VF-102 (Diamondbacks): A United States Navy fighter squadron established on 1 July 1955 at Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida, initially as VA-36 before immediate redesignation to VF-102. Nicknamed the “Diamondbacks,” it initially flew the F2H-4 Banshee and transitioned through aircraft including the F4D-1 Skyray, F-4 Phantom II (B and J models), F-14 Tomcat (A from 1981, upgraded to B in 1994), before being redesignated as Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102) on 1 May 2002, now operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet (upgraded to Block III in 2025). The squadron has an extensive combat history, including the Vietnam War (1968 operations from Yankee Station), Gulf of Sidra incidents (1986, Operations Attain Document and El Dorado Canyon), Operation Desert Storm (1991, over 1,400 combat hours), Operations Provide Promise/Deny Flight/Restore Hope in Bosnia and Somalia (1993-1994), Operation Southern Watch in Iraq (multiple 1990s deployments), and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (2001-2002, 3,346 combat hours and record 159 days at sea). Currently forward-deployed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, as part of Carrier Air Wing Five attached to USS George Washington
