Another USMCR Squadron Bites the Dust..

[VFA-203 Forever]

Doesn't Miramar have a reserve Hornet unit? Or did that go away?

Smokes of VMFA-134. Cadre'd in September of last year.

 

[VFA-203 Forever]

MB, you need an iPhone. No problem opening the .ppt, all 132 slides!

As for the reserves, does the USMC or USN actually use them like they were meant to be used, or are they more like a flying club these days?

Back in the 80's and 90's and such; You might be able to say it was like a Flying Club,Weekend Warriors, etc. But in the days of OEF/OIF, The reserves have gotten quite the work load; The Helo bubba's have been the main pawn used (HMLA-773/775 Especially; Not sure how much the Phrog squadrons have been used). My (Former) local guys, VMFA-142 have been the only Marine Reserve Fighter Call-Up; Serving 6mo in Al Asad back in '05. 112 was close to getting the call after 142 returned; But that fell through.

I'd say Marine Reserves have been more active than Navy in the Suck (VFA-201 went with CVW-8 in 2003. VAQ-209 has been working their ass off, too). Outside of those two there hasn't been much action from the Navy Reserve Side (HSC-84 up at Norfolk has been to OIF at least once or twice). But what has been deployable pretty much has been outside of VFA-203/204 (201/203 Now Gone).

 

[Flash]

Back in the 80's and 90's and such; You might be able to say......My (Former) local guys.......I'd say......

Dude, are you still in high school or what? Maybe college? Your post might be a bit accurate, and if I remember correctly your pops is serving/served, but you are being a bit presumptuous.

 

[Brett327]

Sr in HS actually, haha. I'd be fine with Hummers. I just want to fly regardless of the platform (VAQ or VFA if I had to pick, though).

You're not the stalker kid who writes our coffee mess guy once a week requesting patches and other sundries, are you?

Brett

 

[phrogpilot73]

Not too much, To Say the Least.

Marines
HMM-774 (Phrogs out of Norfolk)
HMM-765 (Phrogs out of Edwards)
HMLA-773 (AH-1/UH-1s out of Atlanta)
HMLA-773 Det A (New Orleans)
HMLA-773 Det B (Johnsville,PA)
VMFA-112 (F/A-18s out of Fort Worth)
VMFT-401 (Doesn't really count being Adversary; But still technically Reserve; F-5s out of Yuma)

You forgot:

VMGR-234 (KC-130's out of Fort Worth)
VMGR-452 (KC-130's out of Stewart)

Plus VMR dets out of Bell Chase and Andrews.

Haven't heard anything about those going anywhere.

As for the reserves, does the USMC or USN actually use them like they were meant to be used, or are they more like a flying club these days?

Not sure how much the Phrog squadrons have been used

Both Phrog squadrons were activated for two years and they were deployed to Al Asad twice. Not going to say when/where/how, but there's a strong possibility that we're being activated again - after all, the 36 month freeze is nearing an end.

In addition, Reserve Phrog squadrons have done exercises with Peru and counter-drug ops in the Caribbean. We also take frags that the active duty is too tapped out to support (ParaOps in Florida most recently).

The mentality/culture is still that of a flying club (much more laid back then the AD side), but we do quite a bit of work that the AD doesn't see.

 

[Clux4]

Didn't the Frogs out of Norfolk conduct an exercise this summer with the Brits?

I hear the USMC Reserve C-130's are gone all the time. Apparently they have been doing this well before OIF/OEF kicked off.

Not trying to derail this thread but there seems to be a lot of taskers for reserve aviation community in general. I know the Army National Guard conducts lesser known missions like Kosovo, SOUTHCOM and the Drug interdiction programs from time to time.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Didn't the Phrogs out of Norfolk conduct an exercise this summer with the Brits?

I hear the USMC Reserve C-130's are gone all the time. Apparently they have been doing this well before OIF/OEF kicked off.

Not trying to derail this thread but there seems to be a lot of taskers for reserve aviation community in general. I know the Army National Guard conducts lesser known missions like Kosovo, SOUTHCOM and the Drug interdiction programs from time to time.

Fixed it for you. There were two ATs this summer, one was supporting Mojave Viper, and one was going aboard a Brit Ship. Don't know the details of what they did, because I was in the RAG refreshing.

My buddies are in the KC-130 squadron up in NY. They're not really gone "all the time", they may deploy for weeks or months at a time, but they rotate out who deploys.

 

[AUtiger]

Word around here is that the NAS side of the base is closing next September. All of 77 is completely gone. Their hanger and everything around it has been empty all month. 773 and the MAG is moving to NOLA I believe while VR-46 is moving to Dallas. Is the Navy planning on cutting the reserves until only the VR squadrons are left? Or are they going to keep them and give the squadrons hand me downs until everything completely breaks down?

 

[VFA-203 Forever]

Word around here is that the NAS side of the base is closing next September. All of 77 is completely gone. Their hanger and everything around it has been empty all month. 773 and the MAG is moving to NOLA I believe while VR-46 is moving to Dallas. Is the Navy planning on cutting the reserves until only the VR squadrons are left? Or are they going to keep them and give the squadrons hand me downs until everything completely breaks down?

Atlanta was BRAC'd back in 2005 so no question they're closing (I've heard 2010). The MAG was deactivated back in June shortly after VMFA-142. 773 last I heard was supposed to go to Robins; No word if that's changed. Correct on 46 going to Fort Worth.

77 is most likely gone from here; Hard to say (The runway is closed till Mid September so everything is gone; Hard to judge if they're truely gone). I had heard August though back in June by some of the guys in the squadron.

 

[VFA-203 Forever]

You're not the stalker kid who writes our coffee mess guy once a week requesting patches and other sundries, are you?

Brett

Close, But not quite. Just take off stalker and the whole writing the squadron deal (Don't bother writing letters).

I've just been a huge Naval/Marine aviation fan since I was around 12 and followed the squadrons and such ever since.

 

[MasterBates]

Don't take this the wrong way 203, but you should be more concerned with getting laid, college, and grades in that order than knowing more about squadron happenings than people who work there need to know.

 

[VFA-203 Forever]

Don't take this the wrong way 203, but you should be more concerned with getting laid, college, and grades in that order than knowing more about squadron happenings than people who work there need to know.

Haha; Copy that. I definitely do prioritize those three in pretty much that order. I've just always been interested in following the history/linage and such of the squadrons and simply a hobby. I definitely get some weird looks for it sometimes; But oh well. To each their own I guess.

 

[Brett327]

I've just been a huge Naval/Marine aviation fan since I was around 12 and followed the squadrons and such ever since.

That's called stalking. You're not Japanese, are you?

Brett

 

[SuperStallionIP]

Haha; Copy that. I definitely do prioritize those three in pretty much that order. I've just always been interested in following the history/linage and such of the squadrons and simply a hobby. I definitely get some weird looks for it sometimes; But oh well. To each their own I guess.

Come on now...shouldn't you be at football practice or something that would normally concern a senior in highschool? Just make sure you're wearing a "hat" when executing the "getting laid" portion of the priorities list. Damn kids...

 

[Firehawk]

there hasn't been much action from the Navy Reserve Side (HSC-84 up at Norfolk has been to OIF at least once or twice).

HSC-84 was HCS-4, and has had four aircraft in Iraq since March 2003. For a Reserve squadron, that's five years on the road and counting.

You want action in the Reserves, that's where it's at.