Officially Licensed USMC VMAQT-1 Banshees Patch — Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Training Squadron 1 Embroidered Patch
Tairngreacht Bas — Death Foretold — the Banshees of VMAQT-1, training the Marine Corps' electronic warriors at MCAS Cherry Point in the dark art of tactical electronic warfare.
Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Training Squadron 1 (VMAQT-1), the "Banshees," served as the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for the Marine Corps' EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare community, based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, under Marine Aircraft Group 14 (MAG-14) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW). The Banshees were responsible for training every Marine EA-6B Prowler pilot and Electronic Countermeasures Officer (ECMO) before they joined fleet squadrons in the VMAQ community.
The squadron's motto — "Tairngreacht Bas" (Irish Gaelic for "Death Foretold") — draws from the Celtic legend of the banshee, a wailing spirit whose cry foretells death. For the Marine Corps' electronic warfare community, the metaphor is apt: when the Prowler's jamming pods activated and the ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System filled the electromagnetic spectrum with noise, enemy radar operators and communications networks knew that death was coming — the strike aircraft following behind the Prowler would arrive with impunity.
VMAQT-1's training pipeline was demanding, requiring students to master the complex electronic warfare systems of the EA-6B while also developing the tactical judgment needed to employ electronic attack effectively in a high-threat environment. The Banshees' legacy lives on in every Marine electronic warfare professional who passed through the squadron's rigorous program.
Perfect For: VMAQT-1 Banshees alumni, EA-6B Prowler community members, Marine electronic warfare officers, MCAS Cherry Point veterans, MAG-14 and 2nd MAW personnel, and Marine EW heritage patch collectors.
VMAQT-1 Banshees — Tairngreacht Bas — Death Foretold — training the wailing spirits of Marine electronic warfare.
