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"That's what Marines wanted to do: get out there and do their part for their country."
-LtCol James Bishop
CO, VMFA-212, upon the squadron's return from deployment in June 2002
On 13 Sept. 2001, the "Lancers" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 212 deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, to the balmy South Pacific aboard Anderson Air Force Base, Guam.
Former squadron member, Captain Marc C. Riddle, who was then an avionics staff noncommissioned officer, recalled that after the horrific events of Sept. 11, "the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel James H. 'Shag' Bishop, called all of the night crew and those who had come to work from the day shift into formation. He talked about what was happening, that he believed the nation was going to be at war. He also told us to get the 'birds' up and ready to fly."
Throughout the night the squadron buzzed with activity. "By the evening of the 12th when [the] night crew came back to work, the aircraft were up [and armed] ; everyone was packing and getting staged for movement. That evening we were told we were going to Guam. In the morning the aircraft flew to Guam ... C-130s trailing [behind] with squadron personnel inside," said Riddle. In just 48 short hours after the attacks, Marine jets were flying combat air patrol over Guam.
For 10 days, as part of Operation Noble Eagle, the squadron flew combat air patrol and maintained "24-hour strip alert" to protect the remote American territory. Meanwhile, squadron planners also worked to support an upcoming three-month deployment to Kuwait. For VMFA-212, the Kuwait deployment became unique and historic while demonstrating the flexibility of Marine tactical aircraft.
The prospect of deploying a Marine F/A-18 Hornet squadron to support Operation Southern Watch, which enforced the southern "no-fly zone" imposed on Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, created a dilemma for Marine planners. The Marine Corps had to determine the type of aircraft that best fit the rotation within the U.S. Air Force's 332d Air Expeditionary Group.
Former squadron pilot Major Scott "Harley" Davidson, USMC (Ret) recalled the debate. "Do we send an F/A-18C singleseat squadron or ... an F/A-18D [two-seat] squadron? The compromise and best solution was to deploy a composite squadron," saidDavidson....