VMA-214Photograph AlbumVMA-214 1942 through 1962 VMA-214 Personnel 1943 Twenty-three VMA-214 pilots are shown seated behind the men in the numerals. BB (Before Boyington and Black Sheep) VMA-214 Officers and Men are pictured at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Territory of Hawaii in February 1943, near completing combat training requirements. VMA-214 had been established July 1, 1942 under Commanding Officer Captain C. W. Sommers, USMC at Ewa. On July 21, 1942 Captain George F. Britt, USMC took command - Britt was promoted to Major before deploying. Other VMA-214 Commanding officers, Before Boyington, were: June 9, 1943 - Major H. A. Ellis Jr., USMC ; July 12, 1943 - Major W. A. Pace, USMC; and August 7, 1943 - Captain J. R. Burnett, USMC. USMC photograph courtesy of Roberta Lowe. VMA-214 Pilots 1958 Picture of Black Sheep pilots taken at MCAS Kaneohe Bay in 1958/59. Squadron FJ-4B Furies are in the background. The Commanding Officer, Lt.Col. Jack Bolt, is in the center of the photo, Lloyd Gailey is sitting at the far right. Photograph from Lloyd Gailey. VMA-214 Det N Men 1963 Photograph from the Hornet cruise book. VMA-214 Officer in Charge Major R. J. Kern. Photograph from the Hornet cruise book. VMA-214 Pilot Captain I. C. Archibold. Photograph from the Hornet cruise book. VMA-214 Pilot Captain W. H. Hale. Photograph from the Hornet cruise book. VMA-214 Pilot Captain A. G. Potenza. Photograph from the Hornet cruise book. VMA-214 Pilot First Lieutenant R. L. Crane. Photograph from the Hornet cruise book. VMA-214 Pilot First Lieutenant J. E. Gardner. Photograph from the Hornet cruise book. BuNo.147755 and Captain Melville with the Blacksheep. Photo provided by Robert H. Melville Jr., son of Captain Melville. Blacksheep Drivers "huddle up" for briefing. Photo provided by Robert H. Melville Jr. Blacksheep Drivers getting a "good hunting" handshake. Photo provided by Robert H. Melville Jr. 1964 Blacksheep DET N Skyhawk BuNo 142875, WE-84, assigned to the USS Hornet parked on the ramp. Naval Aviation News Photo. A-4C Skyhawk Jato Takeoff - 1965 A VMA-214 Blacksheep A-4C taking off using JATO from Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Phillipines, June 1965. Photograph courtesy of Russell Williams. Over the South China Sea - 1965 A Blacksheep Skyhawk is pictured flying over the "tropic Q" clouds somewhere over the South China Sea between Cubi Point, Phillipines and Chu Lai, Vietnam, June 22, 1965. Photograph courtesy of Rusty Williams. A-4C Skyhawk BuNo. 148548 - 1965 VMA-214's A-4C Skyhawk BuNo. 148548 side number WE-10 near Chu Lai, South Vietnam - taken during period July to November 1965 over Vietnam. Note reddish dirt on fuselage and wings from Chu Lai clay. Photograph courtesy of Russell Williams. Greg Boyington - 1965 Greg Boyington (white shirt) visiting VMA-214's Blacksheep at Chu Lai, South Vietnam during the fall of 1965. Blacksheep in the picture from the upper left: "Slats" Combs, unk, unk, Bill Bartlett, unk, Pappy, Pete Wyrick (later CO 214), Russell Williams, CO Keith O'Keefe, Larson, Rooke, Major unk (O-3). From the lower left: Moore, Lee Burns, Bill Fitts, Frank Bryant, WO unk. Photograph by and courtesy of Russell Williams. Circa 1966: BuNO 147799 Black Sheep loaded with iron bombs. Harry Gann photo from Joe Baldwin Jr. Circa 1966: Chu Lai Skyhawk Line and tent area. John Stum Circa 1966: Black Sheep Skyhawks BuNo 148482 and 148508 on the taxiway at Chu Lai. John Stum Circa 1966: Black Sheep Skyhawk BuNo 148548 on the taxiway at Chu Lai. John Stum 01 Feb 1966: Black Sheep Skyhawk line: BuNo 148494, WE-19, in the foreground followed by WE-13, WE-2, WE-11 and WE-22. U.S. Navy