Commander John S. McCain, III in 1967. Amidst the intense air combat of the early war period and the subsequent losses, the 'Saints' continued to display outstanding courage and bravery, resulting in many awards for valor being issued to many 'Saints' pilots. Among them, three 'Saints' were awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary combat heroism: Commander Bryan Compton (then squadron CO), and Lieutenant Commanders James Busey and Marvin Reynolds. (Not surprisingly, these three awards were earned during the infamous 1967-68 WESTPAC, with the first two mentioned awards earned during the same mission (a 'Walleye' missile strike on the Hanoi Thermal Power Plant in August 1967). On April 1, 1969 VA-163 was placed on inactive status, and two years later the squadron officially disestablished on July 1, 1971. Deployments Notable former members John McCain. James Stockdale. See also History of the United States Navy. List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons. References External links VA-163 page at skyhawk.org VA 163 website Attack squadrons of the United States Navy