VMFA(AW)-332 Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 332 was a

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 ...

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

squadron. Also known as the "Moonlighters", the squadron was 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 Coun ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

as 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 Ho ...

(MAG-31),

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major 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 aviation combat element for the ...

(2nd MAW). The squadron flew its last flight in the F/A-18 Hornet on March 30, 2007. At the time of their deactivation, they held the longest streak of mishap-free flight hours for a tactical jet squadron at 109,000 hours.

Mission

Attack and destroy surface targets, day or night, under the weather; conduct multi-sensor imagery reconnaissance; provide supporting arms coordination; and intercept and destroy enemy aircraft under all weather conditions.

History

World War II

Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 332 (VMSB-332) was commissioned on August 1, 1943 at the newly constructed

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 and ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The squadron initially flew the

Douglas 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/div ...

dive bombers and regularly trained at

Bogue Field Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue , also known as Bogue Field, is an landing field located on Bogue Sound (North Carolina) that serves as a Marine Corps’ East Coast site for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP). It is a sub facili ...

while stationed in North Carolina. On December 16, 1943 the squadron received orders to prepare to move to the west coast of the United States beginning the first week of January 1944. In California, additional training took place at

Marine Corps Air Station Mojave The Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field is in Mojave, California, United States, at an elevation of . It is the first facility to be licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft, being certified as a spa ...

before departing for the Pacific Theatre during

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 opposin ...

. After a brief stay at

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (MCAS Ewa) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later served as the hub for all Mar ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, the squadron relocated to

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

. Its mission was to escort and provide air cover for all incoming and outgoing surface craft and submarines. In July 1944, the squadron relocated back to Ewa, where it would remain until after the war. On March 1, 1945, the squadron would make the first of four changes in squadron designations. Re-designated Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 332 (VMTB-332), the squadron transitioned to the

TBM Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

. After the war, 332 relocated to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

in November 1945 for deactivation.

1950s

Marine Attack Squadron 332 (VMA-332) was re-commissioned on April 23, 1952 as part of

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...

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 debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

flying the

F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...

and later

F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which 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 contract ...

s. During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, 332 was assigned a combat role operating from the USS Bairoko. It was at this time the famous polka-dots, hat, and cane originated. Replacing the VMF-312 "Checkerboards", who had a black and white checkerboard painted around the engine cowlings, VMA-332, somewhat mockingly, adopted the red polka-dots on white background. The design was reminiscent of Captain

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Hat in the Ring Squadron of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The addition of the hat and cane was derived from the squadron tail letters of "MR". Being the abbreviation of mister, and feeling they were gentlemen in every regard, the hat and cane was adopted as accouterments every gentleman has. It was then that the squadron picked up the nickname VMA-332 "Polka-dots". The squadrons last cruise of the war would be on board the

USS Point Cruz (CVE-119) USS ''Point Cruz'' (CVE-119) was a of the United States Navy. Originally named ''Trocadero Bay'' until 5 June 1944 when it was renamed after the Honiara suburb Point Cruz, which was an important location during the Guadalcanal Campaign. She w ...

from April to December 1953. H Upon return from the war in 1953, VMA-332 transitioned to the AD-1 Skyraider. From 1953 to 1957, VMA-332 rotated annually between the East Coast and the Far East. In 1958, the squadron relocated back to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, and entered the jet age transitioning to the venerable

A4D Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed an ...

and the tail letters were changed from "MR" to "EA".

1960s - 1980s

Last USMC A-6E Intruder VMA(AW)-332 1993

VMA-332 continued its yearly rotation to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

until 1962. In 1962, VMA-332 was the first Marine Corps squadron deployed to

Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (Udorn RTAFB) is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base, the home of 23rd Wing Air Command. It is in the city of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand and is the main airport serving the city and province. The RTAF 23 ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, as part of a buildup of US forces in Thailand in response to the worsening situation of the

Royal Lao Government The Royal Lao Government was the ruling authority in the Kingdom of Laos from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in December 1975 and the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953 gave Laos full i ...

in the

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...

