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The EA-6B Prowler flew its first combat missions in Vietnam and its last supporting the Global War on Terror.
The first Prowlers arrived at VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island, WA, in December 1971, and the initial fleet squadrons equipped with the new airplane flew combat missions over North Vietnam as part of Operations Linebacker I and II. This began a lengthy service that lasted over four decades with the Prowler developing into the foremost electronic attack platform in the US military arsenal, supporting combat missions in Grenada, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan and other crises around the world.
Marine Corps major Ben “Lobo” Taggart tells a cool story about the EA-6B days in his book What’s Your Call Sign? which is filled with cleverly written and funny stories behind the seemingly mean-spirited nicknames naval aviators use to address each other as terms of endearment.
Taggart has served 29 years in the USMC. Over his career he’s flown both helicopters and airplanes. His combat tours include one tour in Iraq and three tours in Afghanistan.
He recalls;
‘Long ago when Afghanistan was still “winnable,” I was working with some British forces in Helmand Province while the Brits conducted an IED-clearing operation through Gereshk along the Helmand River. I was at the Tactical Operations Center atop an old Russian base called Artillery Hill, and it was my job to coordinate fires (air and ground) for the patrols providing security for the explosives-clearing team.
‘One of my teams came under fire and requested air support. The only thing I had available was an EA-6B Prowler doing silly circles in the sky at about 16,000 feet. The EA-6B does all kinds of supersecret-squirrel electronics stuff, but they don’t usually carry air-to-ground ordnance. At the time, the Prowler crew were trying to pick up Taliban communications and locate their positions. I had no assets to provide that could actually drop warheads on foreheads, and at the time the Direct Air Support Center had no aircraft to give.
‘I used my radio and asked the pilot of the Prowler if he could do a show of force to scare the Taliban away. I have never heard anyone so excited to do a show of force as the pilot of this EA-6B was when he responded in the affirmative. A show of force is just a low flyby over the enemy to scare them into breaking contact with friendly forces. The Prowler guys were used to the same-thing-different-day routine of flying in an orbit around a designated area for hours on end. Jet flying it may be, but I’m told it gets pretty boring up there. This pilot was more excited than Jeffrey Epstein at an all-girl’s high school swim party.
‘So down they came, screaming at 100 feet above ground level over the enemy’s position, launching a torrent of blinding counter- measure flares as they flew past, terrifying everyone within a 15-mile radius with the sound of their engines.’
Taggart concludes;
‘The EA-6B has the loudest jet noise known to man, which was useful because the Taliban ran away and didn’t poke their heads up for the rest of the operation. I think I made that Prowler crew’s day.’
What’s Your Call Sign? is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jimmy C. Pan / U.S. Navy
