Marine Attack Squadron 331 (VMA-331) was an attack squadron in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. The squadron, also known as the "Doodlebugs" and "Bumblebees," was part of

Marine Aircraft Group 31 Marine Aircraft Group 31 (MAG-31) is a United States Marine Corps aviation group based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina that is currently composed of two F/A-18C Hornet squadrons, one F/A-18A++ Hornet squadron, two F/A-18D ...

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major East Coast of the United States, east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the ...

and was based out of

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort or MCAS Beaufort is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) air base located northwest of the central business district of Beaufort, South Carolina, Beaufort, a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, Beaufort C ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. The squadron fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. It was decommissioned as part of the post

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

drawdown of the

US Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

on 1 October 1992.

History

World War II

Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 331 (VMSB-331) was formed on 1 January 1943 at

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 an ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The squadron flew

SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive ...

dive bombers. On 1 June 1943, the squadron's personnel and aircraft were divided to form VMSB-332. Also in June of that year the squadron moved and became the first unit to arrive at Bogue Field, North Carolina. This was followed by a move to

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

in September to prepare for movement to the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The squadron deployed overseas, finally arriving at

Nukufetau Airfield Nukufetau Airfield is a former World War II airfield on the south-eastern side of Nukufetau on Motulalo Island in Tuvalu during the Pacific War. History Nukufetau Airfield was built by United States Navy Seabees on Motulalo island as an alterna ...

on 15 November 1943. VMSB-331 operated from that island during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. On 30 November 1943, the squadron sent a detachment to

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

for the remainder of the war. Following the war, VMSB-331 returned to the United States in October 1945 and was decommissioned quickly thereafter on 21 November 1945.

1950s and early 1960s

VMA-331 was reactivated on 23 April 1952 at

Marine Corps Air Station Miami Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine current power * Marine debris * Marine energy * Marine habitats * Mari ...

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. In 1959, VMA-331 was the last squadron in the Marine Corps to deploy overseas while flying the A-4D "Skyhawk". From May to August 1960, VMA-331 took part in a 3-month training exercise in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

in which squadron pilots flew more than 2,200 flight hours, dropped more than 485,000lbs of rockets, and fired 2645 rockets. VMA-331 deployed to Guantanamo Bay,

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

during the

Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called or after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States of America and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front ...

and

Roosevelt Roads Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, nicknamed Rosy Roads, is a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site operates today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport. History In 1919, future US Presiden ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

during the blockade of Cuba. Two Skyhawks were lost during a two plane section take-off the day the squadron left

MCAS Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort or MCAS Beaufort is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) air base located northwest of the central business district of Beaufort, a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. About 4,700 personn ...

for the

. A very gusty cross-wind blew the lead aircraft into the wingman. At Guantanamo Bay, a Skyhawk making a low-level practice gunnery run hit the base perimeter fence. Another Skyhawk had a flameout when turning base on approach into Beaufort, South Carolina. .

Mediterranean Cruise (June 1970 - January 1971)

On 23 June 1971, VMA-331 deployed with 20 A-4E Skyhawks onboard the

USS Independence (CVA-62) The fifth USS ''Independence'' (CV/CVA-62) was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the fourth and final member of the of conventionally powered supercarriers. She entered service in 1959, with much of her early years spent i ...

for seven-month Mediterranean cruise as part of

Carrier Air Wing Seven Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. At the moment, CVW-7 is assigned to the . The tail code of aircraft assigned to CVW-7 is AG. CW-7's insignia featur ...

. They first sailed to Puerto Rico where conducted its operational readiness inspection and also took part in the sinking of the

USS Otter (DE-210) USS ''Otter'' (DE-210), a of the United States Navy, in service from 1944 to 1947. She was finally sunk as a target in 1970. History USS ''Otter'' was named in honor of Lieutenant Bethel V. Otter (1914-1942), who was killed in action on Correg ...

on 10 July 1970. After participating in PHIBLEX 2-71 and the squadron’s first Combat Readiness Assessment Exercise, the squadron sent a detachment to

Naval Air Station Sigonella Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella is an Italian Air Force base ('), and a U.S. Navy installation at Italian Air Force Base Sigonella in Lentini, Sicily, Italy. The whole NAS is a tenant of the Italian Air Force, which has the military and the ...

in early August 1970. The planes recovered back to the Independence in late August and were quickly turned and sent to

Souda Bay Souda Bay () is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akroti ...

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to act aggressors for Exercise National Week VIII. In October the squadron participated in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

Exercise Deep Express near

Alexandroupoli Alexandroupolis (, ) or Alexandroupoli (, ) is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Greek Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, with a population of 71,75 ...

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in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

. During the course of the exercise, on 17 October, the squadron was visited by

Commandant of the Marine Corps Commandant of the Marine Corps may refer to: * Commandant of the Marine Corps (Indonesia) * Commandant of the Netherlands Marine Corps * Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps * Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps * Commandant of th ...

Leonard F. Chapman Jr. Leonard Fielding Chapman Jr. (November 3, 1913 – January 6, 2000) was a United States Marine Corps general who served as the 24th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1968 to 1972. He was a World War II combat veteran, decorated for his actions ...

and Commanding General of the

, MajGen George C. Axtell. On the second half of the deployment the squadron took part in two Carrier Air Wing Exercises (CAWEX) simulating strikes against the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). Mid-December saw participation in PHIBLEX 6-71 near

Teulada, Sardinia Teulada (Latin: ''Tegula'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about southwest of Cagliari. The ''località'' of Sant'Isidoro di Teulada is one of the possible sites of the anc ...

. During the course of this deployment the ‘’Independence made port calls in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

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and

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. The squadron returned to

Naval Air Station Norfolk A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

on 30 January 1971 and the next day all personnel were transported back to MCAS Beaufort.

1980s, the Gulf War and deactivation

On 25 January 1985, VMA-331 became the first fully operational

AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primaril ...

squadron in Marine Corps service. The squadron deployed on the USS ''Nassau'' (LHA-4) to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

and eventually flew 243 sorties, dropping 256 tons of ordnance, and became the first Marine Attack Squadron to conduct combat operations from a Landing Helicopter Assault ship. While supporting

, an

from the squadron was shot down by an

SA-7 The 9K32 Strela-2 (; NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a light-weight, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile or MANPADS system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes with passive infrared-homing guidance and destroy them with a ...

over

Safwan Safwan may refer to: Places * Safwan, Iraq, a town in southeastern Iraq * Safwan Hill, highest terrain feature in the region Institutions * Safwan SC, a football club based in Safwan, Iraq People Given name *Safouane Attaf, Moroccan judoka (bo ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

on 27 February 1991. The pilot, Capt Reginald C. Underwood, was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

Notable former members

* Charles O. Hobaugh –

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

astronaut

Notes

References

;Bibliography * * * ;Web
USS Independence page listing VMA-331

VMA-331 page at Skyhawk.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vma-331

331 __NOTOC__ Year 331 ( CCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Bassus and Ablabius (or, less frequently, year 1084 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps