VS-22 flies from Iraq into sunset.(antiterrorism training )

The sailors of Sea Control Squadron (VS) 22 returned to NAS Jacksonville, Fla., on 15 December 2008, having completed a five-month deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This was the final deployment for VS-22--the Navy's last S-3B Viking squadron--which marked its deactivation with a 29 January ceremony at NAS Jacksonville, and officially deactivated on 31 March.

The Checkmates' final year was a whirlwind of activity that included a partial deployment aboard George Washington (CVN 73) and a boots-on-the-ground deployment to Iraq.

On 7 April 2007 VS-22 along with CVW-17 embarked George Washington for the first leg of a deployment that ended with the carrier changing its homeport from NS Norfolk, Va., to Yokosuka, Japan. While on board the carrier, the Checkmates participated in the Partnership of the Americas exercise which included passage through the Straits of Magellan.

The Checkmates returned to NAS Jacksonville on 27 May 2008. Less than a week after returning from what was supposed to be its last deployment, VS-22 received orders to deploy to Iraq as a land-based squadron. The boots-on-the-ground and eyes-in-the-sky deployment required the carrier-based squadron to operate from Al Asad Air Base in Al Anbar Province in the western part of the country. VS-22 had 45 days to train and transition into an expeditionary squadron in the Iraqi desert.

To meet the demands of this mission, each of the 205 squadron members completed antiterrorism and desert survival training, in addition to qualifying with the M-16 rifle and M-9 pistol, prior to their deployment. In July the Checkmates flew their four Vikings to Iraq with nearly the entire squadron aboard an Air Force C-5 Galaxy.

"Within a week of arriving in theater, we were flying operational missions using LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) pods to locate improvised explosive devices, conduct border surveillance, and provide full-motion video to commanders throughout Iraq," VS-22 CO Cdr. Stephen Fimple said. "We flew more than 340 combat support missions encompassing over 1,600 mishap-free flight hours in Iraq."

The LANTIRN pod proved vital to the Vikings' mission in Iraq. The LANTIRN's terrain-following radar enabled pilots to maneuver and conduct surveillance at low altitudes during day and night missions. According Lt. Jason Tarrant, the squadron flew about 80 percent of its nontraditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance combat missions at night.