Authentic US Navy VF-21 Freelancers Vinyl Sticker

Description

**Officially Licensed US Navy VF-21 Freelancers Sticker — Fighter Squadron Vinyl Sticker**

VF-21 Freelancers — the squadron that drew first blood in Vietnam. On 17 June 1965, two VF-21 Phantom crews splashed two MiG-17s, scoring the U.S. Navy’s first confirmed kills of that war.

VF-21 traces its lineage to VF-81, established on 2 March 1944, cycling through designations including VF-13A, VF-131, and VF-64 before becoming VF-21 on 1 July 1959 as part of Carrier Air Group 2 at NAS Miramar. Flying the F3H Demon and later the F-4B Phantom II, the Freelancers deployed to Vietnam in March 1965 aboard USS Midway. Commander Louis Page and Lieutenant John Smith destroyed a MiG-17 with an AIM-7 Sparrow, followed moments later by a second kill from Lieutenant Jack Batson and Lieutenant Commander Robert Doremus — the Navy’s first aerial victories of the conflict. VF-21 made seven combat deployments aboard USS Coral Sea and USS Ranger between 1965 and 1973. In 1983, VF-21 and sister squadron VF-154 became the last US-based squadrons to fly the F-4 Phantom, hosting a ceremony at Miramar that honored “the end of an era.” The squadron transitioned to the F-14A Tomcat in late 1983, later deploying with CVW-5 aboard USS Independence from Yokosuka, Japan. VF-21 was disestablished on 31 January 1996.

• 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: VF-21 veterans and alumni, Vietnam War MiG kill historians, F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat enthusiasts, USS Coral Sea and USS Independence crew members, CVW-5 alumni, Yokosuka-based naval aviation fans

Explore more from our collection.