Aug. 20, 2013
Vol. 2 Issue 83
DAILY DIGEST
DIAMONDS IN THE Story by MC3 Raul Moreno Jr.
I
SKY
t was early morning Feb. 1, 1956, when the Navy’s newest attack squadron (VA) was commissioned at Naval Air Station, Miramar. The commissioning ceremony gave birth to the “Blacktails” of VA-146, the sixth squadron to join Air Group 14. The first insignia for the new squadron was approved in November 1956, which consisted of two concentric circles, a yellow Mach wave symbol and a yellow globe. VA-146 started with only a handful of F9F8 Cougars upon its inception and departed for its first deployment aboard USS Hornet (CVA-12) in January 1957. It was in 1959 when the squadron decided to change the nickname to the “Blue Diamonds.” In May 1964, the squadron moved to their current home, Lemoore Naval Air Station, Calif., and simplified the insignia to coincide with the new nickname in 1968.
“One of our mottos is ‘once a diamond, always a diamond.’ So, we remember all of our diamonds, and all the ‘Blue Diamonds’ never forget this command,” said Cmdr. Thomas “Onion” Heck, commanding officer of VFA-146. “I’ll tell you, from all the commands I’ve been in the past, the camaraderie and cohesion in this command is one like I’ve never seen before. That makes me feel proud.” The squadron has gone through several aircraft transitioning stages and has supported several combat operations, including Vietnam. In December 1971, VA-146 became the first Navy squadron to use a laser-guided bomb in combat. The “Blue Diamonds” lost two aviators during combat over Vietnam, one of whom was the tenth commanding officer of VA-146, Cmdr. Herbert B. Loheed. The Distinguished Flying Cross was posthumously awarded to Loheed for his actions. VA-146 was designated to what it is today as Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146 in the spring of - Continued on page 3 -