.: command composition and history!

The mission of Patrol Squadron 68 (VP-68) was to attain and maintain the highest possible personnel and material readiness for immediate employment in the event of war or national emergency and to perform Peacetime Contributory Support as an integral part of the total force. In the final days of training for these roles the 219 men and women of Patrol Squadron Sixty-Eight maintained and operated five Lockheed “Orion” P-3C UPDATE II.5 aircraft for training and operational missions in support of fleet operations in the Atlantic ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico.

VP-68 has been formally disestablished. Prior to that it was homeported at Naval Air Facility, Washington, DC which is contiguous with Andrews Air Force Base. The squadron operated under the operational and administrative control of Commander Reserve Patrol Wing Atlantic. The “Black Hawks” of VP-68, with tail code “Lima Whiskey”, were composed of 150 Selected Reservists supported by an active duty contingent of 69 Training and Administration of Reserve (TAR) personnel. The squadron was organized into Port and Starboard wings, consisting of Administrative, Operations, Safety/NATOPS Training and Maintenance Departments which supported 14 combat Aircrews of 12 personnel each.

The “Black Hawks” were last commanded by Commander J. A. Lemmons, United States Naval Reserve.