Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VMFA-115) was a

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 ...

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...

squadron. Officially nicknamed the "Silver Eagles" and on occasion ''Joe's Jokers'' after their first commanding officer Major Joe Foss, the squadron was last based at

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 ...

and fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 31 (MAG-31) and the

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 ...

(2nd MAW). The squadron participated in combat operations during

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 ...

, the Korean and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

s and has deployed in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

with a final deployment in 2008 to

Al Asad Airbase Al-Asad Airbase is an Iraqi airbase located in al-Anbar Governorate of western Iraq. It was originally known as Qadisiyah Airbase. It was the second largest US military airbase in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Until January 2010, it was ...

in western

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 ...

. The Squadron radio callsign was "''Blade''".

Mission

Intercept and destroy enemy aircraft under all-weather conditions and attack and destroy surface targets.

History

World War II

Marine Fighting Squadron 115 (VMF-115) was organized on 1 July 1943 at

Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara (MCAS Santa Barbara) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located in Goleta, California north of Los Angeles during World War II. It was also known as the Goleta Air Station in the 194 ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, as a

F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

squadron. One of the Marine Corps most famous

aces An ace is a playing card. Ace(s), ACE(S) and variants may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Awards * ACE Awards (Award for Cable Excellence) Comics * ''Ace Comics'', a 1937-1959 comic book series * Ace Magazines (comics), a 1940- ...

, Major Joseph Foss assumed command 16 days later. The squadron gained the nickname "Joe's Jokers", and in May 1944 joined the Pacific campaign. VMF-115 was a contributor to the American victory in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

providing

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

, fighter cover, and deep air strikes in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

and the

Sulu Archipelago The Sulu Archipelago ( Tausug: Kapū'-pūan sin Sūg Sulat Sūg: , ) is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Se ...

. With over 18,000 flight hours during 5,856 combat sorties, VMF-115 was credited with shooting down 6½ enemy aircraft while losing 28 aircraft with nine pilots

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, ...

. To protect U.S. interests after the war and support Marines supervising the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

, the squadron deployed to Peking, China.

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

troops began patterns of hostility leading to convoy coverage and "air presence" missions. 31 months after initial deployment, VMF-115 left the Pacific theater.

Korean War

In 1949, VMF-115 was the first Marine Corps squadron equipped with Grumman F9F-2 Panther jets, and on 20 November 1950, the first Marine squadron to carrier qualify all 18 pilots aboard the USS ''Franklin D. Roosevelt''. The squadron then deployed to

Pohang Pohang (; ), formerly spelled Po-Hang, is the largest city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, with a List of cities in South Korea, population of 499,363 as of 2022, bordering the Sea of Japan, East Sea to the east, Yeongcheon to the w ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, for combat operation in February 1952. In late-June 1952 they participated in the

attack on the Sui-ho Dam The attack on the Sui-ho Dam was the collective name for a series of mass air attacks during the Korean War on thirteen hydroelectric generating facilities by United Nations Command air forces as part of the North Korean bombing campaign on Jun ...

. Throughout the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, VMF-115 expended more ordnance than any other Marine jet fighter squadron. A total of 15,350 flight hours were logged on 9,250 combat sorties with a price of 19 aircraft lost. Six pilots were lost with their aircraft in a single day and a total of 14 pilots were killed in action. Close air support was provided by VMF-115 in battles such as Bunker Hill, The Hook, Reno, Carson-Elko, Vegas, Berlin, East Berlin, and the Marines famous battle at the Chosin Reservoir. In the spring of 1957, the squadron received the Marine Corps' first Douglas F4D-1 ''Skyray''s were redesignated VMF(AW)-115 and deployed to MCAF Mojave for the next six months for testing. Between 1957 and 1964, the squadron was usually based at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. From 19 April 1962 to 27 August 1962 the squadron was deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS ''Independence'' (CVA-62) as part of Carrier Air Group Seven (CVG-7) to the Mediterranean Sea. From October 1962 to February 1963 the squadron was deployed to

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on of land and water on the shore of Guant ...

, Cuba in support of the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

Vietnam War

In 1964/65, the squadron transitioned the McDonnell F-4B ''Phantom II'' and was redesignated VMFA-115. The "Able Eagles" were deployed to

Da Nang Air Base Da Nang Air Base () (1930s–1975) (also known as Da Nang Airfield, Tourane Airfield or Tourane Air Base) was a French Air Force and later Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility located in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam. During the Vietnam ...

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...

on 14 October 1965. During the Vietnam War, VMFA-115 flew more than 34,000 combat sorties, providing

for Marines during such battles as the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...

, Battle of Hue, Battle of Khe Sahn, and Task Force Delta. The squadron was awarded the Hanson Trophy in 1971 by the

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 ...

. In March 1971 VMFA-115 was relocated to Iwakuni, Japan. On 6 April 1972 the squadron flew into

to support operations against the North Vietnamese

Easter Offensive The Easter Offensive, also known as the 1972 spring–summer offensive (') by North Vietnam, or the Red Fiery Summer (') as romanticized in South Vietnamese literature, was a military campaign conducted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN, t ...

