Attack Squadron 85 orVA-85 was a long-lived Attack Squadron of theU.S. Navy. It was called to active duty asU.S. Navy Reserve squadronVA-859 on 1 February 1951 and redesignatedVA-85 on 4 February 1953. It was disestablished on 30 September 1994, over 40 years later. The squadron's nickname from 1958-1994 was theBlack Falcons. It was the second squadron to be designated VA-85, thefirst VA-85 was disestablished on 29 November 1949.[1]
May 1958: As part of an Atlantic Fleet training exercise (LANTRAEX 1-58), two of the squadron'sAD-6 Skyraiders, flown by Lieutenant (jg)s Strang and Woods, flew nonstop fromUSS Forrestal, operating off the coast ofJacksonville, Florida, toNaval Air Station North Island. The flight was conducted below 1000 feet to demonstrate the low level and long range capability of the squadron. Two days later the aircraft returned, nonstop, toForrestal.
5 February 1963: The squadron's commanding officer, Commander C. H. Mundt, was killed in an air crash.
22 December 1965: The squadron's commanding officer, Commander B. J. Cartwright, and his bombardier/navigator, Lieutenant Ed Gold, failed to return from a strike intoNorth Vietnam and were listed as missing in action, presumed dead until their remains were identified in November 1994.[2]
21 April 1966: The squadron's commanding officer, Commander J. E. Keller, and his bombardier/navigator, Lieutenant Commander E. E. Austin, were killed in action during a mission over North Vietnam.
27 April 1966: VA-85 bombardier/navigator, Lieutenant (jg) Brian E. Westin was awarded theNavy Cross for heroism during a combat mission over North Vietnam when he risked his own life to save that of his wounded pilot, Lieutenant W. R. Westerman.
6 September 1968: The squadron's commanding officer, Commander K. L. Coskey, was shot down over North Vietnam. His bombardier/navigator, Lieutenant Commander R. G. McKee, was rescued, but Commander Coskey became a POW. He was released on 14 March 1973.
July 1974: Following thecoup that overthrew the government of Cyprus, VA-85 operated fromForrestal in the vicinity of Cyprus and provided air cover for the evacuation of Americans and foreign nationals from the island.
May–June 1981: Following increased military action and Israeli reprisal raids against Syrian missile positions in southern Lebanon,Forrestal was ordered to the eastern Mediterranean. VA-85 operated from the carrier while on station off the coast of Lebanon.
July 1982: Following theIsraeli invasion of Lebanon in June and the siege of west Beirut,Forrestal operated off the coast of Lebanon with VA-85 prepared to provide air support for a possible evacuation of Americans.
August–September 1982:Forrestal and its embarked squadrons provided air cover for the landing of 800 U.S. Marines in Beirut, Lebanon. The Marines became part of theMultinational Force in Lebanon.
4 December 1983: DuringUSS John F. Kennedy’s operations off the coast of Lebanon in support of the Multinational Force, several of the carrier'sF-14 reconnaissance aircraft received hostile fire from Syrian surface- to-air missile and anti-aircraft positions on 3 December. A retaliatory strike was flown by elements of CVW-3 and aircraft fromUSS Independence against the Syrian antiaircraft positions near Hammana, Lebanon. One of the squadron's A-6Es was lost in the attack, its pilot, Lieutenant Mark Lange, was killed and the NFO, LieutenantBobby Goodman, was captured by the Syrians. He was released 4 January 1985.
July 1984: The squadron operated in the Caribbean and off the coast of Central America to assist the Coast Guard with drug interdiction operations.
25 March 1986: VA-55 attacked a Nanuchka with Rockeyes, damaging but not stopping the corvette. A VA-85 aircraft then launched a Harpoon against the corvette which resulted in its sinking.
6 September 1989: Squadron aircraft flew missions in support of the evacuation of personnel from the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, due to the unstable situation in that country.
17 January–28 February 1991: The squadron participated inOperation Desert Storm, combat strikes against targets in Iraq and the Kuwaiti theater of operations. During this period of combat the squadron flew 585 combat sorties, consisting of 1,700 flight hours and expended over 850 tons of ordnance.
August 1993: Squadron aircraft flew missions over Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of U. N.Operation Deny Flight.
November 1993: Squadron aircraft flew sorties over Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of U. N.Operation Continue Hope.
December 1993: Squadron aircraft provided support for reconnaissance missions over southern Iraq, part ofOperation Southern Watch.[1]
