VMFA - 121 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 ( VMFA - 121 ) is a United States Marine Corps aircraft squadron operating the F - 35B Lightning II . The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma , Arizona and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 13 ( MAG - 13 ) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 3rd MAW ) . History . World War II . Marine Fighting Squadron 121 ( VMF - 121 ) was activated on June 24 , 1941 . The Green Knights began combat operations flying the F4F Wildcat and later the F4U Corsair as charter members of the Cactus Air Force and throughout the Battle of Guadalcanal . The squadron also fought from the forward air bases of Espirito Santo , Turtle Bay , Bougainville , and Emirau . On September 15 , 1944 , the Green Knights landed on Peleliu and fought there until July 25 , 1945 . They returned to the United States to be deactivated on September 9 , 1945 . During the Pacific War , VMF - 121 produced fourteen fighter ace s , more than any other squadron , including Medal of Honor recipient , Major Joseph J . Foss . VMF - 121 downed 208 Japanese aircraft ( 165 flying Wildcats and another 44 flying Corsairs ) in aerial combat . After WWII , the squadron was reactivated at United States and Naval Air Station , Glenview , Illinois where the squadron ' s designation was changed to Marine Attack Squadron 121 ( VMA - 121 ) . During this time they flew a variety of aircraft including the F4U Corsair , F8F Bearcat and A - 1 Skyraider . Korean War . In mid 1951 , VMA - 121 received orders to activate its reserve members and departed Glenview , Illinois for Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , California . After completion of training in the Skyraider , the Squadron was transported aboard the carrier USS Sitkoh Bay ( CVE - 86 ) to Yokosuka , Japan to begin final preparations for a combat deployment to the Republic of Korea . In June 1953 they also set a then Marine record for a single day ' s ordnance delivery when 16 AD - 2 Skyraiders dropped 156 tons of bombs during the attack on the Sui - ho Dam . VMA - 121 deployed to K - 6 Airfield at Pyongtaek , Republic of Korea on October 19 , 1951 and conducted their first strike on October 27 . Their mission was to conduct strike missions in support of infantry operations . The squadron dropped more bomb tonnage during the Korean War than any other Navy or Marine Corps squadron , devastating enemy airfields , supply dumps , bridges , and railroad yards . During the Korean War the Squadron insignia depicted Al Capp ' s " WolfGirl " from the comic strip Li ' l Abner . The " Wolf Raiders " of VMA - 121 remained in South Korea for several years after the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953 . Returning to MCAS El Toro in 1957 , the squadron assumed its role in the Unit Deployment Program with scheduled rotations to Japan and traded in its AD Skyraider aircraft and joined the jet age with the F9F - 8B . The Cougar equipped with the LABS system for loft bombing , was the first aircraft flown by the squadron capable of delivering nuclear weapons . In late 1958 , the Squadron traded the Cougars for brand new A - 4 Skyhawk s . Spending most of the next year at the likes of NAS Fallon , MCAS Yuma , and China Lake , the " Green Knights " became the first squadron to complete the entire special weapons delivery syllabus . During November 1962 , the " Green Knights " deployed their new A - 4s to NAS Cecil Field on the coast of Florida in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis . Vietnam War . In August , 1966 , the Green Knights ferried their Skyhawks to Chu Lai Air Base , Republic of Vietnam . After six months of combat operations , the Squadron rotated back to Iwakuni , Japan and Naha Air Base , Okinawa before returning to Chu - Lai for another combat tour in September 1967 . During the first six months of that deployment , VMA - 121 supported 118 major operations . In early 1969 the Squadron was reconstituted at MCAS Cherry Point , North Carolina and newly designated VMA ( AW ) - 121 to reflect the Squadron ' s transition to the all weather attack mission with the Grumman A - 6 Intruder . The Green Knights were now capable of acquiring and destroying surface targets in any weather , day or night , with a wide variety of ordnance . The Green Knights were assigned at MCAS El Toro in the early 1980s . The Gulf War & the 1990s . On December 8 , 1989 the Squadron was redesignated as VMFA ( AW ) - 121 , becoming the first Marine Corps F / A - 18D Night Attack Hornet Squadron . Slightly over one year later , the Squadron deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm . During the Desert Storm Air Campaign , the Squadron flew 557 sorties and 1 , 655 . 5 combat hours ( more than any other Navy or Marine Corps tactical jet squadron ) . Returning to El Toro following the cessation of hostilities , the Green Knights returned to the unit deployment rotation and relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , California during August 1994 . The Green Knights made three deployments to the Western Pacific before returning to combat over Iraq in March 2000 . The squadron flew 287 sorties in support of Operation Southern Watch while based at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait . Global War on Terror and beyond . In April 2002 , the squadron deployed with six aircraft to Kyrgyzstan , followed by the remaining six aircraft and personnel a month later . The squadron flew more than 900 combat sorties over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom , returning to MCAS Miramar in October 2002 . Only 3 months after returning from Kyrgyzstan , the Green Knights deployed to Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait . From February to May 2003 , the squadron flew more than 750 combat sorties over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom , and returned to MCAS Miramar on May 12 . In March 2005 , the squadron deployed as part of the Unit Deployment Program to MCAS Iwakuni , Japan . The squadron returned to MCAS Miramar on September 15 , 2005 . In February 2007 , the squadron deployed to Al Asad Air Base , Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06 - 08 . The squadron deployed as part of the Unit Deployment Program to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni , Japan from September 2008 to March 2009 , March 2010 to September 2010 , and January 2012 to July 2012 . On August 17 , 2011 , an F / A - 18D from VMFA ( AW ) - 121 crashed into the Pacific Ocean approximately 85 miles southwest of San Diego . Both pilot and WSO ejected safely . F - 35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter era . On 28 September 2012 , LtCol . Jeff Scott took command of the Green Knights from LtCol . Michael Waterman , marking the end of the F / A - 18D Hornet days and ushering in the fifth - generation stealth fighter era . This change of command officially moved them from MAG - 11 in Miramar to MAG - 13 in Yuma , AZ . On November 20 , VMFA ( AW ) - 121 was officially redesignated VMFA - 121 and accepted delivery of their first three F - 35B aircraft to become the first operational F - 35 squadron .