#1632 F/A-18C+ Hornet, VMFA-112 Squadron Print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1632 - 163702 '01', F/A-18C+ Hornet, VMFA-112, NAS Fort Worth, Texas.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron One One Two (VMFA-112), was activated on 1 March 1942 in San Diego, California as Marine Fighter Squadron 112 (VMF-112) and was originally known as the “Wolfpack”. On 2 November 1942, flying the F4F “Wildcat” VMF-112 arrived at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal as a part of the Cactus Air Force. During this combat then First Lieutenant Jefferson DeBlanc earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on January 31, 1943. Leading a flight of six, DeBlanc shot down five enemy aircraft before bailing out of his own. In early 1943, VMF-112 was withdrawn briefly from Guadalcanal to Espiritu Santo to transition to the F4U “Corsair” before continuing combat operations from Henderson field. The Wolfpack earned a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the Guadalcanal campaign. VMF-112 returned to Miramar, California to begin carrier qualification training on 5 September 1943. In December 1944, VMF-112 began its second combat deployment aboard the USS BENNINGTON (CV-20), where it supported missions over Tokyo and provided close air support during the invasion of Iwo Jima. By the completion of World War II, the Wolfpack was credited with the destruction of 140 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat, the third highest total for Marine Corps squadrons. In 1945, VMF-112 returned to the United States to be deactivated on 10 September. On July 1, 1946, VMF-112 was reactivated as a reserve squadron aboard Naval Air Station Dallas, Texas. The squadron flew the F4U “Corsair” until 1955 when it received its first jet aircraft, the F-9F “Panther.” Five years later the squadron transitioned to the FJ-3 “Fury”, which it operated until the arrival of the F-8 “Crusader” in 1965. By February of that same year the squadron was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 41. In July of 1967, the unit changed its name to the “Cowboys” and redesigned the squadron insignia to reflect the local NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys. On 1 November 1971, with the added all weather capability of the F-8H, the squadron was re-designated as VMF(AW)-112. In early 1976, the squadron upgraded to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 “Phantom II” and became Marine Fighter Attack Squadron One One Two (VMFA-112). On 18 January 1992, VMFA-112 became the last Marine squadron to fly the Phantom II, thus ending the Marine Corps’ 31 year relationship with the famed Phantom and transitioned to the F/A-18 “Hornet”. Then in September 1996, VMFA-112 relocated to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. During the summer of 2004 the Cowboys became the first Reserve squadron to deploy on a Western-Pacific exercise since the Korean War. On 9 September 2009, the Cowboys deployed to Al Asad airbase in the Al Anbar province of Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) providing close air support for coalition forces. In July 2013, VMFA-112 deployed once again as a part of the Unit Deployment Program to participate in numerous exercises throughout the Pacific. Today the Cowboys carry on the proud tradition that began with the Wolfpack over the Solomon Islands.
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