VMAQ - 1 Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 1 ( VMAQ - 1 ) is a United States Marine Corps electronic warfare squadron consisting of EA - 6B Prowler jets . The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point , North Carolina and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 14 ( MAG - 14 ) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 2nd MAW ) . The VMAQ - 1 logo is the Banshee , an Irish mythological figure foretelling death . Its motto is “ Tairngreacht Bas , ” Gaelic for “ Death Foretold . ” Mission . Conduct airborne electronic warfare in support of Fleet Marine Force operations or other units as the Joint Force Commander directs . This includes suppressing enemy radar and surface - to - air missile s utilizing electronic jamming and High - Speed Anti - Radiation ( HARM ) missiles , as well as collecting tactical electronic intelligence in a passive electronic support role . History . Korean War . Marine Composite Squadron One ( VMC - 1 ) was activated on September 15 , 1952 at Pohang ( K - 3 ) , Korea , in support of Marine Air Control Group 2 , 1st Marine Aircraft Wing ( 1st MAW ) conducting airborne early warning and electronic countermeasures in support of combat operations . On June 16 , 1953 , a United States Marine Corps AD - 4 Skyraider from VMC - 1 piloted by Major George H . Linnemeier and CWO Vernon S . Kramer shot down a Soviet - built Polikarpov Po - 2 biplane , the only documented Skyraider air victory of the war . The squadron continued support in defense of the Korean Demilitarized Zone through March 1955 . Following the Korean War , VMC - 1 was redeployed to MCAS Kaneohe Bay , Hawaii , and re - designated as VMCJ - 1 after merging with Marine Photographic Squadron One ( VMJ - 1 ) . Vietnam War . Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s , VMCJ - 1 saw extensive service during the Vietnam War . From April 14 , 1964 to December 16 , 1965 , the squadron flew its RF - 8A Crusaders in photoreconnaissance missions from the USS " Ticonderoga " , USS " Constellation " , USS " Coral Sea " , and the USS " Oriskany " . In April 1965 , VMCJ - 1 took its EF - 10B aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni , Japan and joined Marine Aircraft Group 16 at Danang to combat the increase of surface - to - air missiles in Vietnam . In July of that same year , six VMCJ - 1 EF - 10B Skynights supported the first strike against a surface - to - air missile site in history . In November 1966 , the Grumman EA - 6A Electric Intruder was introduced at Danang and flew combat missions as far north as Hanoi and Haiphong and eventually phased out the EF - 10Bs . VMCJ - 1 retired its RF - 8A Crusaders and received RF - 4B Phantom II ’ s to accomplish the photoreconnaissance mission . Again VMCJ - 1 carried out a major portion of the area reconnaissance and electronic warfare missions for USMACV , just as it did for 5th AF in the Korean War with its photographic reconnaissance . VMCJ - 1 provided escort for B - 52s , support for tactical air strikes , and collection of all forms of electronic intelligence . On the photorecon side , VMCJ - 1 was operating in a science which had become much more sophisticated and was now called " imagery intelligence . " After the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam , VMCJ - 1 was again flying missions from Navy aircraft carriers . During the fall of South Vietnam from September 11 , 1973 to December 31 , 1975 , VMCJ - 1 and VMCJ - 1 Det 101 conducted missions from the USS " Midway " . Post Vietnam & the 1980s . After Vietnam , the composite community was again reorganized and split into Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron Two ( VMAQ - 2 ) and Marine Photo - Reconnaissance Squadron Three ( VMFP - 3 ) . Personnel and aircraft from each of the VMCJ ’ s were divided and re - designated as detachments Alpha through Charlie within the larger VMAQ - 2 / VMFP - 3 squadrons . VMAQ - 2 , Detachment A , flying the EA - 6A , rotated with its sister detachments in support of the USS Midway Carrier Air Wing conducting operations from the Gulf of Tonkin to Korea . Now flying the EA - 6B , detachment A was renamed detachment X . During Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm , detachment X - ray was called upon to extend its normal six - month rotation to thirteen months in order to maintain a watch over the Western Pacific . Following Operation Desert Storm , the criticality and shortage of electronic attack assets was finally recognized . The decision was made to reorganize back to the original three electronic warfare squadrons . In addition , a fourth squadron was gained by activating the reserve Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron Four ( VMAQ - 4 ) . While deployed to MCAS Iwakuni , Japan , VMAQ - 2 detachment X - ray was re - commissioned as Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 1 on July 1 , 1992 with the mission to conduct electronic warfare in support of Marine Forces and Joint / Combined operations . Training squadron . In 2013 , with the USMC failure to follow the navy into the Growler , VMAQ - 1 was redesignated a training squadron to support Prowler operations until 2019 . Unit awards . A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited . Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation . VMAQ - 1 has been presented with the following awards :