SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont Air National Guard F-35 pilots faced hostile enemy fire during their recent deployment to the Middle East, and a handful of the advanced fighter jets remain stationed overseas, the Guard’s top commander revealed in an exclusive WCAX interview.
“They were in harm’s way,” said Vermont National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. Hank Harder.
He says the Green Mountain Boys were tasked with taking out enemy air defenses—military systems used by Iran to detect and destroy U.S. fighter jets and drones and that pilots faced attacks.
Reporter Darren Perron: Were any of our men or women wounded?
Maj. Gen. Hank Harder: Luckily, we didn’t take any casualties, Darren. But there are effects. That kinetic environment–they were on the front lines, if you will.
Now that they are home, Harder says the Guard is providing services to airmen and women to help them transition back into civilian life. That includes mental health resources after witnessing life-threatening drone and missile attacks.
“It was an impactful, stressful, difficult deployment,” Harder said. “They were in an allied base that was very busy and doing their job 24/7, and I am just so proud of them and thankful we could bring them back home.”
What did not make it home was some of the unit’s F-35 fighter jets. A dozen deployed with fighter pilots and ground support teams.
Reporter Darren Perron: Did all those fighter jets come back or were any of them lost or damaged?
Maj. Gen. Hank Harder: We have most of our jets back, but left a handful with the unit that replaced us.
Reporter Darren Perron: So they were left there; they were not damaged by enemy fire?
Maj. Gen. Hank Harder: The ones left there are doing the operational mission. Our jets were mixed in with active-duty F-35s, and so some… if you’re flying that many hours, you’re going to have some maintenance issues, and we do know that allied aircraft took fire. So once again, I can’t go into operational details, but we didn’t lose completely any of our F-35s.
Reporter Darren Perron: So some F-35s were damaged?
Maj. Gen. Hank Harder: I really can’t go into that, Darren. It’s an operational security piece, and I’m not at liberty to do that.
The general says those jets were operating under Title 10 federal status, placing them under federal control rather than the adjutant general’s state command.
A full one-on-one interview with the commander will air on “You Can Quote Me,” streaming Friday at 7 p.m. on WCAXtra and broadcasting Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
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