The final deployed members of the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing returned to Burlington on Sunday, closing a demanding nine month mission that carried the unit into combat across two hemispheres.

The homecoming brought the Green Mountain Boys back to their families after an unusually long stretch overseas.

The deployment began before Christmas and eventually placed the F-35 unit in two separate combat theaters.

Rather than returning home after its first assignment, the wing moved directly from operations in the Caribbean and South America to missions in the Middle East.

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An earlier group of personnel returned during the opening days of August, according to photographs released by the 158th.

The final arrivals on Sunday marked the end of the wing’s extended absence and delivered a welcome moment for families who had carried the burden at home.

Guard officials said Vermont leaders had little influence over when the wing would finally return.

Their attention instead remained focused on supporting the families of deployed airmen as operational demands kept shifting the unit’s schedule.

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“For months, our Airmen remained focused on the mission while their families carried on at home,” said Col. Michael Blair, the 158th Fighter Wing commander.

“Their professionalism and resilience throughout this deployment have been remarkable.”

The wing departed Burlington in December and initially deployed to Puerto Rico. Its aircraft operated from José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba while supporting U.S. Southern Command operations throughout the Caribbean.

Local news organizations reported that the Vermont unit flew missions into Venezuela during that phase of the deployment. Those operations placed the Green Mountain Boys at the center of an active American military effort in the Western Hemisphere.

Over the summer, the wing shifted from Southern Command to Central Command without first returning to Vermont.

Its pilots and crews then flew missions connected to the ongoing war with Iran, transforming an already lengthy deployment into a rare consecutive assignment across combat theaters.

The 158th holds a notable place in Air National Guard history because it became the first Guard unit in the country to begin operating the F-35A.

That milestone came with serious responsibilities, and this deployment demonstrated how quickly a Guard fighter wing can be called from one region to another when combat requirements demand it.

The unit’s total time away roughly matched the deployment endured by sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

That carrier’s lengthy tour has received scrutiny because of the strain imposed on its crew, while the Vermont wing reportedly had some ability to exchange personnel during its mission.

A Guard spokesperson told Vermont Public Radio in August that more than 200 members were deployed. Rotating personnel provided some flexibility, although it did not erase the pressure on airmen, families, employers, and communities affected by months of uncertainty.

The wider military has extended multiple deployments as the war with Iran entered its seventh month.

The Army recently confirmed that more than 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division would remain in the region into 2027 after deploying there in March.

Other units are moving into the region to relieve forces that have served longer than originally expected.

The USS George Washington is deploying to replace the Abraham Lincoln, while Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing is sending F-16s to replace some fighter units departing the Central Command area.

Most members of the 158th live and work in Vermont or nearby communities, according to a Guard spokesperson.

Some travel from other parts of the country, a common arrangement among Air National Guard pilots who also hold full time civilian jobs with commercial airlines.

“This deployment asked a great deal of our Airmen and of those who stood behind them,” said Army Maj. Gen. Henry Harder Jr., adjutant general of Vermont.

“We are incredibly proud of what they represent, but today, more than anything, we are grateful to welcome them home.”

For the Green Mountain Boys, Sunday was more than another movement on a military schedule.

It was a hard earned return after combat operations spanning the Caribbean, South America, and the Middle East, with Vermont families finally getting their airmen back home.

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