NAS OCEANA, Va. — It's been about a year since the Gunslingers of VFA-105 returned from deployment.
The squadron, made up of more than 200 Navy sailors, was dispatched to the Red Sea, as part of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. The sailors were gone for nine months, longer than anticipated.
"What we did in the Red Sea with the Ike strike group last year was truly unprecedented," said Cmdr. Joel Nogle, commanding officer of the squadron.
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For their work, VFA-105 has been recognized with several awards, including:
- Battle E: The Battle “E” competition is conducted to strengthen and evaluate both command and overall Force warfighting readiness and to recognize outstanding command performance. The criterion for the Battle “E” Award is the overall readiness of a crew to execute its combat mission.
- Captain Michael J. Estocin Award: The Captain Michael J. Estocin Award is presented annually to the best strike-fighter squadron in recognition of outstanding achievements in naval aviation.
- Boola Boola Award: Awarded to squadrons for demonstrated proficiency and professional excellence.
- Naval Air Forces Atlantic’s Dorothy Flatley Award: Mrs. Angela Harris (Ombudsman) - The Dorothy Flatley Award is given annually to a naval aviation spouse for extraordinary inspirational support to Navy families for fostering excellent morale among squadron personnel and their dependents, especially during deployments.
Now, members of the squadron are busy in the hangar and on the flight line at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, preparing for the next assignment.
"As part of that, we have to go through a workup cycle and continue to hone our craft and our tactics and get ready for whatever the nation may desire," Cmdr. Nogle added.
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"This is the best team I've ever served with, and I've been blessed to have been in the Navy for over 18 years now, and this, by far, is the most talented, hardest working team that I've ever been a part of, and I could not be prouder of all of them for what they do day in and day out," he concluded.
