VFA-87
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The VFA-87 Golden Warriors is a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron based at NAS Oceana. Their call sign is Party, tail code is AJ, and they fly the F-18 Hornet. In addition to the Golden Warriors, the squadron is sometimes referred to as the War Party.
[edit] History
In 1968, the Golden Warriors were established as VA-87, the first to fly the A-7 Corsair II, at NAS Cecil Field, Florida. In March 1969, the squadron flew its first combat missions from the USS Ticonderoga, striking targets in South Vietnam.
In 1970, VA-87 made 12 deployments aboard three different carriers -- the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, the USS America and the USS Independence.
In 1973, the Golden Warriors protected U.S. interests during the Yom Kippur War. Transitioning to the improved A-7E Corsair II, the squadron returned in October 1975 to the Middle East following the assassination of the American ambassador to Lebanon, assisting in the evacuation of U.S. citizens.
During the Iran hostage crisis and the Israeli-Syrian disputes of 1981, VA-87 deployed to the region for 195 days. One year later the Golden Warriors were back, supporting U.S. peacekeeping operations in Lebanon.
In October 1983, the Golden Warriors participated in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. During the same deployment, VA-87 participated in strikes against Syria.
On October 24, 1986, the Golden Warriors transitioned to the F/A-18A Hornet and were redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87).
On December 28, 1990, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the Golden Warriors deployed for Operation Desert Storm, flying 629 sorties over 43 days of intense combat.
The Golden Warriors, equipped with the newer F/A-18C, deployed to the Adriatic Sea and Red Sea from March to September 1993, flying hundreds of missions in support of United Nations Operation Deny Flight, Operation Provide Comfort and Operation Southern Watch. Embarked for the last time on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, VFA-87 returned in March 1995 to Southwest Asia for a month to participate in Operation Southern Watch.
Following a hasty transit to the Adriatic, the Golden Warriors spent four months flying combat sorties over the increasingly embattled former Yugoslavia. On August 30, 1995, Golden Warrior jets were the first to strike Bosnian Serb targets as the Operation Deliberate Force campaign commenced.
VFA-87 again headed to the Adriatic to fly over Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Deliberate Guard and again in Operation Southern Watch.
