VMFA - 312 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 ( VMFA - 312 ) is a United States Marine Corps F / A - 18 Hornet squadron . Also known as the " Checkerboards " , the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort , South Carolina and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 31 ( MAG - 31 ) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 2nd MAW ) . History . World War II . Marine Fighter Squadron 312 ( VMF - 312 ) was commissioned on June 1 , 1943 , at Page Field , Parris Island , South Carolina . Originally it was part of MAG - 31 , 1st MAW . As first aircraft the squadron received 10 SNJ - 4 Texan s and one F4U - 1D Corsair . As their unit crest the squadron members choose a satan - like bulldog wearing a flying helmet and carrying - at that time - six . 50 caliber machineguns ( the armament of the Corsair ) drawn by Technical Sergeant James R . Wroble . In honor of their commanding officer , Major Richard M . Day , the men nicknamed their squadron " Day ' s Knights " . Also at this time , the Checkerboards emblem began to appear on both the cowling and rudder of the aircraft . After being transferred in August 1943 to MAG - 32 , 3rd MAW , the squadron relocated to San Diego , California , and departed Parris Island on January 2 , 1944 , and headed for Miramar . They departed MCAS Miramar on February 28 , 1944 and headed for Marine Corps Air Station Ewa on Hawai . VMF - 312 trained at Ewa for 3 months and then headed out for Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides to become part of MAG - 11 , 2nd MAW . Assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11 on June 25 , 1944 , the squadron was transported to Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides , where they received 24 FG - 1 Corsair s . VMF - 312 ' s first combat action came on April 12 , 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa as part of Marine Aircraft Group 33 ( MAG - 33 ) , when four squadron aircraft intercepted 20 Japanese Zero s and achieved eight kills without a loss . VMF - 312 continued to operate from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa until the cessation of hostilities . By war ' s end , the squadron had accounted for 59 . 5 air combat kills in the Pacific Theater . Between September 1945 and February 1946 VMF - 312 participated in the occupation force stationed on Okinawa . 1946 - 1950 . Returning to the United States in February 1946 , the squadron began operations at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro still as part of MAG - 33 , where the squadron completed a transition to F7F - 3 Tigercat s , a single seat day fighter variant of the two seat Tigercat night fighter . Although the night fighters continued in service for several years , the day fighter version proved unsuitable , and VMF - 312 transitioned back to Corsairs , this time F4U - 4 s , a higher performance model . The Korean War , 1950 - 1955 . The squadron transferred to Marine Aircraft Group 12 , MCAS El Toro in July 1950 and was alerted for deployment and service in the Korean War . The first VMF - 312 aircraft flew in Korea on September 19 , 1950 . Flying out of Wonson Air Base , the Checkerboards flew missions in support of the 1st Marine Division during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir . Redeployed in March 1951 aboard the light carrier , the Checkerboards were assigned escort and blockade missions . Leaving the ship in June 1951 , the squadron amassed 4 , 945 accident - free hours of carrier operations while logging 1 , 920 carrier landings . After a short period of ground based close air support operations , the squadron returned to sea , first with , then with , and later with . While aboard " Bataan " , the Checkerboards became the first piston engine squadron to shoot down a jet aircraft , when Captain Jesse Folmar shot down a MiG - 15 jet fighter with 20 mm cannon fire . On June 8 , 1953 , the Checkerboards were relieved by VMF - 332 , and returned to the United States in anticipation of transitioning to F9F Panther s at Marine Corps Air Station Miami , Florida . The 1960s through the 1990s . The Panthers were replaced with FJ - 2 Furies ( the naval version of the F - 86 Sabre ) and later FJ - 3 Furies , while they in their turn were being replaced in mid - 1959 by F8U - 1 Crusaders . Concurrent with the reassignment in February 1966 to MCAS Beaufort was the transition to yet another aircraft , the F - 4B Phantom II , and redesignation as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron ( VMFA - 312 ) . Crewed with a pilot and Radar Intercept Officer , and capable of speeds of up to mach 2 , the Phantom served as a formidable combat weapon with the Checkerboards for over 20 years . During the Vietnam War , the Checkerboards performed the vital mission of training combat aircrews prior to their deployment to Southeast Asia . In 1973 , the squadron received the newer F - 4J aircraft , with its much improved radar and avionics , as well as improved aerodynamic design . In 1979 , the Checkerboards became the first 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing fighter squadron to deploy to the Western Pacific under the Unit Deployment Program ( UDP ) . Since joining the UDP cycle , VMFA - 312 has made five six - month deployments to the Western Pacific as well as participated in numerous training deployments around the United States . Upon completion of the first six - month UDP rotation , the Checkerboards became the first squadron to receive the F - 4S variant of the Phantom , which incorporated leading edge slats as well as advanced radar . In July 1987 , VMFA - 312 retired its F - 4 aircraft and transitioned to the F / A - 18A Hornet . In 1993 , VMFA - 312 participated in Operation Provide Promise and Operation Deny Flight over Yugoslavia . They also flew missions over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch while operating from the Red Sea . In March 1995 , the squadron deployed once again with Carrier Air Wing 8 aboard for its second consecutive Mediterranean deployment . During the cruise , VMFA - 312 participated in Operations Southern Watch from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf , then Operation Sharp Guard and Operation Deny Flight from the Adriatic Sea . In late August and September 1995 , the Checkerboards conducted their first direct combat sorties since Vietnam in support of the United Nations resolutions in Operation Deliberate Force . NATO ' s decision to conduct immediate air strikes against Bosnian - Serb ammunition bunkers , communication and control facilities , and logistical storage buildings heavily tasked both the air wing and the Checkerboards . The Checkerboards along with CVW - 3 began missions in support of Operation Southern Watch , on November 27 , 1998 . The mission would change as the order came down to commence Operation Desert Fox , December 16 , 1998 . The air campaign lasted four nights and would end with the following : ( 1 ) 100 % sortie completion rate , ( 2 ) 44 combat night sorties , ( 3 ) 120 . 2 combat hours , ( 4 ) 74 % of assigned targets destroyed , ( 5 ) 27 HARM fired , 53 LGB ' s dropped , the first combat deployment of the AGM - 154 JSOW and ( 6 ) over 95 , 500 lb of ordnance loaded . In the four nights of operations , the " Checkerboards " had zero injuries or casualties . Carrier Air Wing Three entered the North Persian Gulf and began Operation Southern Watch missions on January 3 , 2001 . Nearly two weeks later , the Checkerboards were proud to christen with her first combat engagement . On January 20 , a VMFA - 312 jet destroyed an anti - aircraft artillery site , which was threatening coalition aircraft in Southern Iraq . On February 16 , five VMFA - 312 aircraft participated in a large force strike against numerous targets in the vicinity of Baghdad . Global War on Terror . The Checkerboards deployed aboard in August 2003 . They arrived in the Persian Gulf in October and began support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) . In November , VMFA - 312 became the first squadron in the carrier air - wing to release ordnance in support of OIF . The Checkerboards remained in their area of operations until the end of January before transiting towards home .