This unique book traces more than 40 years of active service by Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115. Since its commissioning in July 1943, the squadron has evolved from a group of wartime beginners in SNJ-4 planes to today's front-line professionals in their F/A-18 Hornets. These decades have seen VMFA-115 on active service in the Southwest Pacific, the Philippines, China, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Western Europe, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and on both coasts of the United States. Data for the history were drawn principally from primary sources: command diaries and chronologies; muster rolls; published historical works; and recollections of the Marines involved.This volume offers an operational narrative account of one of the Marine Corps' best-known fighter squadrons. Holder of three Presidential Unit Citations and three times awarded the Hanson Trophy, VMFA-115 has built a distinguished career since 1943. It has played a prominent role in every national conflict from World War II to the Vietnam War, and has served in nearly every part of the globe. While this history deals with a particular squadron, it exemplifies the service of many other Marine fighter-attack squadrons.Formation and Pacific Action * Philippine Combat * A Move to China * Hawaiian and Stateside Duty * Korean Combat * Back to the States * Japan-U.S. Shuttle * Vietnam Combat * Thailand Deployment * Japan Again-U.S. Again * Notes

This publication traces the history of Marine Attack Squadron 323 from its commissioning in 1943 through warfare in the Pacific in World War II, three years of combat action in the Korean War, intensive involvement in Vietnam, and a number of significant peacetime accomplishments during the 1980s. The history was prepared from command diaries and chronologies, published works covering the major periods of conflict, and personal papers, letters, and the recollections of Mrines who were personally involved.