Sailors, Aviators Celebrate 68th Birthday of VFA-115 Eagles
By MC3 Charles Oki, USS George Washington Public Affairs


An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 115 “Eagles” makes a successful landing on the flight deck of USS George Washington (CVN 73) during flight operations. VFA 115 celebrated its 68th anniversary Oct. 10, commemorating its rich history of military service dating back to World War II. U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Devon Dow

Sailors and aviators of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 115 celebrated the squadrons 68th birthday in the VFA 115 ready room on board the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) (GW).

The celebration included a cake-cutting ceremony and speech by VFA 115 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Trey Sisson and was attended by members of the squadron as well as members of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, Commander Task Force 70 and GW.

The squadron was commissioned October 10, 1942 as Torpedo Squadron (VT) 11 in San Diego, flying patrols during World War II off Guadalcanal. By the end of the war the squadron had been involved in raids over Hong Kong, the Philippines, Okinawa and the former French Indo-China. VFA 115 maintains itself as the 3rd oldest active VFA squadron in the U.S. Navy.

“It’s definitely been an honor to be a part of the ceremony,” said 19-year-old Airman David Ramos of Harrison, Tenn. who cut the cake as the youngest Sailor in the squadron. “It’s hard to believe this squadron is as old as it is and has been around since World War II.”

Following the war, VT-11 became known as the “Eagles” and the “Arabs” and had its designation changed to VFA 115 in 1996. Over the decades, the squadron has seen many upgrades in terms of technology and avionics; VFA 115 flew five different aircraft in their 68-year history from the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber over the waters of the pacific during World War II to the F/A-18E Super Hornet multi-role fighters in the skies over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

“Birthday parties are always a lot of fun especially when we have the whole squadron here and other members of the air wing,” said the 40-year-old Sisson, the oldest member of the squadron. “The celebration also gave us the opportunity to show everyone our heritage from our earliest days in World War II to now and how far we’ve come in 68 years.”

The Eagles replaced the “Golden Dragons” of VFA 192 in December 2009, after a transpacific flight from Lemoore, Calif. VFA 115 is currently assigned to Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan.

GW is the Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier and operates from Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Yokosuka, Japan.