VFA-34

Strike Fighter Squadron 34

VFA-34 insignia
Active 1 January 1970
Country  United States of America
Branch United States Navy
Type Fighter/Attack
Role Close air support
Air interdiction
Aerial reconnaissance
Part of Carrier Air Wing 2
Garrison/HQ NAS Oceana
Nickname(s) Blue Blasters
Motto(s) “Have gun….Will travel.”
Engagements World War II
Vietnam War
Operation El Dorado Canyon
Operation Desert Shield
Operation Deliberate Force
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Aircraft flown
Fighter F/A-18C Hornet

Strike Fighter Squadron 34 (VFA-34), also known as the "Blue Blasters", is a United States Navy F/A-18C Hornet strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana. They are a part of Carrier Air Wing 2 and are attached to the USS George Washington (CVN-73). Their tail code is NE and their radio call sign is "Joker".

Squadron Insignia and Nickname

The squadron’s first insignia was approved for use by VF-20 during World War II, and was a "Joker" breaking out of a deck of cards carrying a machine gun. This insignia was selected by the squadron because the young and inexperienced pilots in the squadron were referred to as the "Jokers". It was approved by Chief of Naval Operations on 15 March 1944. The next insignia adopted by the squadron was the outline of a human skull, approved by CNO on 1 February 1946. Superimposed on the nose of a skull was a human skeleton with the arms holding paddles that became the eyes of the skull, while the teeth were represented by the word “Fighting 20.” On 10 June 1949, CNO approved another modification to the squadron insignia which embellished the skull design. This insignia was in use from 1949 until the squadron’s disestablishment in 1969. In 1957 the squadron adopted their present nickname, taking inspiration from their blue tail colors and their nuclear weapon delivery capability; hence the name "Blue Blasters." When the third VA-34 was established in 1970, it adopted the insignia and Blue Blasters nickname used by the previous VA-34 squadron (the second VA-34). On May 10, 1999 the CNO approved a modification to the squadron’s insignia tailoring the design to the Strike Fighter community.

History

Three distinct US Navy squadrons have been designated VA-34. The first squadron to hold the VA-34 designation was in 1948, this squadron was redesignated VA-35 in 1950. The second VA-34 was established in 1943 and disestablished in 1969. The third VA-34, established in 1970, was later redesignated VFA-34 and is the subject of this article. Officially, the US Navy does not recognize a direct lineage with disestablished squadrons if a new squadron is formed with the same designation.[1] Often, the new squadron will assume the nickname, insignia, and traditions of the earlier squadrons.

1970s

Grumman A-6E Intruder of VA-34 aboard USS John F. Kennedy in 1976
VA-34 A-6Es with period invasion markings fly a missing man formation over the French countryside, in honor of the 50th anniversary of D-Day, 6 June 1994.
The last A-6 launch from USS George Washington
VFA-34 FA-18C launches from USS Abraham Lincoln

Less than a year after disestablishment of the second VA-34, a new Blue Blaster squadron was established at NAS Oceana, Virginia, on 1 January 1970 as the Atlantic Fleet’s sixth A-6 Intruder squadron. The actual establishment ceremony was conducted at NAS Oceana on 17 April 1970.

On 18 September 1970, VA-34 embarked aboard USS John F. Kennedy as part of Carrier Air Wing One for a short at-sea period prior to its scheduled November deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. However, while en route to the Caribbean, the ship was ordered to deploy to the Mediterranean after Syria invaded Jordan. The squadron returned home in March 1971 from this unscheduled deployment, only one year old, but already in possession of the Meritorious Unit Commendation. In August 1971, VA-34 received the Battle "E" award as the Atlantic Fleet's top A-6 squadron.

In September 1972, a squadron A-6 Intruder conducted crossdeck operations on HMS Ark Royal while operating in the Norwegian Sea. Due to the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, VA-34 and Kennedy departed the Norwegian Sea in October 1973 and re-entered the Mediterranean, conducting surveillance operations south of Crete.

1980s

VA-34 deployed aboard USS America, in August 1982 for an eight-week North Atlantic cruise. The squadron subsequently made deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean in 1982 and 1984. In September 1985 while deployed aboard America to the North Atlantic, the squadron conducted flight operations from the carrier while it operated within the Vestfjorden, a Norwegian fjord.

On 24 March 1986, Libyan missiles were fired at U.S. Navy forces operating in the Gulf of Sidra. As a result of this hostile act, the Blue Blasters participated in retaliatory strikes Operation Prairie Fire against Libya by the U.S. 6th Fleet forces in the area. VA-34’s A-6E Intruders, operating from America, attacked and damaged a Libyan FACM Class La Combattante IIa G-class fast attack missile craft with an AGM-84 Harpoon missile (the first combat employment Harpoon). On the night of 14 April 1986, the Blue Blasters conducted a low-level, high-speed attack against targets at the Benina airfield and military barracks in Benghazi, Libya as part of Operation El Dorado Canyon.