. On 16 July 1972 the squadron moved its operations to Royal Thai Air Base Nam Phong,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and began flying combat sorties the next day. The squadron continued to fly

sorties in addition to playing a key fighter role in Operation Linebacker missions over

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

. For its efforts supporting operations in Vietnam, VMFA-115 was awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association's Robert M. Hanson Award as the top fighter attack squadron in the Marine Corps for 1972.The Hanson Award is named for Captain Robert M. Hanson, USMC aviator and Medal of Honor recipient.

Post Vietnam

In July 1977, VMFA-115 relocated to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, and in October 1980 joined Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17) aboard the . During this cruise VMFA-115 participated in

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 ...

missions such as intercepting and escorting various

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

aircraft. After flying Phantoms for more than 20 years, VMFA-115 began the transition to the F/A-18A Hornet on 1 January 1985, and officially stood up with 14 aircraft on 16 August 1985. The following year, the squadron became officially known as the "Silver Eagles". In July 1987, VMFA-115 returned to the Western Pacific to participate in the

Unit Deployment Program The Unit Deployment Program (UDP) is a system for assigning deployments of the United States Marine Corps. To reduce the number of unaccompanied tours and improve unit continuity, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, (CMC) established it to provide ...

(UDP) at

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is a joint Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces and United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki River, Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the Municipality of Japan, city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The squadron was recognized for superior maintenance, receiving the Secretary of Defense Phoenix Award for Maintenance Excellence, and earned the Hanson Award as Marine Corps Fighter Squadron of the Year for both 1987 and 1988. This was the first time a Marine Fighter Squadron had won the Hanson Award two consecutive years. In 1989, VMFA-115 returned to the

and supported government forces during a coup attempt there. The squadron flew armed

combat air patrol Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...

and escort missions, helping to stabilize the situation. The squadron’s efforts were recognized again as the coveted Hanson Award became a “Silver Eagle” possession in 1990 for the third time in four years. During the years from 1991 to 2000, the “Silver Eagles” conducted numerous six-month deployments in support of the

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa Island, Okina ...

as part of the Western Pacific Unit Deployment Program (UDP).

Global War on Terrorism

Nearing the end of 2001, the squadron was once again designated a carrier squadron. This coincided with the first delivery of the F/A-18A+ aircraft modification. After qualifying all personnel for carrier operations the squadron deployed with Carrier Air Wing 3 (CVW-3) aboard USS ''Harry S. Truman'' in October 2002. In March 2003, the Silver Eagles fought against Iraqi forces as part of

, delivering more than 150 tons of ordnance. In October 2004, the squadron again deployed with CVW-3 aboard ''Truman'' for Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing close air support and overhead security in support of Iraq’s historic democratic elections. In July 2006, VMFA-115 returned to the Western Pacific for the first time since 2000 to serve under 1st MAW/

III Marine Expeditionary Force III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and ...

for a UDP deployment. The Silver Eagles flew training sorties at various locations in Japan and squadron Marines also spent a month at

Osan Air Base Osan Air Base (K-55; ; Hanja: ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base located near Songtan station in the city of Pyeongtaek, South Korea, south of Seoul. Despite its name, Osan AB is not within Osan C ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. In February 2008, VMFA-115 deployed to

in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) where they were the Marine Corps’ first forward-air-controller capable, single-seat F/A-18 Hornet squadron to deploy to Al Asad. The Squadron returned to MCAS Beaufort on 17 September 2008. In September 2009, the squadron transferred to Marine Aircraft Group 12 as part of the Unit Deployment Program at MCAS Iwakuni with a full complement of twelve F/A-18A+ Hornets. They returned to the States on 1 March 2010 after a seven-month deployment where they supported operations in

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

the

and

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

. In 2013, they deployed to Isa Air Base,

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, from March until October, returning to MCAS Beaufort upon completion. They once again transferred to Marine Aircraft Group 12, MCAS Iwakuni, Japan under the Unit Deployment Program from July through December, 2014. From September 2016 to March 2017 the Silver Eagles deployed again to MCAS Iwakuni Japan as part of the unit deployment program. On 7 December 2016 an FA-18C+ of the squadron crashed into the sea off Okinawa. The pilot, Captain Jake Fredrick, ejected but did not survive. His body was recovered by the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...

. In 2018, the Silver Eagles flew in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. From March to September 2020, VMFA-115 deployed to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan enduring severe operational restraints due to the COVID-19 epidemic. In December 2021, the squadron was deployed on short notice to Prince Sultan Air Base Saudi Arabia to reinforce CENTCOM objectives. The squadron was extended from the original 45 day dynamic force employment program through March 2022. During this time the Silver Eagles flew in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, while supporting regional partnership and deterrence efforts. From March to October 2023, VMFA-115 executed their last deployment as an F/A-18 squadron, deploying with seven F/A-18Cs and five F/A-18Ds. On 9 November 2023, the squadron deactivated from MAG-31 with plans to reactivate at MCAS Cherry Point as an F-35C squadron under MAG-14 in the coming few years.

Unit Awards

United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon

Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with two Bronze Stars * Navy Unit Commendation ribbon

Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with one

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

and one Bronze Star * Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon