VMA - 513 Marine Attack Squadron 513 ( VMA - 513 ) was a United States Marine Corps attack squadron consisting of AV - 8B Harrier ( V / STOL ) jets . Known as the " Flying Nightmares " , the squadron was last based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma , Arizona and fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 13 ( MAG - 13 ) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 3rd MAW ) . VMA - 513 was decommissioned on 12 July 2013 . History . World War II . Marine Attack Squadron 513 was first commissioned as VMF - 513 on February 15 , 1944 at Marine Corps Auxiliary Field Oak Grove , North Carolina , flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat . The squadron was transferred to Marine Corps Air Facility Walnut Ridge , Arkansas in September 1944 . In December of the same year , the squadron moved to Marine Corps Air Station Mojave , California where it was re - designated VMF ( CVS ) - 513 . On June 15 , 1945 , VMF ( CVS ) - 513 departed San Diego , California , aboard the USS Vella Gulf ( CVE - 111 ) and participated in carrier operations in the Pacific , making stops in Ewa , Enewetak , Saipan , and Guam . In addition , they provided close air support for the 3rd Marine Division during the Battle of Okinawa , Japan . Korean War . Between World War II and the Korean War , VMF - 513 operated from Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , California . Transitioning to the F4U - 5N , the squadron was re - designated VMF ( N ) - 513 ( " Night Fighters " ) . In August 1950 , the squadron deployed to Japan under operational control of the U . S . 5th Air Force . The squadron nickname " Flying Nightmares " was coined by then Commanding Officer , LtCol James R . Anderson , USMC , in March 1951 because he thought it most appropriately described his outfit . At this time the squadron , with its 15 F7F " Tigercats " and 15 F4U - 5N " Corsairs , " were flying out of Pusan West ( K - 1 ) Air Base and providing the sole night fighter air defense and interdiction support to all UN forces . In this month alone , the squadron flew 2 , 086 hours in 604 night combat sorties , inflicting severe damage on the Chinese Forces tactical and logistical units . During the summer of 1952 , VMF ( N ) - 513 received the F3D Skyknight , the squadron ' s first jet aircraft . Due to losses being incurred by B - 29 Superfortress es on nighttime raids over North Korea , 1st MAW was asked to assign their night fighter squadron to escort the aircraft . On the early morning of November 3 , 1952 , VMF ( N ) - 513 made aviation history with the first radar kill on an enemy jet aircraft at night , when Maj . William T . Stratton Jr . , and MSgt Hans Hoglind shot down a North Korean Yak - 15 . The squadron was credited with 10 confirmed night kills during the Korean War . Following the war , the squadron operated out of NAS Atsugi , Japan . On 26 July 1958 , VMF - 513 received the F4D Skyray aircraft . In October 1962 , VMF ( AW ) - 513 was relocated from NAS Atsugi Japan to MCAS El Toro , California . The outfit was effectively disbanded in Japan and reformed in El Toro under a new CO , who organized new pilots and maintenance Marines to operate the now " old " F - 4D Skyrays while the Flying Nightmares awaited delivery of the brand new F - 4 Phantom II . This occurred in early 1963 and most of the Nightmare pilots did their transition training at nearby NAS Miramar , at the Navy ' s replacement squadron . The 1960s . On August 1 , 1963 , the squadron was re - designated VMFA - 513 and by the end of the year , the Nightmares were exclusively flying F - 4 ' s , the third Phantom II squadron in the Marine Corps . They trained in the F - 4B at MCAS El Toro through October 1964 , when they deployed once again to NAS Atsugi , Japan . In June 1965 , the Nightmares replaced VMFA - 531 in Ad Nan , Viet Nam for five months of combat and , for a while , were the only Marine jet fighters in country . In August 1965 , VMFA - 513 supported the 7th Marine Regiment in Operation Starlite — the first major American operation of the war . This one - year overseas deployment ended in October 1965 and the squadron executed another wholesale personnel rotation , this time reforming at MCAS Cherry Point , North Carolina . The 1970s and 1980s . At MCAS Cherry Point , the squadron flew the F - 4B " Phantom " until June 30 , 1970 , when it was re - commissioned as cadre , awaiting delivery of the first Marine AV - 8A Harrier on April 16 , 1971 and re - designation as VMA - 513 . Upon reassignment to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing , VMA - 513 departed the U . S . during July 1974 aboard the for MCAS Iwakuni , and a six - plane detachment left in September 1974 for a six month Mediterranean cruise aboard the . During November 1976 , VMA - 513 returned to the United States and was assigned to Marine Combat Crew Readiness Training Group 10 at MCAS Yuma , Arizona ( re - designated Marine Aircraft Group 13 on October 1 , 1987 ) . In October 1987 , the squadron received the improved AV - 8B Harrier II . The Gulf War . In February 1991 , VMA - 513 deployed for operations in Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield , employing their new Harrier II ' s in support of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit ; logging 103 combat sorties with no losses . At this time , VMA - 513 effectively conducted combat operations from austere sites in Southwest Asia . The Nightmares returned home with all of their assets and no loss of life or major injury . Throughout the 1990s and early 21st century the squadron continued to support Marine Expeditionary Unit s aboard ship for normal six month long deployments to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf . Global War on Terror . From October 2002 to September 2003 , VMA - 513 ( - ) ( REIN ) deployed to Bagram Air Base , Afghanistan for combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . Throughout their year in sustained combat , the Marines and Sailors of VMA - 513 ( - ) ( REIN ) provided close air support , armed reconnaissance , and combat escort for the United States and over 20 Coalition countries of the Combined Joint Task Force 180 . Throughout its time in combat in Afghanistan , the squadron amassed 1 , 250 combat sorties and 3 , 763 . 6 flight hours with only six aircraft while operating from a remote austere forward combat base . Additionally , VMA - 513 ( - ) ( REIN ) flew 1 , 833 . 7 nighttime hours ; thus , providing day and night precision strike capability for American and Coalition units with the newly introduced Litening II Targeting Pod . VMA - 513 ( - ) ( REIN ) supported numerous US and Coalition operations that led to the capture or destruction of many Al Queda and Taliban enemy forces . While the squadron minus was deployed to Afghanistan , a six plane detachment was also deployed twice with Marine Expeditionary Unit s aboard ship and flew combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) and operations on the Horn of Africa . In February 2006 , the Flying Nightmares were again deployed to Al Asad Airbase , Iraq , to provide close air ground support for ground units in the Iraq area . The squadron flew 4519 combat hours with a sortie completion rate of over 95 % . On May 11 , 2006 , VMA - 513 became the first Harrier unit to drop a JDAM ( Joint Direct Attack Munition ) in combat when it struck targets with a GBU - 38 500 lb JDAM . Decommissioning . On July 12 , 2013 , VMA - 513 was decommissioned after 69 years of service . The squadron ' s remaining aircraft were transferred to sister squadron , VMA - 214 .