VMAT-203 Hawks

Drawn by Bud Southworth

Patch

• 1947 - Hawk

Handle

• 1947 - Hawks

Heritage

• July 1, 1947
  Marine Training Squadron 1 (VMT-1), Fleet Marine Forces, Atlantic was established at Cherry Point, North Carolina.
• 
  
• November 30, 1951
  Marine Training Squadron 1, Fleet Marine Forces, Atlantic was disestablished at Cherry Point, North Carolina.
• 
  
• July 1, 1967
  Marine Training Squadron 1 (VMT-1), was re-established and assigned to the Second Marine Air Wing at Cherry Point, North Carolina.
  
  
• December of 1967
  VMT-1 was disestablished and re-established as Marine Training Squadron 203, (VMT-203).
• 
  
• May 1, 1972
  Marine Training Squadron 203, (VMAT-203) was redesignated Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 (VMAT-203 as the squadrons mission was changed to light attack jet training.

Home Ports

• Date - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Location:
• July 1, 1947 - - - - - MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina.

Air Wings

• Date - - - - - - - - - - - - Tail code - - - - - - - Air Wing
• No Data To Date

Deployments

• Departure & Return - - - - - - - - Air Wing - Carrier -Aircraft - - Area of Operations:
• None

Aircraft

• Date Type First Received - - - - - - Type of Aircraft:
• 1947 - - - - - - - - - - - North American SNJ
• 1947 - - - - - - - - - - - Vought F4U Corsair
• 1967 - - - - - - - - - - - Grumman F9F-6 Cougar
• 1967 - - - - - - - - - - - Lockheed TV-2 Shooting Star
• 3 July 1967- - - - - - - - Douglas TA-4F Skyhawk
• 7 September 1973 - - - - - Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk
• 17 August 1972 - - - - - - Douglas A-4M Skyhawk
• 1974 - - - - - - - - - - - AV-8A & TAV-8A Harrier.
• 1984 - - - - - - - - - - - AV8-B Harrier II
• 
  
• * November 30, 1962
  • The A4D-1 designation changed to A-4A
• 
  
• A-4 Skyhawk aircraft assigned to VMAT-203

Commanding Officers

• Date Assumed Command - - - - - - - Commanding Officer
• VMT-1
  • 01 JUL 1947 to 31 JUL 1947 - Lt.Col. E.H. Vaughan
  • 01 AUG 1947 to 10 AUG 1947 - Capt. E.P. Gray (Acting)
  • AUG 1947 to 10 MAR 1948- - - Capt. J.G. MCallister
  • MAR 1948 to 27 AUG 1949- - - Maj. W.A. Houston
  • 28 AUG 1949 to 25 JUL 1950 - Maj. S.H. Whitten
  • 26 JUL 1950 to 14 AUG 1950 - Col. C.T. Mattison
  • 15 AUG 1950 to 28 JUL 1951 - Maj. C.H. Woodely
  • 26 JUL 1951 to 01 FEB 1952 - Col. M.G. Haines
  • 02 FEB 1952 to 28 SEP 1952 - Lt.Col. (Col.) R.M. Baker
  • 15 DEC 1953 to 14 JUL 1954 - Col. M.A. Sevenson
  • 15 JUL 1954 to 09 OCT 1954 - Lt.Col. R. Seibert
  • 10 OCT 1954 to 15 SEP 1955 - Col. F.G. Dailey
  • 16 SEP 1955 to 01 NOV 1955 - Col. L.S. Moore
  • 02 NOV 1955 to 03 JAN 1956 - Col. (Brig.Gen.) E.A. Montgomery
  • 04 JAN 1956 to 30 JUN 1958 - Col. S.S. Moore
  • 01 JUL 1958 to 12 JUL 1959 - Lt.Col. P.C. Dehong
  • 13 JUL 1959 to 24 MAR 1960 - Lt.Col. R.W. Kesey
  • 25 MAR 1960 to 31 OCT 1960 - Maj. M.W. Seaman
  • 01 NOV 1960 to 06 JAN 1962 - Lt.Col. T.B. Wood
  • 07 JAN 1962 to 04 JAN 1963 - Lt.Col. R.A. Ward
  • 05 JAN 1963 to 04 JAN 1964 - Lt.Col. P.J. Dayson
  • 05 JAN 1964 to 09 DEC 1964 - Lt.Col. C.E. Merchant
  • 10 DEC 1964 to 31 AUG 1965 - Lt.Col. T.E. Dawson
  • 01 SEP 1965 to 18 MAY 1966 - Lt.Col. C.D. Jernigan
  • 19 MAY 1966 to 05 JAN 1967 - Maj. J.E. Weber Jr.
  • 06 JAN 1967 to 04 JAn 1968 - Lt.Col. F.R. Smoke
• VMT-203
  • 05 JAN 1968 to 09 MAY 1968 - Lt.Col. D.L. Moore
  • 10 MAY 1968 to 08 JAN 1970 - Lt.Col. R.W. Chapin
  • 09 JAN 1970 to 29 APR 1971 - Lt.Col. F.P. Williams
  • 30 APR 1971 to 22 NOV 1971 - Lt.Col. S.M. Williams
• VMAT-203
  • 23 NOV 1971 to 28 MAR 1973 - Lt.Col. C.D. Robinson
  • 29 MAR 1973 to 10 APR 1974 - Lt.Col. B.W. Summers
  • 11 APR 1974 to 23 MAY 1975 - Lt.Col. G.C. Psaros
  • 24 MAY 1975 to 19 JUL 1976 - Lt.Col. H.H. Clark
  • 20 JUL 1976 to 16 MAY 1977 - Lt.Col. J.E. Lary
  • 17 MAY 1977 to 02 MAY 1978 - Lt.Col. J.E. Iles
  • 03 MAY 1978 to 31 JAN 1980 - Lt.Col. F.E. Ogline
  • 01 FEB 1980 to 18 JAN 1981 - Lt.Col. P.R. Rounseville
  • 19 JAN 1981 to 30 JUN 1983 - Lt.Col. J.C. Lillie
  • 01 JUL 1983 to 28 MAY 1985 - Lt.Col. M.D. Ryan
  • 29 MAY 1958 to 28 MAY 1987 - Lt.Col. J.W. Capito
  • 29 MAY 1987 to 30 JUN 1989 - Lt.Col. G.B. Mayer JR
  • 01 JUL 1989 to 14 JUN 1991 - Lt.Col. R.J. Heib
  • 15 JUN 1991 to 25 JUN 1993 - Lt.Col. D.D. Theissen
  • 26 JUN 1993 to 27 JUN 1995 - Lt.Col. M.W. Thumm
  • 28 JUN 1995 to 27 JUN 1997 - Lt.Col. D.L. Buland
  • 28 JUN 1997 to 21 MAY 1999 - Lt.Col. C.R. Myers
  • 22 MAY 1999 to 24 MAY 2001 - Lt.Col. K.E. Conyers
  • 25 MAY 2001 to 22 MAR 2003 - Lt.Col. C.G. Huges II
  • 23 MAR 2003 to 31 MAR 2005 - Lt.Col. R.W. Regan
  • 01 APR 2005 to xx yyy zzzz - Lt.Col. J.L. Hoing

Events

• July 1, 1947:
  Marine Training Squadron 1, Fleet Marine Forces, Atlantic was established at Cherry Point, North Carolina. The squadron conducted instrument training with it's SNJ's and Vought F4U Corsairs. BR>
  
• November 30, 1951:
  Marine Training Squadron 1, Fleet Marine Forces, Atlantic was disestablished at Cherry Point, North Carolina.
  
  
• July 1, 1967:
  Marine Training Squadron 1, was re-established and assigned to the Second Marine Air Wing at Cherry Point, North Carolina.
• 
  
• July 2, 1967:
  Marine Training Squadron 1, was assigned the TA-4F Douglas Skyhawk, Grumman F9F-6 Cougar and Lockheed TV-2 Shooting Star.
• 
  
• December of 1967:
  VMT-1 was disestablished and re-established as Marine Training Squadron 203, (VMT-203).
• 
  
• February 3, 1969:
  TA-4F BuNo 153519 was lost on the ground at MCAS Cherry Point when a USMC F-4B Phantom II piloted by 1st Lt. Peter J. Barber lost power shortly after take-off and hit the flight line paralleling the runway destroying six Phantoms and one Skyhawk and damaging a hangar and 18 automobiles.
  The Milwaukee Journal, Wednesday, February 5, 1969.
• 
  
• May 1, 1972:
  Marine Training Squadron 203, (VMAT-203) was redesignated Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 (VMAT-203) as the squadrons mission changed to light attack jet training.
• 
  
• November 16, 1972:
  Capt. E. R. Moore ejected safely after his A-4M BuNo 158154 flamed out and caught fire 10 miles SE of Cherry Point Marine Air Station near Havelock on the North Carolina coast.
  The Danville Register,, Friday, Nov. 17, 1972.
• 
  
• July 11, 1974:
  Lt. Gary Williams ejected safely from his TA-4J BuNo 154615, moments before it crashed in Pamlico Sound, off the North Carolina coast.
  Harrisonburg Daily News Record, Friday, July 12, 1974.
• 
  
• September 29, 1974:
  VMAT-203 pioneered VSTOL flight training, receiving it's first AV-8A "Harrier."
• 
  
• October 9, 1974:
  VMAT-203 logged it's first "Harrier" flight.
• 
  
• January 1984:
  VMAT-203 became the first squadron to receive the new AV8-B "Harrier II".
• 
  
• April 1986:
  VMAT-203 retired the last TAV-8A "Harrier."

Awards

• Award - - - - - - - - - Inclusive Dates:
  
• No info yet

Photographs

Oct 1972 BuNo 158192, KD-20, parked on the ramp with under-wing fuel tanks.
Gary Verver Collection

Oct 1972 BuNo. 153486, KD-4.
Gary Verver Collection

BuNo 154318, KD-14, parked on the ramp with a centerline tank.
Gary Verver Collection

BuNo 154319, KD-2, parked on the ramp.
Gary Verver Collection

BuNo 154321, KD-9, parked on the ramp.
Gary Verver Collection

BuNo 154342, KD-12, parked on the flight line.
Gary Verver Collection

FEB 1972:
VMAT-203 KD-07, BuNo 153525, at MCAS Cherry Point NC.
Photos from Charlie Robinson
Pic 1
Pic 2


Sources:

• Graphics files created by and courtesy of Fred Lewis
• Harry Gann
• Charlie Robinson
• John Gabbard