History of the Name
So, one might ask, where does the name “Foundation 214” come from? Very simply, our founder, Sal Alfiero, flew as a member of Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214), more affectionately known as the “Black Sheep” during the early 1960s. Based on the memoirs of its most colorful leader, Colonel Greg “Pappy” Boyington, the squadron gained mainstream notoriety with the television series called “Baa Baa Black Sheep," which ran from 1976 thru 1978, and then in syndication for many years after.
The group was first formed as a “fighter” squadron in July 1942 (VMF-214). It went on to conduct two combat tours prior to then Major Boyington being shot down and captured by the Japanese. Shortly thereafter, VMF-214 was deployed aboard the USS Franklin to join operations on Okinawa. Unfortunately, a Japanese bomber hit the USS Franklin resulting in nearly 800 deaths including 32 from the Black Sheep. The silver lining is that Black Sheep First Lieutenant, Ken Linder, was given half-credit for shooting down the Japanese bomber that struck the Franklin.
In 1950, Black Sheep was the first Marine squadron to see action during the Korean War. During two full combat tours, the Black Sheep were key participants in battle by providing nearly continual air cover, interfering with enemy supply and communication lines, and inflicting heavy damage to ground targets including enemy armor.
Between the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Black Sheep was reassigned to be an “attack” squadron (VMA-214). The primary reason was because they were the first Marine Squadron to be qualified to deliver special weapons. In ten years, the squadron went from flying the F9F Panther to the F2H-4 Banshee in 1953, to the FJ-4 Fury in early 1958, to the FJ-4B in early 1959 to the A-4B Skyhawk in early 1962. The A4 was utilized for over twenty-seven years before switching to the AV-8B Night Attack Harrier II. Beginning in 2021, Black Sheep will spend two years transitioning to the new F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
Foundation 214 is so named as a tip-of-the-hat to those that understand sacrifice and what it means to have access to resources to ensure success. Our mission is to help unite people with resources to realize their own success.
The Other History...
Born in in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1937, Sal Alfiero was barely out of infancy when his family moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Here, Sal grew to appreciate mathematics with the tutelage of his uncle living one floor above. At age sixteen, Sal obtained his private pilot’s license before his driver’s license. This endeavor arose from a deep-seeded desire to learn how to fly and fly fast. He new before soloing that flying military jets was the ultimate goal.
In 1957, Sal joined the United States Marine Corps with the intention of becoming a fighter pilot. He served with the Black Sheep Squadron (VMA-214) until joining the Marine Corps Reserves in 1964. He left active duty to complete a degree in aeronautical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and followed that with an MBA from Harvard Business School.
In 1968, Sal organized a plan to build a company that would eventually come to be known as Mark IV Industries. The fledgling started as a supplier of specialized lighting components for instrument panels – at the time, this was very important because of the use of helicopters during the Viet Nam War. Over a stretch of more than thirty years, Sal led a team that managed an organization which sold more than $2 billion of goods and services around the globe and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “IV.” When it was sold in 2000 to a private equity company from the United Kingdom, it was their country’s largest private equity deal to date.
Foundation 214 is a family-funded charitable foundation focusing on three primary populations: Children, Elderly, Veterans of the various branches of the U.S. Military.
These populations will receive support and resources as it applies to healthcare and education. In other words, we are looking to get involved in helping to improve the lives via health and education for those that came before us, those that come after us, and those who run to danger to ensure our health, safety and security.