On March 19, 2003, the Fists began combat sorties in earnest and Operation Southern Watch abruptly turned into Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Fist of the Fleet led the way to Baghdad, participating in first-night air strikes on the Iraqi capitol in what has become known as the Shock and Awe campaign. The squadron put in long days, achieving an average daily combat sortie count of 20, while pounding roads from Basra to An Nasiriya, Al Kut, Najaf, Al Hillah and ultimately Baghdad. The squadron’s more than 850 hours flown on 272 combat sorties over 18 straight days resulted in relentless and deadly strikes on the Iraqi regime’s Medina, Baghdad, and Nebuchadnezzar Armored Divisions, military airfields, facilities and command and control infrastructure. The 4 stars on the patch represent the wars that the “Fists of the Fleet” participated in — WWII, Vietnam, The Gulf War, and OIF. This patch does not have velcro attached.
