After Maj. Zachary Sessa launched his F-35C Lightning II 's payload at Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen last year, the historical significance of the flight dawned on him. Nearly a year ago, Sessa deployed with the Marine Corps ' first F-35C unit aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln bound for the Pacific. But with less than a month out of port, the Pentagon ordered the carrier strike group to the Middle East as Iran-backed Houthis continued to attack shipping vessels in the region. The