Fist of the Fleet

VA-65 "Fist of the Fleet" (Attack Squadron 65) · USN · 1949-1959

Zeus's black fist crushing a red thunderbolt on a field of gold was approved by the Chief of Naval Operations on 9 June 1949 for Attack Squadron 65, and it has outlived nearly every airframe that wore it. Flying Douglas AD Skyraiders from the decks of Boxer, Valley Forge, Philippine Sea, and Yorktown, the squadron logged more than 1,600 combat missions over Korea between 1950 and 1954. This early version, worn on the chest of a Navy Commander's leather flight jacket, carries no battle stars — those were added to later renditions as the squadron flew through Vietnam and the Gulf. In July 1959 the squadron traded its numbers for VA-25 and carried the fist with it, where it endures today on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets of VFA-25.