Navy to Honor the Jolly Rogers Aviation Unit

Navy Athletics and Under Armour unveiled the 2024 Army-Navy game uniform that will honor the Jolly Rogers on Dec. 14 at the 125th playing of the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. Kickoff is set for 3 PM and the game will be televised nationally by CBS.

The Jolly Rogers were established in 1943 and are the most lethal and history-rich squadron in all of Naval Aviation and continue to exemplify the traditions and excellence of professionalism of the United States Navy.  Their tagline is Fear the Bones and their callsign is Victory.
 
Flying over nine different types of fighter aircraft in the past 63 years, the Skull and Crossbones have become the most recognized and feared insignia in the world.  The Skull and Crossbones first flew in January 1943 on the F4U Corsairs assigned to VF-17, the most lethal Navy fighter squadron of World War II.  By the end of the war, the original Jolly Rogers had racked up over 150 kills in the skies over the Pacific. 

In 1946, VF-17 was designated VF-5B and then again in 1948 to VF-61, as the Jolly Rogers transitioned from the F4U to the F-8 Bearcat.  VF-61 subsequently transitioned to the Navy's first jet fighters, the F-9 Panther, then the FJ-3 Fury and finally the F-3H Demon, prior to the squadron's decommissioning in March 1959.

Flying F-8 Crusaders at the time, the VF-84 Vegabonds were designated as the Jolly Rogers in June 1959 to preserve the tradition and history of "The Bones."  Eventually the VF-84 Jolly Rogers transitioned from the F-8 Crusader to the F-4 Phantom and finally to the F-14A Tomcat in 1975.

Following VF-84's decommissioning in October 1995, the decision was made to retire the "Club and Cloverleaf" insignia of the VF-103 "Sluggers" and have Fighting 103 adopt the Jolly Rogers insignia and the Tactical callsign, "Victory," on October 1, 1995.  Prior to assuming the Jolly Rogers name and insignia, VF-103, commissioned in 1952, had consistently proven ready and willing to accomplish all assigned missions while flying successively more complex and capable aircraft.  VF-103 flew numerous sorties in the moonless skies over Vietnam and achieved the only night MiG kill of the entire conflict.

The Skull and Crossbones had now moved on to its fifth home in order to preserve the rich history and multiple achievements of all Jolly Rogers, spanning four generations and four fighter squadrons.  VF-103 made its last deployment flying the F-14B Tomcat in 2004 aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, conducting missions in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, and the squadron transitioned to the F/A-18F Super Hornet in February of 2005, becoming re-designated VFA-103

In October 2006, VFA-103 deployed with CVW-7 aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) to the CENTCOM AOR in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM, and Horn of Africa Operations off the coast of Somalia.  In 2008, the Jolly Rogers transited the Straits of Magellan aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) during the Partnership of the Americas deployment before beginning workups in June.  The Jolly Rogers deployed again in February 2009 in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.  During five months of supporting coalition ground forces engaged in close combat with the enemy, the squadron led the air wing in kinetic effects.

Less than six months later, the Jolly Rogers returned to sea for a seven-month surge deployment beginning in January 2010 aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.  VFA-103 continued its role as Carrier Air Wing SEVEN's (CVW-7's) go-to squadron for the most demanding combat and combat support missions.  While deployed, the Jolly Rogers led the air wing in combat operations, flying over 1850 sorties and nearly 5900 hours.  The squadron's relentless effort to prepare for operations on the tip of the spear culminated in the successful delivery of 14 precision weapons, over 600 rounds of 20mm, and more than 80 non-kinetic shows of force/presence in direct support of coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan.  
 
In 2016, The Jolly Rogers completed a cruise for the ages, embarked upon the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. During this deployment, the Jolly Rogers once again proved to be the most lethal squadron in the Air Wing (CVW-7), which saw them employ more Precision Guided Munitions (490 pieces of ordnance) than any other single squadron in Naval History.
 
Continuing the trend of setting of greatness and setting records within Naval Aviation, the Jolly Rogers deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) for 10 months in support of maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet areas of operations.  This deployment spanned 295 days, which set a record for the longest carrier deployment in the post-Cold War era.
 
The Jolly Rogers departed Norfolk in August 2022 and returned in April 2023 while spending the entirety of its deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa areas of operations.  During this historic deployment, the men and women of VFA-103 and fellow squadrons within the Air Wing (CVW-7), participated in a multitude of multinational exercises and combat operations to increase North American Treaty Organization (NATO) capability and deter aggression in the region.
 
In its most recent deployment, VFA-103 deployed for a Southern Seas Deployment from April to July in 2024, working with partner nations in SOUTHCOM and an overflight of Guyana to show support.

The Jolly Rogers of VFA-103 continue to exemplify the Naval Aviation traditions of excellence and professionalism.  With the Jolly Rogers emblem proudly emblazoned on the tails of the most lethal and history-rich fighter squadron in all of Naval Aviation, the legacy of "The Bones" promises to endure for many years to come.
 
This is the second time the Navy football team has honored the Jolly Rogers.  In 1962, Roger Staubach and the Mids wore a Jolly Rogers-inspired helmet design in a 34-14 rout of the Cadets at Philadelphia's Municipal Stadium.

The Navy football uniform color blocking for the Army-Navy game mimics the iconic color of the Jolly Rogers aircraft.
 
Representing the Jolly Rogers tail design, the neck of the jersey incorporates the dark Navy blue color and the Jolly Rogers insignia.
 
The uniform collar striping is a direct reference to the classic stripe found on the top edge of the tail fin.
 
The Navy wordmark is inspired by the wordmark found on the side of the aircraft and the uniform numbers model the aircraft side number on the fuselage and the trailing edge flap of the wings.
 
The sleeves feature the traditional Jolly Rogers angled stripe, with 9 total chevrons (jersey + pant) on either side. This pays tribute to the nine aircrafts flown throughout the squadron's history.
 
"Fear the Bones" is incorporated into the interior collar as a discoverable detail.
 
The locker tag draws inspiration from the iconic VF-84 tail fin design with a drop shadow "JR" (Jolly Rogers) composition.
 
Featured on the side panels of the pant, the microtext honors the six Jolly Rogers squadrons that have exemplified what it means to bear the skull and cross bones.
 
The helmet design is a culmination of the past and present Jolly Rogers aviator helmets.
 
Featuring the iconic VF-84 helmet design, chevrons are incorporated with the skull on the sides of the helmet as well as chevrons representing the nine different aircraft that the Jolly Rogers have flown in the striping of the helmet.
 
The Jolly Rogers tagline Fear the Bones is on the bumper of the helmet.
 
A white base coat with reflective qualities was used to represent VFA-103's helmet.