This summer marked the deactivation of the Death Angels of VMFA-235. It stood down on 14 June at NAS Miramar, and its personnel and equipment were distributed to other units. Next year, the Warlords of VMFA-451 will belly-up to the chopping block, becoming the fourth Marine strike-fighter squadron to be deactivated as part of the military's reduction policy. In 1992, VMFA-333 and VMFA-531 became the first Marine Corps active duty Hornet squadrons to be phased out.
VMSB-235 was first activated on I January 1943 at MCAS El Centro, Calif., as a scout-bombing squadron equipped with the Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless. It began operations from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, and after four tours in the South Pacific the Flying Wolves (as they were then known) returned to MCAS Miramar to be deactivated on 10 November 1944.
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Reactivated two years later as a component of the Reserves, the Death Angels sported a unit crest that featured the angel of death with a blood-drenched sword and the ominous motto Ride Nunc, or "Laugh Now." On 18 September 1950, VMF-235 was recalled to active duty and deployed with its F4U-4 Corsairs to MCAS El Toro. In September 1952, the unit entered the jet age with the F9F-2 Panther. Two years later, it transitioned to the swept-wing FJ-2 Fury and relocated to NAF Atsugi, Japan. The Death Angels later upgraded to the FJ-3M Fury in mid-1956 and later that year to the FJ-4 Fury Their FJ-3M Furys reflected the change in the unit's tail code from WU to DB.
In January 1957 the squadron stood down in Japan, and the flag was transferred to MCAS Cherry Point two weeks later. In November, the unit was transferred again to MCAAS Beaufort, S.C., where it began transitioning to the F8U-1 Crusader.
In February 1962 it upgraded to the all-weather F-8D Crusader and was redesignated VMF(AW)-235. In late January 1963, -235 was reduced to zero strength and quite literally swapped places with the Warlords of VMF(AW)-451 at Atsugi on 1 February. A year later, they were again reduced to zero strength and re-equipped with the F-8E at Beaufort.
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The Death Angels did their part during the Vietnam War by arriving at Da Nang on I February 1966, to take over F-8E Crusaders from another Beaufort-based unit, the VMF(AW)-312 Checkerboards. Within 24 hours, the unit was flying close air support and interdiction missions in South Vietnam. In July, Da Nang came under a 122mm rocket attack that destroyed two Death Angel Crusaders and left a third damaged. On two occasions, VMF(AW)-235 pilots took off with their wings folded. One of the pilots, in his haste to land, also forgot to lower his landing gear. These incidents aside, the Death Angels racked up more than 6,000 sorties during 7,000 flight hours. On 15 November, the Death Angels turned their Crusaders over to the Red Devils of VMF(AW)-232 and were assigned to MAG-15 at Iwakuni, Japan.
The Death Angels returned to Da Nang on 15 February 1967 and spent nearly 13 months in combat. On 11 May 1968, VMF(AW)-235 returned to Iwakuni to begin a four-month wind-down as the last active duty Marine F-8 Crusader squadron. The Death Angels were again reduced to zero strength and transferred to their new home, MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. On 6 September 1968 they were redesignated VMFA-235 and equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II.
The Lancers of VMFA-212 were ordered to Vietnam in April 1972. The Death Angels assisted their sister squadron by trading a few of their experienced RIOs with some of -212's fledgling back-seaters and loaning them two of their Phantoms.
In September 1977, the Death Angels began participating in a sixmonth Unit Deployment Program, whereby each Kaneohe-based F-4 unit (including VMFA-212 and VMFA-232) would transPac to Japan along with all personnel and equipment. In November 1981, VMFA-235 received the upgraded F-4S Phantom II equipped with leading-edge slats. During the remainder of the '80s, VMFA-235 performed training exercises with distinction.
In February 1989, the Death Angels deployed to Nellis AFB for the last Marine active duty F-4 operation (VMFP-3 ceased all operations in the RF-4 in 1990). The unit received F/A-18 training at MCAS El Toro and NAS Lemoore, and began receiving the F/A- 18C in August.
With the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August of 1990, the Death Angels were sent to Bahrain and began flying combat air patrol missions in the northern Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield On 17 January Desert Shield became Desert Storm. Death Angels pilots were involved in the first missions into Iraq, and over the next 42 days flew 800 sorties in 1,500 hours. Most of the hours, 1,032, were flown in February, the highest number of any fleet single-seat F/A-18 unit during a 30- day period. The Death Angels contributed to the conflict by dropping nearly two million tons of ordnance and, by March 1991, the Iraqis decided to call it quits. VMFA-235 left the Gulf on 2 April and returned to Kaneohe Bay four days and 11,000 miles later.
In February 1994, the squadron departed for WestPac as the last Kaneohe Bay-based F/A-18 unit and in August the Angels returned from WestPac and settled into their new home at MCAS El Toro. This last move proved to be short-lived, as the base was scheduled for closure. In August 1995 they relieved VMFA-212 in WestPac and returned to NAS Miramar in February 1996.
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As the Death Angels of VMFA-235 ceased operations, they looked back with pride at the accomplishments and sacrifices of those who made it one of the finest squadrons in the U.S. Marine Corps.