VMFA-214
There Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (Medal of Honor, Navy Cross) took command of the 27 pilots who became the original "Black Sheep" of VMF-214.Major Boyington had just returned from a year's tour in China as a member of the 1st American Volunteer Group, commonly called the Flying Tigers, where he was credited with downing multiple Japanese aircraft.[2] Boyington and Major Stan Bailey were given permission to form the unassigned pilots into a squadron, with the understanding that they would have less than four weeks to have them fully trained and ready for combat.At first, the squadron was not assigned aircraft or ancillary personnel; its pilots flew to Guadalcanal and later the Russell Islands in borrowed planes that were in less-than-satisfactory condition.The following day, this new label was presented to the Marine Corps public information officer on the island at the time, Captain Jack DeChant, who rejected it because civilian newspapers would never print it.When the Korean War broke out, VMF-214 was en route to Hawaii on board USS Badoeng Strait hosting midshipmen from the Naval Academy.The squadron's commanding officer, Major Robert P. Keller, was summoned to headquarters in Hawaii where he met with then Colonel Victor Krulak."[8] Flying eight F4U-4B Corsairs on 3 August 1950, VMF-214 became the first Marine squadron to see action in Korea, when they launched from USS Sicily and executed a raid against enemy installations near Inchon.In these and other battles, they provided nearly continual air cover, interdicting supply and communication lines, and inflicting heavy damage on numerous ground emplacements, and enemy armor.On 21 June 1965, the first Black Sheep division flew into Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam, landing on 4,000 feet (1,219 m) of SATS runway.The Black Sheep squadron flew 14,000 hours in combat, 13,000 sorties, and dropped more than 10,000 tons of ordnance[citation needed] and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation with Bronze Star.Continuing in their traditions as pioneers, in July 1993, the Black Sheep conducted a dedicated "Night Systems" deployment to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twenty-Nine Palms, California.In 1998 and 1999, the Black Sheep Squadron prepared for and deployed aboard USS Boxer heading directly to the North Persian Gulf to take part in Operation Desert Fox.It was on this deployment that the Harrier community had its first operational use of night vision devices for shipboard activities to include working with helicopters on a shared deck.One month later, Det Bravo was off the coast of Yemen with the 13th MEU(SOC) participating in Operation Determined Response - the recovery of the destroyer USS Cole.During the deployment, they were based out of Kandahar International Airport as part of Marine Aircraft Group 40 and provided close air support and aerial reconnaissance.[14] Beginning in May 2009, a detachment from VMA-214 deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
United States of AmericaUnited States Marine CorpsAir interdictionClose Air SupportElectronic WarfareMarine Aircraft Group 133rd Marine Aircraft WingMarine Corps Air Station YumaWorld War IIKorean WarBattle of Pusan PerimeterBattle of InchonBattle of Chosin ReservoirVietnam WarOperation Desert StormGlobal War on TerrorismOperation Enduring FreedomOperation Iraqi Freedom2003 invasion of IraqGreg BoyingtonAttackA-4 SkyhawkAV-8B Harrier IIFighterF4F WildcatF4U CorsairF9F PantherF2H BansheeFJ FuryF-35B Lightning IIsquadronLockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIArizonaColonel Gregory "Pappy" BoyingtonBaa Baa Black SheepMarine Corps Air Station EwaHawaiiTurtle Bay AirfieldEspiritu SantoNew HebridesMajor Gregory "Pappy" BoyingtonMedal of HonorNavy Cross1st American Volunteer GroupFlying TigersGuadalcanalHenderson AirfieldSolomon IslandsRussell IslandsVella LavellahootchBlack Sheepfighter acesair-to-airPresidential Unit CitationairfieldSydneyAustraliaAustralia HotelMarine Aircraft Group 11television seriesRobert ConradMarine Corps Air Station Santa BarbaraGoleta, Californiaaircraft carrierUSS FranklinOkinawaMarine Corps Air Station El CentroCaliforniaMCAS El ToroUSS RendovaUSS BairokoUSS Badoeng StraitUSS BoxermidshipmenNaval AcademyVictor KrulakF4U-4B CorsairsUSS SicilyInchonInchon landingUnited NationsChosin ReservoirMarine Corps Air Station El ToroF2H-4 BansheesHawaiian IslandsFJ-4 FuryVMF-212A-4B SkyhawkUSS HornetTupolev Tu-95Tupolev Tu-16Sea of JapanA-4M SkyhawksMarine Aircraft Group 121st Marine Aircraft WingMCAS IwakuniChu LaiRepublic of VietnamNavy Unit CommendationEl ToroMarine Aircraft Group 33Lawson H. M. SandersonAV-8B Night Attack Harrier IIsthe Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twenty-Nine PalmsUSS PeleliuOperation Restore HopeSomaliaOperation Distant RunnerBurundiRwandaUSS Essex13th Marine Expeditionary UnitOperation Southern WatchSouthwest AsiaOperation United ShieldUSS TarawaOperation Desert StrikePersian GulfOperation Desert FoxMarine Corps Air Station IwakuniEast TimorIndonesiaUSS ColeAl AsadAfghanistan