. Later in 1962, the squadron would redeploy back home. It was during this time that the squadron's nickname was mysteriously changed to "Moonlighters". Although there are speculations, no written explanation exists for the change. On August 20, 1968, the "Moonlighters" transitioned to the

A-6 Intruder The Grumman A-6 Intruder is an American twinjet all-weather attack aircraft developed and manufactured by American aircraft company Grumman Aerospace and operated by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. It was designed in response to a 1957 ...

and was designated Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 332 (VMA(AW)-332). On March 1, 1975, the squadron received its first

A-6E Intruder The Grumman A-6 Intruder is an American twinjet all-weather attack aircraft developed and manufactured by American aircraft company Grumman Aerospace and operated by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. It was designed in response to a 1957 ...

and in July 1982, they again upgraded to the A-6E TRAM (Target Recognition and Attack Multi-Sensor). VMA (aw) 332 was awarded Marine all weather attack squadron of the year in 1985.

1990s

On June 16, 1993 the "Moonlighters" were redesignated Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 332 (VMFA(AW)-332), moved to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, and transitioned to the

F/A-18D Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part ...

. Having to ramp up rapidly as a "new" squadron, the "Moonlighters" were called on to support

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mis ...

and

Operation Provide Promise Operation Provide Promise was a humanitarian relief operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars, from 2 July 1992, to 9 January 1996, which made it the longest running humanitarian airlift in history. By the end of the operation, ...

in the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

n republic of

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, deploying to

Aviano Air Base Aviano Air Base ( it, Base aerea di Aviano) is a base in northeastern Italy, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It is located in the Aviano municipality, at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps or Southern Carnic Alps, about from Pordenone. Th ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from October 1994 to March 1995. During the deployment, the squadron led what was the largest NATO air strike to date against the Udbina Airfield as well as participating in several other strikes. The squadron deployed a second time to Aviano Air Base, Italy, in March 1996 in support of

Operation Decisive Edge D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History The ...

and

Operation Joint Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NATO ...

and returned home August of that year. In May 1999, the squadron deployed to Taszar Air Base,

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

in support of

Operation Allied Force The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...

and

Operation Joint Guardian 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 ...

. From 28 May to 7 June 1999, the "Moonlighters" flew 120 combat sorties over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, performing every type of mission required of an F/A-18D squadron during both day and night, expending 175,000 pounds of ordnance. VMFA(AW)-332 was, along with

VMFA(AW)-533 Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533 (VMFA(AW)-533) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Also known as the "Hawks", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina and falls under the comman ...

, one of the first deployable units flying appropriately configured Hornets for the

Joint Direct Attack Munition The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs", into all-weather precision-guided munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Pos ...

(JDAM). After the bombing campaign ceased, the "Moonlighters" continued to fly contingency operations in support of NATO peacekeeping forces in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. During the deployment, the squadron utilized the

Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System (ATARS) is a system for image acquisition, data storage, and data link used by the United States Marine Corps on its F/A-18D Hornet aircraft. It consists of the Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaiss ...

(ATARS) operationally for the first time ever. The squadron returned to MCAS Beaufort in July 1999. USMC F-18D Hornet VMFA-332 Korat 2000

2000s

In January 2000, VMFA(AW)-332 deployed to

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is a United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History The Japanese government bought a large portion of what is today MCAS I ...

. The deployment would take the squadron to mainland Japan,

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

and

Korat The Korat cat ( th, โคราช, มาเลศ, สีสวาด, ) is a silver-tipped blue-grey, short-haired breed of domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat. Its body is semi-cobby, and unusually hea ...

, Thailand. On March 1, 2000, the "Moonlighters" reached the milestone 81,000 mishap free flight hours, a safety record spanning 21 years.

Global War on Terror

The Moonlighters arrived at

Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

, on January 11, 2002 and took over

Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...

, relieving

VMFA-212 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 212 (VMFA-212) was a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Most recently known as the "Lancers", the squadron was last based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan and fell under the command of Mar ...

and

VMFA-232 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Nicknamed the "Red Devils", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft ...

. During the squadron’s tour in Guam, they flew 262 sorties and amassed 582.7 hours of flight time. In January 2002, VMFA(AW)-332 joined the VMFA-212 to form two composite squadrons, providing the Lancers the capability of conducting ATARS reconnaissance missions and FAC(A) in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

(OEF) and

Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...

