thedrifter
03-27-07, 04:49 AM
S.C. Marines return from second Iraq deployment
By LORI YOUNT
lyount@beaufortgazette.com
Sgt. Jonathan Fritz already had one seven-month deployment under his belt, but the second time around he had to leave behind his daughter, Jasmine, who turns 1 year old today.
And as he held Jasmine on his left hip and his wife, Angela, on his right, on his return Monday night from his second deployment with Beaufort-based Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, he wasn’t sure if he could let them go again.
Fritz returned with about 300 other Marines in his unit Monday to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The other half had returned earlier this month.
The squadron, known as the Sweathogs, deployed in August and completed its second seven-month deployment since 2004 to the air base in Al Asad, Iraq — the only Marine Wing Support Squadron to have done so.
In Iraq, the Sweathogs provided aviation ground support at the base and the Al Anbar province, including distributing fuel to aircraft, repairing runways, transporting cargo and helping recover seven downed aircraft.
Ellie
By LORI YOUNT
lyount@beaufortgazette.com
Sgt. Jonathan Fritz already had one seven-month deployment under his belt, but the second time around he had to leave behind his daughter, Jasmine, who turns 1 year old today.
And as he held Jasmine on his left hip and his wife, Angela, on his right, on his return Monday night from his second deployment with Beaufort-based Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, he wasn’t sure if he could let them go again.
Fritz returned with about 300 other Marines in his unit Monday to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The other half had returned earlier this month.
The squadron, known as the Sweathogs, deployed in August and completed its second seven-month deployment since 2004 to the air base in Al Asad, Iraq — the only Marine Wing Support Squadron to have done so.
In Iraq, the Sweathogs provided aviation ground support at the base and the Al Anbar province, including distributing fuel to aircraft, repairing runways, transporting cargo and helping recover seven downed aircraft.
Ellie