VMF - 511 Marine Fighting Squadron 511 ( VMF - 511 ) was a fighter squadron of the Marine Corps and Marine Forces Reserve during World War II and the Cold War which flew aircraft types such as the F6F Hellcat , F4U Corsair , and the F - 8 Crusader . They were originally activated during World War II and fought during the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Balikpapan ( 1945 ) . They specialized in close air support and during the course of the war were credited with only one plane shot down . Following the surrender of Japan , the squadron was deactivated on March 11 , 1946 . They were reactivated in the Marine Forces Reserve and were based out of Naval Air Station Willow Grove , Pennsylvania . The squadron ' s tailcode was originally " 7W " , then in 1970 it became " 5W " , and then in 1972 it changed to " MK " . History . Marine Fighting Squadron 511 ( VMF - 511 ) was activated on January 1 , 1944 , at Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Field Oak Grove , North Carolina . They were a part of Marine Aircraft Group 51 ( MAG - 51 ) and their original mission was to take part in Operation Crossbow ( Project Danny ) , an ill - conceived plan to have Marine squadrons aboard escort carriers hunt down V - 1 flying bomb launch sites in eastern France . After that operation was canceled , the new mission for MAG - 51 and VMF - 511 was to train for deployment aboard Navy carriers in the Pacific . They moved to Marine Corps Air Station Mojave , California , on September 10 , 1944 , and began carrier qualification training . They were equipped with a mixed bag of eight F6F - 5N Hellcat night fighters , two F6F - 5P photo reconnaissance Hellcats and eight F4U - 1D Corsairs . This mix of aircraft gave the squadron both a night fighting capability and photo reconnaissance capability on top of its ability to provide close air support . On October 28 , 1944 , the squadron was re - designated VMF ( CVS ) - 511 to reflect their special training and participation in the escort carrier program . Upon completion of this training they were assigned to Marine Carrier Air Group 1 ( MCVG - 1 ) where they were partnered with VMTB - 233 on the USS Block Island ( CVE - 106 ) . The squadron left the West Coast on March 20 , 1945 . On May 10 , 1945 , the squadron saw its first combat during the Battle of Okinawa when it attacked Japanese mortar positions . For the next month they provided close air support for Marines and soldiers on the ground during the battle . The squadron was also a part of the effort to reduce Shuri Castle and interdict small water craft . During this time the squadron lost its commanding officer , Major Robert Maze , when his F4U Corsair was hit by flak from Ishigaki Island and crashed into the East China Sea . In mid - June , the USS " Block Island " was relieved from duty off the coast of Okinawa and ordered to Leyte in the Philippines . From there , they supported the early stages of the Australian 7th Division ' s invasion of Balikpapan . They returned to Leyte on July 4 , 1945 , and did not see combat for the rest of the war . Still aboard the USS " Block Island " when WWII ended , VMF ( CVS ) - 511 ' s final missions were flown in support of the Japanese surrender of Formosa . Following the surrender of Japan , the squadron returned to Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara , California and were eventually deactivated at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , California on March 10 , 1946 . On April 15 , 1958 , the Marine Corps reactivated the squadron as the Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment Willow Grove at Naval Air Station Willow Grove , Pennsylvania . At first , the squadron shared its F - 8 Crusader aircraft with Naval Air Reserve squadrons VF - 931 and VF - 932 . In 1970 , the reserves were reorganized and VMF - 511 became an independent squadron with its own aircraft . The squadron was finally deactivated on August 31 , 1972 , as part of the post - Vietnam draw down of forces . Unit awards . A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited . Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear the awarded unit citations on their uniforms . VMF - 511 was presented with the following awards :