VAW-125

Waaaay back in March when TU photographer Jon Fletcher and I rode the USS John F. Kennedy from Boston to Jacksonville, we spent a lot of time in Ready Room 4. On the door the ready room was the squadron symbol (posted above) for VAW-125.

The entire week we were aboard I kept meaning to research the squadron whose former ready room was serving as a media center for that final Kennedy voyage. (Fixed-wing aircraft haven't operated from the Kennedy since late 2005 or early 2006).

So just today when I had a minute I Googled the squadron. Here's what GlobalSecurity.Org had to say about them:

VAW-125, known as the "Torchbearers" or "Tigertails," was commissioned on October 1, 1968, at Naval Air Station, Norfolk. The squadron’s first sea duty was in the Caribbean with Carrier Air Wing Three aboard the USS Saratoga (CV 60). Following the Caribbean work-up cycle, the squadron left on its first major deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, in July 1969. Upon their return form cruise, VAW-125 became the first East Coast squadron to take delivery of the new E2-B "Hawkeye".

VAW-125 made several Mediterranean Sea deployments as part of Carrier Air Wing One aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) in the early 1970’s. In 1975, VAW-125 deployed with the newest version of the Hawkeye, the E-2C.

In December of 1976, Vice Admiral Greed, COMNAVAIRLANT, presented VAW-125 with the COMNAVAIRLANT Battle "E" for readiness, the CINCLANTFLT "Golden Anchor" Award for career retention, and the CNO Safety "S" Award. VAW-125 is believed to be the first Navy unit to win all three awards in the same year.

In August of 1990, the Tigertails were ready for deployment and responded to the invasion of Kuwait by deploying for eight months to the Red Sea with Carrier Air Wing Seventeen aboard USS Saratoga. After transiting in record time, they took up station and started flying around the clock in the support of Operation DESERT SHIELD. During Operation DESERT STORM, VAW-125 flew over 890 combat hours controlling strikes on Iraqi targets while providing AEW coverage for the Red Sea Battle Group. The Tigertails controlled VFA-81 F/A-18’s in the 17 January 1991 shoot down of two Iraqi MiG-21’s – the only Navy air-to-air MiG kills of the Southwest Asia campaign.

for the complete story, visit this link: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/vaw-125.htm

also i've posted a US Navy file photo of the E2 Hawkeye the article talks about.

Jeff