Description
**Officially Licensed US Navy VA-42 Green Pawns Sticker — Fleet Replacement Squadron Vinyl Sticker**
VA-42 Green Pawns — the squadron that introduced the A-6 Intruder to the fleet, trained the first female A-6 pilot, and conducted the first night arrested landings with the Intruder on USS Forrestal. Every A-6 crew in the Navy passed through the Green Pawns’ schoolhouse.
VA-42 was established as Fighter Squadron VF-42 on 1 September 1950 at NAS Oceana, Virginia, and redesignated as Attack Squadron VA-42 on 1 November 1953. The “Green Pawns” name came from the chess piece — chosen because the pawn has the most potential power on the board. The double meaning wasn’t lost on the crews: they were “green” (new, in training) and a “pawn” that could be pushed around by the fleet. On 1 February 1963, VA-42 became the first fleet squadron to receive the A-6A Intruder, launching the Fleet Introduction Program that would train every A-6 pilot, bombardier/navigator, and maintenance crew in the Navy and Marine Corps. In 1980, Lt(jg) Beth Hubert trained at VA-42 and became the first female naval aviator to qualify as an A-6 pilot. In June 1982, a VA-42 pilot became the first woman to make an arrested landing in an A-6 during carrier qualifications. The squadron was disestablished on 30 September 1994 after more than four decades of service.
• Type: 4″ vinyl die-cut sticker
• UV-protected, guaranteed not to fade or tear
• 100% made in the USA
• Full-color official insignia
• Suitable for laptops, vehicles, lockers, water bottles, gear
Perfect For: VA-42 veterans and alumni, A-6 Intruder enthusiasts, NAS Oceana personnel, Fleet Replacement Squadron fans, naval aviation training history buffs, military sticker collectors
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