Political Quotes

“Tomorrow the Navy honors the retirement of an old friend, the A-6 Intruder. Attack Squadron 196 and Attack Squadron 75 will stand down the final two Intruder squadrons in simultaneous ceremonies at Whidbey Island, WA, and Virginia Beach, VA, respectively. As the backbone of carrier attack aviation for the past 36 years, the A-6E Intruder stood ready to deliver its formidable payload in any weather, day or night. The A-6 put teeth in the term 'carrier forward presence.' It saw combat in Vietnam, Lebanon, Libya, in the waters of the Arabian Gulf, and over the shores of Kuwait and Iraq. It delivered iron bombs, laser-guided bombs, and every air-to-ground missile available in the Navy inventory for the past three decades. The Intruder was never the prettiest plane on the flight deck, but it was always the hardest working. The pilots and bombardier/navigators who flew the Intruder affectionately referred to its Grumman ironworks origin. Some swore the aircraft was made of solid steel. Whether the shells and missiles it faced flew from Hanoi or Baghdad, many an A-6 returned to the carrier full of holes, but ready to see combat soon after a few steel patch jobs. We also honor the thousands of Intruder maintainers, both past and present, who kept this 18-ton bombing machine flying day and night, at sea and ashore.”