NAVAL STATION NORFOLK — It was a bit strange to celebrate Christmas a couple of months early, but when I visited the hangar of VAW-123 at Naval Station Norfolk, the squadron was full of holiday cheer. They had to be — this was one of their last days home before a regularly scheduled deployment to the Middle East.
News 3's Squadron of the Month for December 2023 is part of a larger U.S. military presence in the waters near Israel, as that country's war with Hamas has now raged for more than two months. VAW-123, also known as the World Famous Screwtops, is attached to the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. I was there when the Ike set sail on its deployment in October and watched as thousands of sailors said their goodbyes to family and friends.
Click the videos in the player above to watch my interviews with the squadron's Commanding Officer and crew as we celebrated the holidays (a bit early) at Naval Station Norfolk.