(OSW). The squadrons exchanged four aircraft as well as aircrew and maintainers for this effort. During this deployment, the squadron deployed to

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Khorat and MCAS Iwakuni, and surpassed 90,000 mishap-free flight hours. On September 11, 2003, they again returned to Japan to as part of the Unit Deployment Program. During this deployment, the squadron deployed to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

in support of Operation Sumo Tiger as well as to

, Guam, and

Townsville, Australia Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 30 ...

. On May 26, 2005, the “Moonlighters” reached the 100,000 mishap-free flight hour mark, recognizing 27 years of professionalism and safety. LtGen James Amos presented the squadron with the 100,000 award on July 20, 2005. This achievement represents the longest record of mishap-free flight of any tactical aviation squadron in Marine Corps history. F-18 with ATARS in nose

On July 26, 2005, VMFA(AW)-332 departed MCAS Beaufort for its combat deployment in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

(OIF). 332 regularly flew a twelve-sortie Air Tasking Order cycle with intermittent surge days and ground alerts. Typical missions included close air support (CAS), Armed Reconnaissance (AR), Infrastructure Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System (ATARS) and Convoy Escort. These missions were conducted on a daily basis, during both day and night, in support of Marine, Army, and various Joint Special Operations units. The most common tasking from these ground units required use of the LITENING Pod to identify, monitor, and report any activity in the vicinity of historical insurgent mortar and rocket Points of Origin (POO) sites. Most of these POO sites were in the vicinity of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and coalition airfields throughout

Al Anbar province Al Anbar Governorate ( ar, محافظة الأنبار; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, ...

. During just 7 months of combat operations, which included both the Iraqi Constitutional Referendum and National elections, the Moonlighters participated in such named Operations as Rivergate, Iron Fist,

Steel Curtain The Steel Curtain was the defensive line of the 1970s American football team Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). The line was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls ( IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in si ...

, Blue Devil,

Trifecta Trifecta A trifecta is a parimutuel bet placed on a horse race in which the bettor must predict which horses will finish first, second, and third, in the exact order. Known as a trifecta in the US and Australia, this is known as a tricast in t ...

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

Skinner Skinner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Skinner (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with that surname *Skinner (profession), a person who makes a living by working with animal skins or driving mules *Skinner, a ring ...

Spider Web A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word '' coppe'', meaning "spider") is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. Spid ...

and Liberty Express. During this deployment, the “Moonlighters” flew 2406 sorties for a total of 6031.9 hours. The squadron departed the Al Anbar province successfully on February 11, 2006 with another combat deployment of zero missed sorties. The total ordnance expended for the deployment was: 50 GBU-38s, 270 GBU-12s, 23 AGM-65s, 10 5” rockets, 2 GBU-16s, 6 GBU-32s, 16 LUU-19s and 7640 rounds of 20mm for a total of 160,966 lbs of ordnance. During the deployment they used the combat callsign of “Dealers." In late 2006 the squadron began downsizing in preparation for the decommissioning of the squadron. Flight operations focused on preparing aircrew and Marines for follow on units. The squadron flew its last flight in the F/A-18 Hornet and was deactivated on March 30, 2007. The Moonlighters were named the 2006 Marine Corps Aviation Association Fighter/Attack Squadron of the Year and held the longest streak of mishap-free flight hours for a tactical jet squadron with a remarkable 109,000 hours.

Popular culture

Revell GMBH distributed a 1:48 plastic model kit of a Korean era 1953 Corsair F4U-4 of VMA-332 "polka dots", ship No. 14, (modelled from the same photo used in this wiki above, the F4U aboard the ''USS Point Cruz'')

Unit awards

Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal Asiatic refers to something related to Asia. Asiatic may also refer to: * Asiatic style, a term in ancient stylistic criticism associated with Greek writers of Asia Minor * In the context of Ancient Egypt, beyond the borders of Egypt and the cont ...

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...

with one Bronze Star *

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...

NATO Medal w Służbie Pokoju i Wolności BAR

Kosovo NATO Medal * KosovoRib

Kosovo Campaign Medal The Kosovo Campaign Medal (KCM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established by of President Bill Clinton on May 3, 2000. The medal recognizes military service performed in Kosovo from March 24, 1999 through December 31, 2013. ...

Citations

References

;Bibliography * * * ;Web *

External links

VMFA(AW)-332's official website

VMA(AW)-332 Moonlighters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vmfa(Aw)-332 Fighter attack squadrons of the United States Marine Corps

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

FS0332