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The Thunderbolts of VMFA-251 were reactivated as a Marine Air
Reserve squadron in 1946. Their Cold War only included a few weeks
of traditional combat operations face=Calibri>– in Korea –
but they would undertake constant training exercises and
deployments from 1946 to 1991 as they prepared for a potential war
against the USSR or China, the two giants of Communism. From South
Korea to Norway to Turkey and points in between, the Thunderbolts
found themselves defending the free world and living up to their
motto, Custos Caelorum. Following the end of the Korean War, the
squadron remained in the Far East until 1956. Back in the States it
began flying the FJ-3 Fury, a jet fighter, before converting to its
first supersonic fighter, the F-8U “Crusader”. In early 1962,
it was the first Marine F-8 squadron to deploy aboard an aircraft
carrier, as part of CVW-10 (Carrier Air Wing) aboard the USS
Shangri-La. During deployment in the Mediterranean Sea, the
squadron set a record for the most flight time in one month for a
Sixth Fleet-based F-8 squadron by flying over 500 hours. In 1964,
the Thunderbolts were the first Marine squadron in 2nd Marine
Aircraft Wing to transition to the F-4B “Phantom II,” which
they would fly for 21 years and 80,000 flight hours, until
transitioning to the F/A-18 “Hornet” in 1987. These deployments
and exercises, while not “at war,” were not without dangers.
The Thunderbolts lost many personnel and aircraft, but they
persevered as the armed forces of freedom-loving nations faced the
ongoing threat of communism for over four decades. Compiled from
archive records and interviews by a veteran of VMFA-251, this
account narrates how the Thunderbolts worked hard to maintain the
peace. They were indeed Custodians of the Sky.
Trained as a photo reconnaissance unit, the U.S. Marine Observation
Squadron 251 ended up serving as a fighter squadron for the
duration of World War II, shooting down 32 Japanese aircraft. They
earned several awards for outstanding performance, including the
Presidential Unit Citation. This book is the first to cover the
history of the VMO-251, one of the Marine Corps' longest-serving
squadrons. The author traces their operations from the unit's
activation on December 1, 1941, through Guadalcanal, the reduction
of Rabaul and their missions over the Philippines in 1945.
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