Officially Licensed US Navy VF-101 Grim Reapers Tomcat Strike Weapons School Patches

Officially Licensed US Navy VF-101 Grim Reapers Tomcat Strike Weapons School Patches — Mow 'Em Down

Before you flew the Tomcat, the Grim Reapers had to sign off on it — and the Reaper doesn't pass anyone who isn't ready.

Fighter Squadron 101 (VF-101) — the 'Grim Reapers' — carries one of the most storied lineages in all of naval aviation. The name traces back to 1942, when legendary World War II naval aviator Jimmy Flatley formed VF-10 at NAS San Diego, chose the Grim Reaper as the squadron symbol, and adopted the motto 'Mow 'Em Down.' Flying F4F Wildcats off USS Enterprise (CV-6), the original Grim Reapers shot down scores of Japanese aircraft over the Solomon Islands and fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal. After reforming with F6F Hellcats, VF-10 deployed again aboard Enterprise to the Marshall Islands, Western Carolines, and the legendary Battle of the Philippine Sea — the 'Marianas Turkey Shoot.' Reestablished as VF-101 in 1952 at NAS Cecil Field, the Grim Reapers flew Corsairs in the Korean War, then transitioned through the F2H Banshee, F4D Skyray, F3H Demon, and F-4 Phantom before receiving the F-14 Tomcat in January 1976. Based at NAS Oceana, Virginia, VF-101 became the Navy's East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron for the Tomcat, training every pilot and Radar Intercept Officer headed for the F-14 community. When VF-124 on the West Coast was disestablished in 1994, VF-101 became the sole F-14 FRS in the entire Navy — at one point operating as many as 130 Tomcats of all three variants. This 'Tomcat Strike Weapons School' patch represents the air-to-ground evolution of the Tomcat under VF-101's watch, as the squadron pioneered the F-14's strike fighter role through the 1990s and early 2000s, expanding training to include laser-guided bombs, JDAM, and precision strike tactics. VF-101 was deactivated on September 30, 2005, with three generations of the Flatley family — all Grim Reaper pilots — presented the squadron flag. This patch is a piece of Tomcat history and a tribute to the schoolhouse that made every F-14 crew fleet-ready.