Description
Official VAQ-139 Cougars Plane Captain Shoulder Patch — The One Who Owns the Jet
Before the Growler launches, the Plane Captain signs it off. This patch says you’ve earned that authority.
Electronic Attack Squadron 139 — the Cougars — has been one of the Navy’s premier electronic warfare units since standing up on 1 July 1983 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. Originally flying the EA-6B Prowler, VAQ-139 cut its teeth escorting convoys through the Straits of Hormuz, jamming hostile radars during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and flying 139 SEAD sorties with a perfect 100% sortie completion rate over Southern Iraq during Operation Southern Watch. The Cougars later became the first fleet squadron to accept and operate the ICAP-III Prowler, taking it into combat over Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After transitioning to the EA-18G Growler, VAQ-139 continued to set the standard — conducting the first successful live fire of the AIM-120 AMRAAM from a Growler in 2013, earning three consecutive Battle ‘E’ awards from 2016 to 2018, and most recently completing over 930 sorties during an eight-month deployment with CVW-17 aboard USS Nimitz supporting Operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel. In the electronic attack community, the Plane Captain is the enlisted maintainer who owns the aircraft on the ground — responsible for pre-flight, post-flight, and turnaround inspections that keep the Growler mission-ready. This shoulder patch marks that role with pride, worn by the Cougars who make every sortie possible from the flight line at Whidbey Island to the flight deck at sea.
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