The Marines recently landed their first fixed wing aircraft on a recertified airfield on the Pacific island of Peleliu, which jarheads captured after brutal combat in 1944.
The KC-130J Super Hercules tanker with 1st Marine Air Wing landed Saturday, marking the first time the Corps has landed such an aircraft on the installation since the service recertified the airfield in early June.
The Marine Corps Engineer Detachment Palau, MCED-P 24.1, contains engineers from the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group. The detachment spent the past few months rehabilitating the airfield to accommodate large, fixed-wing aircraft such as the KC-130J.
That airfield puts Marine aircraft within 1,000 miles of Manila, Philippines, a major Pacific partner nation of the United States. Guam, which has seen a flood of military investment, is about 1,500 miles from the Philippines.
“Today is a historic moment as we land a Marine Corps aircraft on the ‘Sledge’ runway,” remarked Maj. Christopher Romero, Marine Corps Engineer Detachment Palau commanding officer. The “Sledge” title is in honor of its namesake, Pfc. Eugene Sledge, who fought in the Battle of Peleliu with the 1st Marine Division.
September marks the 80th anniversary of the battle. The Marines are experimenting with new ways of integrating airpower and covering the vast distances of the Pacific for combat support operations.
Ongoing upgrades and expansion on Guam mirror improvements to facilities on the islands of Tinian and Saipan. Commandant Gen. Eric Smith testified in a congressional hearing earlier in 2024 that the Corps also was experimenting with durable, quick installation matting to install air strips in small areas when needed.
The Corps isn’t the only service ramping up its air-focused installations in the region. In March, the Air Force announced a $400 million upgrade to its airfield on the tiny Pacific island of Yap, about 1,000 miles southeast of China and part of the Federated States of Micronesia.