BuNo. 145117 on the VMA-214 line in Nam - 1966. NOV 1966: BuNo 148531, WE-4, assigned to MAJ Dave Caylor as she taxis by the photographer. USAF O-1E Bird Dog s/n 56-2569 at left. Unknown photographer via W. Mutza 1966-67: BuNo 148436, WE-12, parked on the ramp. Unknown photographer via W. Mutza 1965-67: Skyhawk BuNo 148471, WE-2, parked on the ramp next to a Skyknight. Unknown photographer APR 1968: BuNo 148471, WE-2, parked on the ramp with an MBER and Snakeyes on the port side. Unknown photographer APR 1968: BuNo 148531, WE-1, with Black Sheep Officers at MCAS El Toro. APR 1968: BuNo 148531, WE-1, with Black Sheep Operations (S-3) at MCAS El Toro. APR 1968: BuNo 148531, WE-1, with Black Sheep Admin (S-1) at MCAS El Toro. USMC from Jim Hockenberry VMA-214 Blacksheep Squadron snapshots taken at MCAS El Toro in 1968 by Jim Larkin: VMA-214 maintenance hanger and fix-um-up shop. VMA-214 revetment from the fix-um-up shop. VMA-214 Skyhawks parked in a line. VMA-214 Skyhawk business end. Close-up of a Skyhawk wing's air flow tabs. April 1969 Black Sheep Skyhawk BuNo 148471, WE-2, parked on the ramp with an MBER and Snakeyes on the port side. Gary Verver Collection JUL 1969: Blacksheep Skyhawk BuNo 148531, WE-1, assigned to LCOL William R. Smith parked on the flightline next to VA-128 A-6 Intruder BuNo 151818, NJ-45. Nick Williams BuNo 149536,WE-22, assigned to 1/LT D.L. Peem parked on the ramp. Jim Brady BuNo 149644, WE-2, assigned to MAJ R.J. Reid parked on the line. Nick Williams A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 158428 - 1972 Captain Hans Vogelpohl leads his wingman Captain Hal Widener in A-4M Skyhawk BuNo: 158428 side number WE 2 over southwest Texas from El Paso to Randolph on November 11, 1972. Two days later Captain Hal Widener returned in A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 158428 to Marine Corps. Air Station El Toro --- his last military flight. Hans Vogelpohl photograph from Hal Widener. BuNo.158428 with the Blacksheep. Photo provided by Robert H. Melville Jr. BuNo.158428 with the Blacksheep. Photo provided by Robert H. Melville Jr. 02 Sep 1976 Blacksheep Skyhawk BuNo 158430, WE-10, parked on the flight line. Photo by T.R. Waddington, Gary Verver collection. 06 APR 1977: Blacksheep Skyhawk BuNo 160043, WE-000, parked on the ramp. Dr. C.A. "Sketch" Eddy 1977: A-4M Formation, WE-12 is BuNo 160023 and behind WE-12 are WE-5, WE-7 & WE-2. WE-2 could be 160043. Four Blacksheep A-4Ms cruise the friendly skies. Photograph by Harry Gann and courtesy of Fred Lewis. Nov. 1978, two Blacksheep Skyhawks, BuNo 160040, WE-3, in the foreground. U.S. Navy photo by Cpl E. Denton A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 158170 - 1980 Black Sheep WE 20 approaching for landing at NAS Atsugi, Japan, September 15, 1980. Color photograph by and courtesy of Takafumi Hiroe of Yokohama, Japan. Takafumi Hiroe's website index to his USN aircraft pictures. A-4M Skyhawk departs Cubi Point - 1980 Bill Cline snapped this picture of a Blacksheep A-4M taking off from the field at Cubi Point, Phillipines. The VMA-214 Blacksheep under the command of Lt.Col. Hastings. This picture was taken from a vantage point at the upper MAU. Oct 1980 BuNo 158156, WE-24, taxiing out on the runway during exercise Cope North 80. U.S. Navy photo Oct 1980 BuNo 158165, WE-17, from Marine Light Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214) during exercise Cope North 80. U.S. Navy photo, Tsgt Curt Eddings A-4M Skyhawk BuNo 158165, WE-17, from Marine Light Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214) during exercise Cope North "80". U.S. Navy photo, Tsgt Curt Eddings. A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 