Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 134 (VMFA-134) was a reserve F/A-18 Hornet squadron in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. Known as "Smoke", the squadron was based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and fell under

Marine Aircraft Group 46 Marine Aircraft Group 46 (MAG-46) was a United States Marine Corps reserve aviation group based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California with subordinate units spread throughout California. It previously composed of one adversary squadron ...

(MAG-46) and the

4th Marine Aircraft Wing The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing is the reserve airwing of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana but its subordinate units are scattered throughout the United States. Mission Conduct air operations in support ...

(4th MAW). On April 1, 2007, the squadron was transitioned to cadre status and its gear and personnel were redistributed throughout the remaining F/A-18 Hornet squadrons.

Mission

Conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground operations in support of U.S. Marine Corps ground troops.

History

World War II

Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 134 (VMSB-134) was activated on May 1, 1943, at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara, California, and assigned to Marine Base Defense Aircraft Group 42, Marine Fleet Air, West Coast. Shortly thereafter it was redesignated as Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 134 (VMTB-134) on June 1, 1943. From October to November 1943 the squadron deployed to

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

, and detached from the Marine Base Defense Aircraft Wing. In November 1943 the squadron was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11,

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, Japan. A ...

. During the course of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the squadron supported operations on Bougainville, the Bismarck Archipelago and

Peleliu Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. H ...

. Following these campaigns the squadron went through numerous reassignments to include the following: *Reassigned during January 1944 to

Marine Aircraft Group 24 Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. MAG-24 is subordinate to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF). Mission Pr ...

. *Reassigned during March 1944 to Marine Aircraft Group 14. *Reassigned during May 1944 to

Marine Aircraft Group 12 Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps, tasked with providing fighter and assault support aircraft. It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), itself an integral part of th ...

. *Reassigned during June 1944 to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. *Reassigned during December 1944 to Marine Aircraft Group 11,

. Following the war, VMTB-134 was assigned to

Tsingtao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

, China during October 1945 to participate in the occupation of Northern China from October 1945 to April 1946. During this time they were again reassigned in November 1945 to Marine Aircraft Group 32,

and to

in April 1946 upon their return from China. The squadron was deactivated on April 30, 1946.

1958-1986

The squadron was reactivated on April 15, 1958, at

Naval Air Station Los Alamitos A navy, naval force, 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 and related functions. It inc ...

, California, as Marine Fighter Squadron 134 (VMF-134) in the Marine Air Reserve. Redesignated again on July 1, 1962, as Marine Attack Squadron 134 (VMA-134), Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment, Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Los Alamitos, California. In February 1965 they were again reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 43,

. 1971 saw the squadron move to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, assigned to

, flying Douglas A-4F (Skyhawk) aircraft and with squadron designation of, heSkyhawks. The last redesignation of the squadron occurred on October 1, 1983, as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 134 with transition to the F-4 Phantom II, still attached to MAG 46.

1990s & 2000s

On July 21, 2004, two F/A-18 Hornets of VMFA-134 suffered a mid-air collision over the Columbia River, 120 miles east of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, shortly after 1430, killing both Marines in F/A-18B, BuNo ''162870''.Allport, Dave, "''Accident Report Updates''", Air Forces Monthly, Stamford, Lincs., U.K., November 2005, Issue 212, page 76. The pilot of F/A-18A, BuNo 163097, 'MF-04', ejected and landed nearby on a hillside west of Arlington, Oregon, suffering minor injuries. The fighters were on their way to the Boardman Air Force Range, where the Oregon Air National Guard trains, when they collided. Another spokesman told the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

that the planes were on a low-altitude training exercise.Green, Kristen, and Steele, Jeanette, "''Reservists on training mission; one injured''", July 22, 2004, The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, California.

In Popular Media

In the seventh season episode of

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

"The Mommy Problem" an F/A-18 with the call sign 'Badger' belonging to VMFA-134 is shown being piloted by Democratic presidential candidate Matt Santos (

Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama '' L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama ''NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...

) as part of his USMC Reserve duty.

Awards

Navy Unit Commendation Streamer A navy, naval force, 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 and related functions. It inc ...

** Peleliu - 1944 * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon