Vermont Air National Guard members returned home Sunday after a roughly eight-month deployment.
Guard members from Vermont’s 158th Fighter Wing were deployed this winter on back to back missions to the Caribbean and the Middle East, though details of their exact role in those missions have been scarce.
“We are incredibly proud of what they represent, but today, more than anything, we are grateful to welcome them home,” said Adjutant Gen. Henry Harder Jr., in the guard’s announcement Tuesday.
Just last month, Vermont guard members appeared to be overseas for one of their longest deployments in recent memory with no end in sight. And Gov. Phil Scott said during a press conference in late July that he had no updates on the deployment.
“This is a federal issue and they don’t talk with us much about what they’re doing,” Scott said.
“I’m very concerned about the families of guard members who thought that they were just going to be away for a short period of time,” Scott added. He said at the time that Vermont officials were advocating to bring guard members home as soon as possible.
The Vermont Air National Guard has about 1,000 members and a fleet of 20 F-35A fighter jets, which operate out of the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in South Burlington. Joseph Brooks, a spokesperson for the Vermont National Guard, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday about the details of the guard’s deployment and return.
A June letter from Vermont’s congressional delegation called the 158th Fighter Wing’s deployment “unique,” explaining Vermont’s unit was the first of National Guard troops to transition directly to supporting in the war in Iran after aiding in the U.S. military operation to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
While the Guard’s deployment stretched on, 27 veterans and guard family members signed a letter to Scott and legislators urging them to support a state law that would ban overseas deployment of the guard without congressional approval, according to the Brattleboro Reformer.
Top military officials announced in early March that Vermont guard members would assist U.S. forces in the war in Iran. Although the U.S. has launched ongoing air strikes against Iran since February, Congress hasn’t officially declared war against the country.
More than 7,800 people had been killed in Iran and Lebanon in late June, according to the BBC. And the Pentagon reports that 18 U.S. soldiers have been killed in the conflict, according to the New York Times.
Members of Vermont’s congressional delegation have previously condemned both the Guard’s deployment to the Caribbean and to the Middle East.
And in late June, Vermont’s congressional delegation sent a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking him to resolve recordkeeping and payroll issues that they said guard members were experiencing.
The Air Guard’s deployment comes during an especially tumultuous time for the U.S. military. At least 20 generals, admirals and civilian leaders have been fired or left their jobs since Hegseth took over at the beginning of President Trump’s second administration, according to CBS news. Just last week, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the army’s top civilian leader, resigned from his post after clashing with Hegseth.