159481 - 1981 The pilot successfully punched out (of course), the plane skidded on the desert floor and came to a stop near Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. The Skyhawk was in the landing pattern for Yuma when it experienced a failure of the Pb4 (burner pressure) sensing line at the connection to the fuel control moisture trap. This failure caused the engine to immediately go to idle. If the pilot had more altitude he would have had time to switch to "manual" fuel control and recover, but he only had time to jam the throttle to the military stop, decide he was it trouble, and punch. The Skyhawk basically pancaked in, at the position shown in the picture. The fuselage was cut apart during the mishap investigation in order to remove the engine in an "as-is" condition for the E.I. at NARF Jax. With minor repair and replacement of the broken line we heard the engine ran 4-0 (perfectly). The pilot is reported to have been Captain Joe "Famous" Krejmas. Photograph from Bill Cline; text by John W. Street, MgySgt, USMC-Ret. May 1981 BuNo 158414, WE-16, with a pair of drop tanks and MBER's. Gary Verver Collection A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 159779 "Attacking the Hun" - 19??. A McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle from Luke Air Force Base and a VMA-214 Black Sheep A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 159779, WE 11 from Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. Photograph taken out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma by Harry S. Gann. 05 May 1982 BuNo 160030, WE-01, parked on the ramp at an open house. M.J. Kasiuba, G. Verver collection. A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 160041 Bites the Dust - 1982-3 If there's an A-4 on static display at 29 Palms, it's probably from VMA-214's mishap occurring in late 1982 or early '83 at the "Stumps" expeditionary airfield. The pilot in BuNo. 150041 side number WE-7 landed short of the runway during a night approach to landing due to weathered lenses on the runway approach lights (Ball). To the pilot it looked just like a centered "ball" all the way to touchdown --- a quarter mile short of the runway threshhold. The landing ripped the main landing gear from the Skyhawk and the aircraft skidded overland to the runway and then down the runway until the nose gear caught the arresting gear cable and swung 180 degrees to a stop. Pilot walked away with a lot of help from the CFR guys. The engine and as many useable parts as possible were salvaged. The hulk was left for crash crew to play with; but maybe later someone tried to fix it up. Photographs and text by John W. Street, MgySgt, USMC-Ret. Poster shot of BuNo.158155 and 158416 in Blacksheep Clothing". Source unknown. 1980s BuNo 160022, WE-19, on display at an open house. Photo by John Freeman 1986: Black Sheep Skyhawk BuNo 160022, WE-19, as the pilot suits up atop the port wing. Phil Jarvis 1986 Blacksheep Skyhawk flightline during a CAX exercise. WE-8 in the center and WE-15 at right. F. Nunez 1986 Blacksheep Skyhawk loaded with four 500lb bombs on the centerline and two 300 gallon drop tanks during a CAX exercise. F. Nunez 1986 Blacksheep Skyhawk WE-8 taxies out loaded with 2 sets of 500lbs bombs and a center drop tank. F. Nunez 1986 -87 Blacksheep Skyhawk prepares to fly over Okinawa. VMA-214 was at Kadena AFB, during WestPac 86-87. F. Nunez May 1986 BuNo 158176, WE-4, parked on the flight line. Gary Verver Collection 28 April 1989 BuNo 160030, WE-01, parked on the ramp. Gary Verver Collection BuNo 158424, WE-5, parked on the ramp with a pair of drop tanks at an open house. Gary Verver Collection |