Friday afternoon, Col. Mark Werth formally relinqueshed command of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma to Col. Robert Kuckuk. Maj. Gen. Anthony Jackson was on hand to give advice to Col. Kuckuk and a commendation to Col. Werth and his wife.
The first F-35B Lightning arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Friday afternoon. MCAS Yuma will eventually be home to 88 F-35Bs - 5 squadrons each with 16 aircraft, and one operational test and evaluation squadron of eight aircraft.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma welcomed its first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and will hold a re-designation ceremony Tuesday for VMFA-121, which will become the first operational F-35 squadron in the country.
Hundreds gathered at MCAS Yuma on Wed, Feb. 29 to mourn the loss of U.S. Marine Major Nathan W. Anderson, a 32-year old Pilot Instructor who died in a tragic helicopter training accident on Feb. 22 near Yuma, Ariz. LOANED VIDEO/MCAS YUMA
Lt. Col. Dwight De Jong, overseer of the massive effort to ready the MCAS Yuma for the arrival of the F-35 and supporting personnel, discusses the 'safety' of the joint strike fighter program in the current political and economic climate.
