The Centennial of Naval Aviation event Saturday was a great excuse to reunite former members of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133, some of whom hadn’t seen each other in more than four decades.

The conference room at the Best Western in Oak Harbor was filled to capacity Saturday evening, as more than 115 members, plank owners and spouses of the squadron gathered to reminisce and reconnect.

“The best friends you have are the ones from the military, because you were with them all the time,” said Jack Studley. “It’s been 41 years since I’ve seen some of them.”

Studley and his wife, Grayce, came all the way from Nobleboro, Maine for the reunion, which was planned around the Centennial.

“Those years in the Navy were the most significant in his life,” said Grayce. “Those are the ones that impacted him the most.”

“It was the most exciting thing I ever did,” said Jack, who was an air intelligence officer who served two tours in Vietnam. “I’d go back on a carrier in a minute.”

The history of VAQ-133 is tied very closely to the A-3 Skywarrior. The squadron was established in March, 1969 at Naval Air Station Alameda; it rose from the ashes of Heavy Attack Squadron (VAH) 10, Detachment 64 and VAQ-130, Detachment 64. Retired Navy Capt. Ralph Poore was the first commanding officer and retired Capt. John Dillon was the squadron’s first executive officer.

Missile threat

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviets had developed a new weapon — the surface-to-air-missile. The United States didn’t immediately realize what a significant threat the Russian missile would be.

“From the mid 50s, the Department of Defense was arrogant about the Soviets,” said Poore. “In 1960, they shot down a couple of our U-2’s. In 1963, the Navy lost two planes. In 1965, the Air Force lost four F-4s in one morning. Finally, the alarm bells began to ring.”

According to Poore and Dillon, the threat led the Navy to fast-track a plan to equip the under-utilized A-3 Skywarrior with electronic jamming equipment.

“The A-3 had basically lost its mission,” recalled Dillon. “The QRC (Quick Reaction Capability) called for 50 of the A-3 Skywarriors to be updated with electronic warfare capability.”

The problem was, there was a shortage of pilots available to fly the jet, and there weren’t a lot of the aircraft around, either.

“When I arrived in Alameda, there were no aircraft and there was no support,” said Dillon. “We got one plane in June, two in July and two more in August. But we didn’t have any pilots.”

Dillon said most of the pilots in his first class had no jet experience. He said there were some former helicopter pilots and others who had flown the EC-121 patrol planes or single engine aircraft. Maintenance was an issue as well, because there were no personnel familiar with the A-3 actually there to work on them.

“When we deployed for the first time on Jan. 3, 1968, our readiness rating was 23 percent,” Dillon said.

But the ‘electric whale’ performed well.

“Where the candle of electronic warfare had dimmed, we got it going again,” Dillon said.

Common bond

No doubt the Wizards’ shared experiences drew them closer together. For many on Saturday evening, it was as if no time had passed. Hair might have been a little thinner or grayer, waistlines perhaps a bit thicker for some, but the camaraderie hadn’t changed.

“If you ended a conversation with someone 20 years ago and then saw them again tonight, it’s like you never left off,” said Cmdr. Gary Albert, who was visiting from Bellevue.

Gary Jackson, from Poulsbo, was an Aviation Electronics Technician during his time in the Navy.

“The fact that so many came tonight shows how much this means to people,” he said.

“I have been having a ball,” said former Lt. Court Carter, who made 265 carrier landings in the A-3. “It’s a beautiful airplane to me. But it’s fun to watch the evolution to the new aircraft.”

The men of VAQ-133 continue to hold their memories dear even though they passed the torch to new generations of naval aviators long ago.

“When I established this squadron I said we are pioneers,” said Poore. “We will face challenges, but we will overcome them. VAQ-133 has fulfilled that prophecy.”