Attack Squadron 153 (VA-153), known as the “Blue Tail Flies,” was a US Navy carrier attack squadron active for over twenty years. The squadron started as a Naval Air Reserve fighter unit. It participated in operations in Korea, the Taiwan Strait, Laos, Vietnam, and the Arabian Sea. The squadron’s history began with the reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve in 1949, when a fighter squadron at NAS New York, likely VF-718, was renamed VF-831. It was called to active duty on February 1, 1951, and soon saw combat as part of Carrier Air Group 15 on the USS Antietam. The squadron was deployed to Korea from September 1951 to May 1952, during the last stages of the Korean War. It was renamed VF-153 in February 1953 and adopted the nickname Blue Tail Flies later that year. In the 1950s, the squadron received various naval fighters, including the F9F Panther, F9F Cougar, and FJ-3 Fury, before receiving the A-4 Skyhawk in 1957. In February 1955, squadron aircraft supported the evacuation of Chinese Nationalist forces from the Tachen Islands during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis. In 1958, the squadron returned to the Taiwan Strait during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. On December 15, 1956, the squadron was renamed Attack Squadron 153, focusing more on attack missions.
In January 1961, the USS Coral Sea, which carried Attack Squadron 153, operated in the South China Sea after Pathet Lao forces took key positions in Laos. The squadron would soon become heavily involved in the conflicts spreading across Southeast Asia. Attack Squadron 153 began flying combat missions over Laos in February 1965. The squadron took part in several operations and also engaged in Operation Flaming Dart, which involved US strikes against North Vietnam in response to attacks on American personnel. In March 1965, Attack Squadron 153 joined Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing campaign against North Vietnam, in which the squadron’s Skyhawks targeted various locations in the region. On August 13, 1965, Commander H. E. Thomas, the head of VA-153, was killed in action over North Vietnam. Despite this loss, the squadron continued its missions throughout the war, flying attack missions from Navy carriers and supporting American and allied forces in Southeast Asia. The Blue Tail Flies also responded to crises outside of Vietnam. In March 1968, the aircraft carrier Coral Sea, which had Attack Squadron 153 on board, operated off Korea after North Korea seized the USS Pueblo earlier that year. In November 1970, the squadron took part in Operation Ivory Coast, an attempt to save American prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp near Hanoi.
One of the squadron’s impressive achievements occurred during the final years of the Vietnam War. In February 1973, Commander D. R. Weichman, the executive officer of Attack Squadron 153, completed his 625th combat mission, making him the US Navy fixed-wing pilot with the most combat missions during the war. After the Paris Peace Accords ended major US combat operations against North Vietnam, VA-153 continued to fly missions over Laos until the ceasefire in February 1973. The squadron’s Cold War duties continued after Vietnam. In November 1973, the USS Oriskany, carrying Attack Squadron 153, left the South China Sea and moved to the Arabian Sea to take over from the USS Hancock. The relocation happened because of rising tensions after the Yom Kippur War and the Arab-Israeli conflict. By that time, the Blue Tail Flies had spent over twenty years operating in important waters in Asia and the Middle East. Attack Squadron 153 eventually transitioned to the A-7 Corsair II after years of flying the A-4 Skyhawk. The Blue Tail Flies changed from a Reserve fighter unit with piston-engine aircraft to a jet attack squadron that fought extensively in Vietnam. Attack Squadron 153 was decommissioned on September 30, 1977.
