VIRGINIA BEACH -- Two squadrons will fly home Monday after three months aboard USS Carl Vinson.
VFA-81, the Sunliners, and the Hawkeyes of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 left in January as part of Carrier Air Wing 17 when the flattop completed a four-year overhaul.
Vinson was headed home to San Diego when Haiti was devastated by an earthquake and immediately responded.
VAW-125, the "Tiger Tails," conducted airspace management from U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, working to ensure airspace and mission safety over Port-au-Prince.
The crew provided an information conduit for all Navy aircraft operating over Haiti, making the orchestration of humanitarian assistance more manageable.
"We maximize the efficiency of the efforts," said Cmdr. Wesley Bannister, commanding officer, VAW-125.
According to Bannister, the E-2C and its crew helped maintain control of U.S. Navy helicopters moving relief supplies, including medicine and personnel. They also coordinated with personnel on the ground and aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) to direct air asset tasking.
VFA-81 squadron received the Humanitarian Service Medal for their disaster relief efforts.
After a month of duty in Haiti, the ship and airwing made stops in Brazil and Peru.
The "Sunliners" completed 423 sorties for 625 flight hours and conducted flight operations with aircraft from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. They also performed 21 air power demonstrations for foreign dignitaries and media.
Carrier Air Wing 17's squadrons include the Oceana- and Norfolk-based VFA 81, VAW 125 and VRC-40, the Rawhides. That unit's homecoming is Tuesday at Naval Station Norfolk.
VRC-40 flew more than 300 tons of cargo between Vinson and Haiti to help survivors, making three or four missions each night; The crew also transported doctors and search and rescue teams to shore and back.
