VF-143 Pukin Dogs F-14 Tomcat Tail

A beautifully carved 20 inch (total width) solid wood plaque of the VF-143 Pukin Dogs!  Collect all your squadrons with truly artistic craftsmanship of the Navy’s finest symbols.

The use of naval aviation insignia is a modern form of heraldry that dates back to the early period of naval aviation in the 1920’s and captures many proud moments of its history. The practice fosters a sense of pride, unit cohesion and contributes to high morale, esprit de corps and professionalism within the community. It also serves as an effective means of preserving a command’s tradition, continuity of purpose and recognition, as traced through its lineage. The following rules are provided to ensure that all command insignia and slogans are in keeping with the highest traditions of the proud naval aviation heritage.

FIGHTER SQUADRON ONE FOUR THREE The World Famous Pukin’ Dogs were originally commissioned in 1949 as VF-871, a reserve squadron known as the “Griffins.” Based out of NAS Alameda, Calif., the Griffins were first called to active duty on July 20, 1950. Once on active duty, the squadron took the F4U-4 Corsair to war in Korea from the decks of the USS Princeton (CV 37) in early 1951 followed by the USS Essex (CVA 9) in 1952.

Over the next eleven years the squadron changed aircraft and designations twice: as VF-123 flying the F9F-2 Panther and F9F-8 Cougar, and then as VF-53, flying the F3H-2 Demon. Finally, on June 20, 1962, the squadron was redesignated VF-143 as they transitioned to the F4H-1 Phantom II (later redesignated the F-4B). The Pukin’ Dogs first cruise as VF-143 was a WESTPAC aboard the USS Constellation (CV 64) in February 1963 . Operating as part of Carrier Air Wing 14 the squadron responded to the Gulf of Tonkin incident by flying in the Pierce Arrow attacks on North Vietnamese naval facilities on August 5, 1964.

In the succeeding years, the Pukin’ Dogs transitioned to the F-4J and recorded seven combat deployments to Vietnam. It was during one of those deployments in 1967 that two Dogs, LTJG Robert P. Hickey JR, USN and his RIO LTJG Jeremy G. Morris, USNR engaged and successfully destroyed a Vietnamese MIG 21 with an AIM 7 Sparrow air to air missile; making them the Pukin’ Dogs first official MIG killers.

On April 1, 1975, after completion of F-14A Tomcat transition training, the Pukin’ Dogs permanently moved to their present home at NAS Oceana, VA As part of CVW-6, VF-143 made its first F-14 carrier deployment aboard USS America (CV 66) from April 15 to October 25, 1976. During this Mediterranean deployment, the squadron participated in “Operation Fluid Drive,” providing CAP for the evacuation of American citizens from Beirut in 1976. In the following years the Pukin’ Dogs participated in a South Atlantic cruise (June 10 to July 19, 1977) followed shortly thereafter by a Mediterranean cruise (Sept. 29, 1977 to April 25, 1978).

In the fall of 1978, VF-143 joined USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7). In 1979 they made IKE’s first major deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from January 16 to July 13. VF-143 and the IKE next spent 152 days continuously at sea during their 1980 cruise. The squadron then made a brief NORLANT cruise, between Aug. 17 and Oct. 7, 1980, and participated in NATO’s Exercise Ocean Adventure. During their 1982 Mediterranean deployment, the Pukin’ Dogs, with three Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod Systems (TARPS) equipped aircraft, once again provided CAP for the evacuation of American citizens from war-torn Beirut.

During their 1983 MED deployment, VF-143 flew 45 combat TARPS missions, providing the Multinational Peacekeeping Forces in Lebanon with intelligence of enemy troop movements and artillery positions in the mountains outside of Beirut. VF-143 and the IKE returned to the MED on Oct. 11, 1984, where they again found themselves involved in a tense Lebanon situ