HERITAGE OF VFA-115 Imagine being part of one of the Navy’s most prestigious, memorable, and decorated aircraft squadron’s that has been around since WWII and one of the oldest still commissioned today. Senior Enlisted Leaders must remember the history and heritage of the Navy to instill pride upon their Sailors. This paper covers the history and heritage of VFA-115. History VFA-115 has been known under many names and for some of the most storied aircraft, to include the A-1 Skyraider, the Grumman A-6 Intruder, the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet, and today the F/A-18E Super Hornet. The pilots are second to none; they understand the squadron’s rich legacy of defending the Pacific and exemplifying their excellence in the Navy since it was established …show more content…
From Leyte Gulf to Okinawa, Inchon to Chosin Reservoir, Desert Storm to Iraqi Freedom, VFA-115 has made its mark in history and has paved the way for how the military conducts itself today. With the turn of the century the squadron has proven itself and once again made history in 2002, when it was chosen as the first Navy squadron to fly the new F/A-18E and the first fleet squadron to receive the state of the art advanced Tactical Forward Looking Infrared Radiometer (FLIR). Knowing the history of VT-11 helps explain the heritage of VFA-115. Heritage The Arabs honored again as being a part of the skeleton Air Group that would break in the new super carrier, USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) and accompany her around Cape Horn to her new homeport, San Diego. VFA-115 selected to be the first Navy fleet squadron to receive the new F/A-18E Super Hornet. The squadron has seen combat in the Pacific theater of World War II, at Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War, in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, VFA-115 was the first squadron to deploy with the F/A-18E Super Hornet, the most advanced operational strike fighter in the U.S. Navy inventory (Pagenkopf, 2017).