Naval Air Station Oceana, VA. (December 5, 2022): In this photo by Corporal Caleb Stelter, U.S. Marine Corps Major Richard Webb, a pilot with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron flies a KC130J Hercules near Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

Naval Air Station Oceana, VA. (December 5, 2022): Ok, here’s the deal. After you earn your pilot wings, we want you to learn to fly a giant airplane full of highly flammable jet fuel and then connect with not one, but two, aircraft in midair, filling them up like a flying gas pump. Oh, did we mention, this also makes you a highly desirable enemy target in combat.

Getting to work is not a problem for these daring pilots who provide a fuel lifeline to jet pilots and helicopters alike and they do it in all weather and around the clock. For the pilots and crew of the Marine Corps Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 252, it is all in a day’s work. The VMGR 252 provides assault support to the Navy’s Special Warfare Group 2, whose responsibility includes the Atlantic, Europe and the Southern Command.

VMGR 252 pilots fly the “J” version of the workhorse C130 Aircraft designed for mid-air refueling of both fixed and rotary wing airplanes in combat, even at night or in bad weather. The KC-130J carries over 57,000 pounds of fuel and can serve two fixed or rotary aircraft simultaneously using two mounted hoses, or drogues, refueling pods that transfer up to 300 gallons per minute. It takes precision, and steely nerves, to successfully fly these dangerous missions.

But the VMGR 252 team does a lot more than deliver mid-air refueling. The squadron is often called upon to inject ground troops, act as an Air Support Center, or to perform medical evacuations. With 240 enlisted and 50 officers, VMGR 252 operates 12 aircraft with one other distinction, they are the oldest continually active squadron in the Marine Corps.

VMGR-252 was heavily involved during World War II and participated in the following campaigns: Pearl Harbor, Marianas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

With plenty of war experience, VMGR 252 transported essential equipment, parts, and personnel in Vietnam, Desert Storm, Operations Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Iraqi Freedom as well as operational stints in Kenya, Rwanda, Central Africa, Congo, Albania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Kosovo.

As a nation, we are fortunate to have brave pilots like these willing to be flying gas stations for our forces in combat. At Support Our Troops, our mission is to provide servicemembers with “What they need, where they need it” through Yellow Ribbon Care Packages shipped directly to overseas deployed servicemembers around the world. Please visit our secure website https://supportourtroops.org/donate to donate to America’s finest today!