Fighter Wing weathers Earl at Eglin AFB

NICEVILLE, Florida (WALA) - Eglin Air Force Base is paying back some favors. More than 30 fighter aircrafts flew in Thursday from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. They came to get away from Hurricane Earl.

Four-by-four, three squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagles arrived at Eglin Air Force Base Thursday morning.

“As you know, a hurricane can devastate an aircraft, so we’re just being a good team,” said Lieutenant Colonel Greg Andreachi. “They’ve hosted us in the past, and we’re happy to host them.”

With a price tag of over $50 million each, it’s easy to understand the Air Force wanting to protect one of the deadliest aircraft in its arsenal. The F-15E Strike Eagle Fighter Wing from Seymour Johnson has spent most of the last three years providing close air support for troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

Eglin’s 33rd Fighter Wing will soon be the home base for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. But for the next day or so, 35 F-15E Strike Eagles will call it home. For the pilots and crew who made the trip, the evacuation wasn't easy.

Major Jim Gresis flew one of the fighters in. He said it was tough to leave their loved ones behind to weather out the storm.

“The good thing is, there’s a lot of people stuck back there and each squadron has a good contingent of officers and enlisted personnel that are back, and their job is to help take care of all the families that are there,” Gresis said.

There won’t be any time for recreation while the 70 pilots and crew are in town. They’ve been told to get an early dinner and hit the sack by 8:00 p.m., to be ready for a departure as early as Friday morning.