Military

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-142 [VMFA-142]

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-142 [VMFA-142] was activated 1 March 1942 at Camp Kearney, California as Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 142, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force. It was assigned during August 1942 to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force before being reassigned during September 1942 to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force. The squadron was deployed from October to November 1942 to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, and reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force.

During World War II, VMFA-142 participated in the following Campaigns:

• Guadalcanal
• Southern Solomons
• Luzon
• Southern Philippines

The squadron relocated in August 1942 to El Toro, California, and was reassigned to Marine Base Defense Aircraft Group 41, Marine Fleet Air, West Coast. It relocated during April 1944 to Ewa, Territory of Hawaii, and was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 32, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force.

The squadron was deactivated 21 September 1945 and reactivated 1 July 1946 at Miami, Florida, as Marine Fighting Squadron 142 and assigned to Marine Air Detachment, Naval Air Reserve Training Unit, Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida. The "Flying Gators" were reassigned in December 1946 to Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Reserve Training Unit, Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida.

The squadron was redesignated 1 April 1949 as Marine Fighter Squadron 142, Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida, later itseld redesignated in February 1952 as Marine Corps Air Station, Miami, Florida.

The squadron was redesignated in September 1953 as Marine Fighter Squadron 142, Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment, Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Marine Corps Air Station, Florida. The squadron was yet again redesignated on 15 May 1958 as Marine Attack Squadron 142 and relocated during March 1959 to Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida.

The squadron was reassigned during January 1971 to the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force before relocating during December 1978 to Naval Air Station, Cecil Field, Florida. Soon thereafter, in January 1979, the squadron was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 42 Detachment, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force and, a year later in January 1980, reassigned again to to Marine Aircraft Group 42, Detachment A, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force.

The squadron was formally redesignated on 21 December 1990 as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 142 and relocated, in August 1997, to Naval Air Station Atlanta, approximately 25 miles North of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia. It was the second F-18 squadron to be transferred into NAS Atlanta

VMFA-142 integrated the Department of the Navy TACAIR concept which integrates USMC and USN tactical jets into the Carrier Air Wing Group.

In May 2000, in a first for CVWR-20, five Marine Hornets from VMFA-142 joined them for CQ, qualifying all five pilots. Three of the Hornets then flew to Roosevelt Roads where they flew Orange Air missions in support of CEC.

VMFA-142's mission is to:

• plan for the conduct of air operations in support of the Fleet Marine Force,
• supervise and train selected Marine Corps Reserve units,
• provide administrative and logistical support for selected Marine Corps Reserve units, and
• ensure mobilization readiness.