VMFA-542 Tigers

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542) "Tigers" · USMC · 1963-present

Commissioned as Marine Night Fighter Squadron 542 in 1944 at MCAS Cherry Point, the "Tigers" earned a Presidential Unit Citation flying night intruder missions from Okinawa's Yontan airfield, downing eighteen Japanese aircraft over the Ryukyus. Redesignated a Marine Fighter Attack Squadron in November 1963, they transitioned from the F-4B Phantom to the AV-8 Harrier and today operate the F-35B Lightning II. The squadron's snarling tiger's head, flanked by lightning bolts, has long broadcast the Tigers' reputation for aggressive combat prowess.