After the September 11 attacks , USS '' Carl Vinson '' with CVW-11 was the first carrier battle group on station in the North Arabian Sea , preparing for attacks against Afghanistan . On 7 October 2001 during a CVW-11 strike , VF-213 dropped the first bombs of Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) on an SA-3 site near Kabul International Airport . VF-213 also conducted reconnaissance , utilizing their TARPS pods , and also provided laser weapon guidance for F/A -18 Hornets and GPS weapons coordinates for Hornets and USAF strike aircraft . During the ten weeks VF-213 were supporting OEF they flew over 500 combat sorties , over 2600 combat flight hours and expended 435,000 pounds of ordnance and provided reconnaissance with their TARPS pods . VF-213 was also the first F-14 unit to use its internal 20 mm cannon in combat during the Battle of Mazar e Sharif VF-213 received the 2001 Commander Naval Air Pacific Fleet Battle " E " , Chief of Naval Operations ( CNO ) Safety " S " , Clifton Award and the Commander Fighter Wing Atlantic Golden Wrench for their performance in 2001
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
VFA-213