VF/VA-791 Fighting Rebels

VF-791 - VA-791 Fighting Rebels

Possible VF/VA-791 patch
Provided by John Gabbard

Patch

Handle

Fighting Rebels- - 195? - Reserve Fighter Squadron VF-791
Unknown- - - - - - 1961 - Reserve Attack Squadron VA-791
River Rattlers - - July 1, 1970 - Reserve Attack Squadron TWO HUNDRED FOUR (VA-204).
River Rattlers - - May 1, 1991 to the present - Reserve Strike Fighter Squadron TWO HUNDRED FOUR (VFA-204).
Lake Champlain CVA-39 "Iron Base" and VA-791 "EndRun"; from Phillip Moss

Heritage

195x - - Reserve Fighter Squadron 791 (VF-791) established at Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee.
1961 - - Reserve Fighter Squadron 791 (VF-791) was redesignated as Reserve Attack Squadron 791 (VA-791) at Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee.
July 1, 1970 - - Reserve Attack Squadron TWO HUNDRED FOUR (VA-204) River Rattlers established at Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee, using Reserve Attack Squadron VA-791 assets.
October 1, 1989 - - Reserve Attack Squadron TWO HUNDRED FOUR (VA-204) River Rattlers redesignated as Strike Fighter Squadron TWO HUNDRED FOUR (VFA-204) River Rattlers at Naval Air Station New Orleans, Louisiana.

Home Ports

Air Wings

Deployments

2 Mar 1951 - 24 Oct 1951 ----- CVG-101 -- USS Boxer (CV-21) -- F4U-4 ------ Korea

Aircraft

194X - - - - - - - - - Grumman F6F Hellcat.
1940s-1950s- - - - - - Chance Vought F4U Corsair.
1950's - - - - - - - - Grumman F9F-6 Cougar.
1961 - - - - - - - - - Douglas A4D-1 (A-4A) Skyhawk *
1960's - - - - - - - - Douglas A4D-2 (A-4B) Skyhawk *
* November 30, 1962
- The A4D-1 designation was changed to A-4A
- The A4D-2 designation was changed to A-4B
A-4 Skyhawk aircraft assigned to VA-204

Commanding Officers

Events

194x:
About 1948 a Reserve Fighter Unit 791 (VF-791) was established at Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee. The Reserve Fighter Unit was probably assigned the Grumman F6F Hellcat (Whistling Outhouse) for its first aircraft. Sometime during the Korean War (about 1950) the Squadron was assigned the Chance Vought F4U Corsair. After the Korean War (about 1954) the Squadron was probably assigned the Grumman F9F-6 Cougar.
The 1949 Navy Reserve concept was to attached Reserve Units to a Naval Air Station which held assets such as the aircraft the Reserve Units flew.

1961:
The Reserve Fighter Unit 791 (VF-791) was probably redesignated as Reserve Attack Squadron 791 (VA-791) at Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee. The Squadron was probably assigned the Douglas A-4A (A4D-1) Skyhawk.

1968:
Reserve Attack Squadron 791 (VA-791) was probably redesignated as Reserve Squadron 791 (VA-791) at Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee. Reserve Squadron 791 (VA-791) was probably assigned the Douglas A-4B (A4D-2) Skyhawk.
Up to this time, a Reserve Unit (Squadron) reported to the Naval Air Reserve Unit on their Naval Air Station. The 1961 Navy Reserve concept had Reserve Squadrons hold their own assets (such as the aircraft the Reserve Squadron flew).

July 1, 1970:
The Navy Reserve Force concept was implemented and Reserve Attack Squadron TWO HUNDRED FOUR (VA-204) River Rattlers were established at Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee, using assets of Reserve Attack Squadron XXX (VA-XXX). For Skyhawk Association purposes Reserve Squadron VA-XXX was redesignated VA-204 when Naval Air Reserve Units were combined into a newly established Carrier Air Wing 20 (East Coast AF) and Carrier Air Wing 30 (West Coast ND). The new VA-204 was assigned the Douglas A-4L Skyhawk and some Douglas A-4C Skyhawks. About 100 A-4C Skyhawks were remanufactured into the hot-rod A-4L.

Awards

Sources: