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Here's a great article I found at www.northwestnavigator.com: -- They fly alone and unafraid. For 16 years, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 1 have been a consistent presence in 5th Fleet’s area of responsibility. There have been aircraft modifications and even changes to homeports, but it maintains the pace of forward-deployed operations that support the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs of U.S. Central Command. The World Watchers continue to distinguish the EP-3 as the reconnaissance asset of choice for U.S. and multi-national forces. The aircraft’s ability to remain on station for extended periods has proven to be an invaluable resource to troops on the ground. They are in high demand but relatively short supply.  World Watchers’ support in-theater cannot be understated. “Our job is to make sure nobody goes down,” said Senior Chief Aviation Electronics Technician Craig Olson (AW/NAC). With over 21 years of experience, he recalls exciting and hazardous times in and out of combat environments. “We were usually one of the first squadrons in and one of the last ones out. There have been lots of moments of boredom, followed by moments of sheer adrenaline. We would take off and never know what to expect.” The right attitude and mission readiness has established VQ-1 as the Navy’s premier Electronic Reconnaissance Squadron. Its track record of extraordinary operational success and mission effectiveness has been proven in Desert Strike, Southern Watch, Vigilant Warrior, Vigilant Sentinel, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. They trace their success to a long tradition of teamwork and service that began with two PBY-5A Catalina Black Cats modified for electronic reconnaissance during World War II.  Lt. Joshua Krieg, an electronic warfare aircraft commander with two previous deployments to the Middle East and currently embarked on his third, said, “As a member of the VQ-1 wardroom and a naval aviator, I feel a great sense of pride in contributing to the legacy of the squadron. We constantly fine tune ourselves to perform to the best of our abilities. We have a lot to live up to, and it is an honor to have an opportunity to lead a crew of 24 in today’s global war on terror.” As an EP-3 mission commander, Lt. Patricia Shaw is responsible for the effective employment of the aircraft in support of combat operations. Currently en route to her fourth deployment to the desert, she feels the pace of operations for VQ-1 in the “sandbox” is consistently demanding but can be professionally rewarding. “Because we are in [Fifth Fleet AOR] year-round, we have a strong presence. But that doesn’t change the fact that the dynamics of the area are just as challenging today as they were 16 years ago. It definitely makes things very interesting for us out there, and it’s good to have a diverse aircrew that can provide different levels of experience and perspective,” she said. Cmdr. James Gibson was there at the beginning as a young navigator aboard the EP-3. Today, as its commanding officer, he reflects on his experiences over 16 years, “When it started, conditions were very austere and exciting because we were in an AOR that we were not all that familiar with, doing constant surveillance with crews flying long missions. But the bottom line is that when we got there 16 years ago, we knew we were going to be a part of something big and that our role was going to be important not only to the Navy, but to the nation as well.” As an experienced naval flight officer, Gibson saw the squadron change to accommodate the geopolitical landscape. He feels VQ-1 will always play a part in providing critical combat intelligence to commanders prosecuting this global war on terror. “Our missions may change, as far as what we’re doing there, but we are still going to have a mission, we are still going to have a responsibility and people are still going to want us there.” Harry Harris, former commodore and commander of Task Force 57, added, “VQ-1 has flown in harm’s way more than any other Task Force 57 squadron since Operation Enduring Freedom began and has aggressively met critical reconnaissance needs in this time of war.” http://www.northwestnavigator.com/index.php/navigator/regionalnews/world_watchers_mark_16_years_of_reconnaissance/