TOPHATTERS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE
FIRST HALF OF MED DEPLOYMENT
-
CHANGE
OF COMMAND
With the first
three months of our 1997
Mediterranean Cruise complete, the
TOPHATTERS of VF-14 have achieved several notable
accomplishments.
 In early May, just
before passing through the Straits of Gibraltar,
Fighter Squadron FOURTEEN was awarded the
"Golden Wrench Award" from Commander
Carrier Air Wing EIGHT for maintenance
excellence. It was the first time a Tomcat
squadron received this recognition in over five
years. Every TOPHATTER F-14A was soon adorned
with a Golden Wrench on its tail representing
this honor.
related
pictures on this site: AJ
214 tail, AJ
204 tail
Later that month, after
stopping briefly in Marseilles, France, VF-14 and
the  CVW-8/JFK Team
participated in "Iles D’Or", a
joint exercise with eleven countries. Missions
flown by TOPHATTERS included Combat Air Patrol,
Defensive and Offensive Counter Air, and overland
strikes. It was a great chance to fly against
Super Entendards, F-8s, Harriers, and Mirage
2000s. A job well done by all was rewarded by
port visits to Palma de Mallorca and Benidorm,
Spain.
related
pictures on this site: AJ
213 with French Super Etendard, AJ
213 along the coast, AJ
213 flying low over the French landscape
Mid-June found Fighting
FOURTEEN participating in Operation Deliberate
Guard. Positioned in the middle of the Adriatic
Sea onboard USS JOHN F. KENNEDY, CVW-8/VF-14 aircraft
flew missions over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Communicating with NATO ground forces, TOPHATTER
aircrew helped keep watch over the region.
Fighter
Squadron FOURTEEN then participated in a historic
occasion. The USS JOHN F. KENNEDY was the first U.S.
aircraft carrier to visit Koper,
Slovenia during their independence day
celebrations. After a port visit in Cannes,
France for the Fourth of July, CVW-8 and the JFK
proceeded once again off the coast of Bosnia for
Deliberate Guard while simultaneously
participating in the Sixth Fleet Exercise
INVITEX-97. The successful exercise included
forces from France, Italy, Greece, UK, and the
Netherlands.
related
pictures on this site: Crowded
deck with Koper, Slovenia in the background, Camelot
Tomcats refuelling from RAF L1011
Most recently, the
TOPHATTERS’ reigns of command were handed
over from CDR
John W. Snedeker to CDR
Luke R. Parent during an airborne
change-of-command ceremony. Over the waters of
the Mediterranean Sea, on the 26th of July, three
TOPHATTER Tomcats led by CAG (Capt.
"Cuddles" Wyatt) and CCG-2 (RADM
Williamson) with dash two CDR
"Sneds" Snedeker and the third with CDR
"Bernie" Parent, approached the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY. As they approached
the ship, CDR Snedeker read his orders over
the radio and  passed the lead as
TOPHATTER ONE to CDR
Parent.
The entire squadron watched
from the flight deck and the aircrews’
radio transmissions were relayed through he ships
PA system. After the flight broke up, each F-14
made a solo fly-by pass, the last one a
supersonic salute by CDR
"Sneds" Snedeker.
related
pictures on this site: formation
of three, solo
fly-by, supersonic
salute
related video clips on this site: change
of command
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