In October 1986 the Blasters detached from Carrier Air Wing One and joined Carrier Air Wing Seven in USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, deploying in February 1988 for an extended Mediterranean deployment. The Blasters participated in operations off the Libyan Coast and returned to NAS Oceana in August 1988.

1990s

The Blue Blasters deployment in 1990 featured integration of night vision goggles and Standoff Land Attack Missile capability into their A-6Es. In 1990, Eisenhower completed her seventh Mediterranean deployment. The deployment became a commemorative event in the worldwide 'Dwight D. Eisenhower Centennial,' celebrating the 100th anniversary of the late president's birth. During D-Day anniversary ceremonies off the coast of Normandy, President Eisenhower's son John Eisenhower and D-Day veterans embarked in the ship, while Carrier Air Wing Seven conducted a memorial flyover of the American cemetery at Omaha Beach.In August 1990, the squadron flew missions from the Red Sea in support of Operation Desert Shield, the buildup of American and Allied forces to counter a threatened invasion of Saudi Arabia by Iraq. The squadron returned home in September 1990 and returned to Southwest Asia in September 1991. The squadron returned to NAS Oceana, on 2 April 1992. The Blue Blasters’ next deployment was from May to November 1994, embarked on USS George Washington for her maiden voyage. In June 1994, the Blasters commemorated the 50th Anniversary of D-Day with a "missing man" formation over Omaha Beach, which was televised worldwide by CNN. The Blue Blasters were awarded the Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet Battle "E" for 1994 and 1995. The Blue Blasters departed in January 1996 aboard George Washington for their last A-6E Intruder deployment. They flew in support of Operation Decisive Endeavor over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Operation Southern Watch over Southern Iraq. Typical missions included close air support assisting US and United Nations troops on the ground. On September 30, 1996, Attack Squadron 34 was redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 34 and returned once again to NAS Cecil Field, Florida. The Blue Blasters immediately began the transition to the FA-18 Hornet. In June 1998, Strike Fighter Squadron 34 deployed aboard Dwight D. Eisenhower in support of Operation Deliberate Forge, and Operation Southern Watch. The Blue Blasters returned to NAS Cecil Field in December 1998. In March 1999, the Blue Blasters conducted a homeport shift from NAS Cecil Field to NAS Oceana.

2000s

The Blue Blasters embarked on George Washington in June 2000 for deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf in support of Operations Southern Watch and Deliberate Forge. In December 2000, the Blue Blasters returned to NAS Oceana. Upon their return, the squadron was awarded the Rear Admiral Clarence Wade McClusky Award as the premier attack squadron in the U.S. Navy, and the Commander, Naval Air Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet Battle Efficiency Award as the finest East Coast Strike Fighter Squadron. The Blue Blasters embarked on George Washington in June 2002 for another deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch, returning to NAS Oceana in December 2002. The Blue Blasters returned to Kennedy for her last combat cruise in 2004, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea / Persian Gulf in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. In March 2005, VFA-34 became operationally attached to CVW-2, deploying aboard the west coast carrier USS Abraham Lincoln for Operations Valiant Shield and Foal Eagle 2006. Between 24–31 March 2006, during Foal Eagle 2006 exercises, strike squadrons VFA-2, VFA-34, VFA-137, and VFA-151 from Carrier Air Wing Two teamed with U.S. Air Force aircraft from the 18th Wing based at Kadena Air Base to provide combat air patrols and coordinated bombing runs via the exercise’s Combined Air Operations Center.[2] The Blue Blasters returned home to NAS Oceana in August 2006. The Blue Blasters again deployed on the Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln for Combat Cruise '08 in March 2008. Reporting to the 5th Fleet Operating Area, VFA-34 launched strikes over Iraq and Afghanistan. The squadron came home in October 2008, and after an extended stand down period the Blasters returned to the USS Abraham Lincoln for deployment back to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in 2010-11. After a short at home period the Blasters were back at it again, returning to the Middle East to bring the fight to the enemy in 2011-12 and taking the Lincoln around the world to NS Norfolk for its Refueling and Complex Overhaul yard period. As the Lincoln would no longer be available, the Blasters, along with the rest of CAG-2, became attached to the USS George Washington. In 2012 the Blue Blasters won the coveted Navy Battle "E" award for excellence during a period of sustained readiness and combat operations.

In popular culture

The VFA-34 logo is featured in the television show The Brink as the logo of the fictional squadron VFA-181 "The Smokin' Skulls."[3]

Aircraft Assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Naval Aviation Squadron Lineages
  2. ↑ Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class (AW) M. Jeremie Yoder, USN (March 27, 2006). "Lincoln Wraps Up Successful Exercise, Heads for Port". NNS060406-15. Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
  3. ↑ Pablo Schreider as LCDR Zeke Tilson and Eric Ladin as LT Glenn Taylor in The Brink
  4. ↑

External links

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