Goldsboro native Henry Smith has spent years advocating for the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base located in his hometown.

“Seymour Johnson is the fabric of Goldsboro,” said Smith, who is the chairman of a group called Friends of Seymour. “We’re very proud and protective.”

The past few months it’s been a fight to keep hundreds of workers employed.

The Air Force wants to divest or eliminate a squadron of F-15E fighter jets at the base.

Democratic Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina said getting rid of the 26 aircraft would eliminate more than 500 jobs. The base employs more than 4,000 active duty service members, 1,000 civilians and 882 reservists.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall testified before Congress about some of the factors in the decision.

“The cost effectiveness of every element, the set of capabilities we have and the cost of any modernization that would be required to keep the aircraft current,” he said in an April Armed Services subcommittee hearing.

Davis, an Air Force veteran, pressed Kendall about the decision. He asked if there are replacement jobs for the workers who would lose their positions. Kendall said he wasn’t aware of any.

National security concerns have also been raised.

The F-15Es were used to shoot down drones and missiles Iran launched at Israel in April.

“I’m deeply concerned about what a growing fighter capacity gap could mean in the Indo Pacific," Sen. Ted Budd said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in April.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin called the F-15Es a “highly capable aircraft” but also admitted it’s a fiscally challenging environment.

“I understand budget, and the budget is a big concern, and it has to be addressed. I just have to believe there’s got to be a better way to find the money,” Smith said.

Smith is in Washington to try to convince lawmakers to keep the aircraft flying. The Air Force can’t eliminate the squadron without congressional approval.