VMFA - 134 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 134 ( VMFA - 134 ) was a reserve F / A - 18 Hornet squadron in the United States Marine Corps . Known as " Smoke " , the squadron was based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , California and fell under Marine Aircraft Group 46 ( MAG - 46 ) and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing ( 4th MAW ) . On April 1 , 2007 the squadron was transitioned to cadre status and its gear and personnel were redistributed throughout the remaining F / A - 18 Hornet squadrons . Mission . Conduct air - to - air and air - to - ground operations in support of U . S . Marine Corps ground troops . History . World War II . Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 134 ( VMSB - 134 ) was activated on May 1 , 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara , California , and assigned to Marine Base Defense Aircraft Group 42 , Marine Fleet Air , West Coast . Shortly thereafter it was redesignated as Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 134 ( VMTB - 134 ) on June 1 , 1943 . From October to November 1943 the squadron deployed to Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides , and detached from the Marine Base Defense Aircraft Wing . In November 1943 the squadron was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11 , 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . During the course of World War II the squadron supported operations on Bougainville , the Bismarck Archipelago and Peleliu . Following these campaigns the squadron went through numerous reassignments to include the following : Following the war , VMTB - 134 was assigned to Tsingtao , China during October 1945 to participate in the occupation of Northern China from October 1945 to April 1946 . During this time they were again reassigned in November 1945 to Marine Aircraft Group 32 , 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and to Marine Aircraft Group 12 in April 1946 upon their return from China . The squadron was deactivated on April 30 , 1946 . 1958 - 1986 . The squadron was reactivated on April 15 , 1958 at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos , California , as Marine Fighter Squadron 134 ( VMF - 314 ) in the Marine Air Reserve . Redesignated again on July 1 , 1962 as Marine Attack Squadron 134 ( VMA - 134 ) , Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment , Marine Air Reserve Training Command , Los Alamitos , California . In February 1965 they were again reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 43 , 4th Marine Aircraft Wing . 1971 saw the squadron move to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , California . The last redesignation of the squadron occurred on October 1 , 1983 as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 134 with a new assignment to Marine Aircraft Group 46 . 1990s & 2000s . On July 21 , 2004 , two F / A - 18 Hornet s of VMFA - 134 suffered a mid - air collision over the Columbia River , 120 miles east of Portland , Oregon , shortly after 1430 , killing both Marines in F / A - 18B , BuNo " 162870 " . The pilot of F / A - 18A , BuNo 163097 , ' MF - 04 ' , ejected and landed nearby on a hillside west of Arlington , Oregon , suffering minor injuries . The fighters were on their way to the Boardman Air Force Range , where the Oregon Air National Guard trains , when they collided . Another spokesman told the Associated Press that the planes were on a low - altitude training exercise .