Squadrons & Shipmates is a new association that was formed in 2009. It was formed with the vision to bring together shipmates who served aboard the two great sister ships, the U.S.S. Midway and the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt. This vision also includes the squadron members who served in a squadron aboard these two ships. To be clear, a squadron member did not have to serve aboard these ships only to have served in a squadron that served aboard these two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
In the past some squadrons wanted to have their own reunions but size and participation was not large enough to make it feasible. Another issue is that certain squadron members can only belong and attend reunions of ships that each member served on thus splitting up the membership of each squadron. The thinking behind this is backwards. After all, the entire ship's company was at the service of the all the air wings. The shipmates had to bring these squadrons to points on the globe and enter harm's way during times that our country was at war. Both of these ships were in combat zones when they were commissioned.
According to known accounts of all the squadrons that served aboard these two ships, the total presently stands at 124 squadrons. 85 squadrons served aboard the Midway and 53 squadrons served aboard the Franklin D. Roosevelt. 14 of the 124 squadrons served aboard both ships. We will continue to try to get more accurate numbers and the nicknames of all these squadrons to have a complete record. Anyone who is aware of any errors on our squadron roster such as years served or incorrect nicknames, your corrections will be greatly appreciated. As you can imagine, finding all the information contained in our "Squadron Links" page consumed many hours of work and we want it to be as accurate as possible.
The insignia is another matter as the official ones are very hard to identify in some cases. We are in search of camera ready insignias to be used by our organization and if you join us, we would appreciate your help in obtaining them and if necessary, your permission to use them. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
To all the squadron leaders, officers and board members within the squadrons, if your association would like to become part of this organization, we look forward to your membership. If not, we will understand that you may already have a very strong association and the time may not be right for you.
