to her via Skype while overseas.

The time away from her husband was full of challenges, but Mrs. Collins said it left her with a greater appreciation of him now that he is home.

"Especially after a hurricane, going through all of that by myself, it was difficult," she said. "Fortunately we did get to communicate with one another, technology is just amazing, and it really makes you realize how much you take your spouse for granted and gives you a much deeper appreciation of them."

The Chiefs will receive a mandatory seven to 10 days of leave as part of the re-integration process before resuming their training. Glancing at her daughter, eyes closed in a stroller, Mrs. Collins predicted what the family would do with the first bit of that time.

"I think, right now, we're going to go home and take a nap," she said.