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Military aircraft from JBLM landing again in Yakima

Missiles roared off over the horizon to the applause of members of the U.S. Army and Air Force along with civilian contractors gathered at the Yakima Training Center Thursday.

It was culmination of years of work to bring a small airstrip back to life.

Just before 11 a.m., a C-17 that took off from Joint Base Lewis-McChord landed at a small isolated airstrip in the brushy landscape near. Within minutes, two high mobility mobile artillery rocket systems, or HiMARS, offloaded and take up positions nearby. It’s a simulation of what would happen in combat as the Air Force and Army combine forces to move powerful weapons into the field.

“What is does is it gives us that initial bang to an entry point to project combat power across the globe,” said Command Sergeant Major John Black.

This airstrip sat unused since 2003 because of disrepair and repeated problems getting it back in operation. For the Army that presented a problem. The Yakima training center is an extension of JBLM. Without the airstrip in operation and their gear had to fly and land miles away, then make the long trip west during training operations.

“We traditionally had to go to Moses Lake, execute the mission, travel all the way down here to the YTC, load up the ammo and then fire the mission,” said Lt. Colonel Joe Hansen.

It's more than just a matter of convenience for the military. The airstrip allows troops to train in conditions they'll see in combat, and opens up airborne access to the training center whenever it's needed.

“You can literally launch from the Selah airstrip to anywhere in the world,” said Lt. Roger Gavriluk.

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