VMA-513
Flying Nightmares — Harrier Operations 1971–2013
The Marine Corps’ Harrier story began with the Flying Nightmares. On April 16, 1971, VMA-513 took delivery of its first three AV-8A Harriers at MCAS Beaufort, S.C., becoming the first operational high-performance V/STOL squadron in the United States. For the next 42 years the Nightmares proved the jump jet at sea and ashore — from the sea control ship tests aboard USS Guam to Desert Storm, the first Harriers based at Bagram and the first Harrier JDAM dropped in combat. The squadron was deactivated at MCAS Yuma, Ariz., on July 12, 2013.
Quick Facts
Nickname: Flying Nightmares
Harrier years: April 1971 – July 2013
Aircraft: AV-8A Harrier and AV-8B Harrier II
Home base: MCAS Beaufort, S.C., from 1971; MCAS Yuma, Ariz., from 1976
Parent units: 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in the Western Pacific; at Yuma, Marine Combat Crew Readiness Training Group 10 and then Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Tail code: WF
Distinction: The first Marine Corps squadron to fly the Harrier
Today: The Nightmares’ lineage lives on in VMFAT-502, an F-35B training squadron
The Harrier Years
1971 — On April 16, VMA-513 takes delivery of three AV-8As at MCAS Beaufort and becomes the first operational high-performance V/STOL squadron in the United States.
“I started in 513 when the Harriers came from England. … That was down in Beaufort. Yeah, ’71.”
— Richard Campbell, VMA-513 avionics Marine, 1971 and 1975–76
1972 — In January, Nightmares AV-8As fly from USS Guam during the Navy’s interim sea control ship tests. On March 23 the squadron completes the Harrier’s Department of Defense sortie-rate validation, showing the AV-8A could answer calls for close air support rapidly and repeatedly from austere forward bases.
“… I started out in 513 and 231, those were the early days. So we did a ton of sea control testing out of Beaufort.”
— Richard Campbell, VMA-513 and VMA-231
Mid-1970s — Assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, the squadron takes the Harrier to the Western Pacific, operating from MCAS Iwakuni, Japan.
1976 — Returns to the United States in November and moves to MCAS Yuma, Ariz., its home for the rest of the Harrier era.
1987 — Transitions to the AV-8B Harrier II in October, the same month Marine Combat Crew Readiness Training Group 10 becomes Marine Aircraft Group 13.
1991 — Desert Storm: six AV-8Bs of VMA-513 Detachment B come ashore from USS Tarawa to fly from King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
2002–03 — Becomes the first squadron to base Harriers at Bagram, Afghanistan, in Operation Enduring Freedom.
2006 — Deploys to Al Asad, Iraq, and becomes the first Marine Harrier squadron to employ the JDAM in combat.
2007 — Takes part in Exercise Bold Step aboard the British carrier HMS Illustrious.
2013 — Deactivated at MCAS Yuma on July 12, with most of its jets going to VMA-214.
Going to War
Desert Storm. VMA-513 Detachment B went to the Gulf aboard USS Tarawa. In February 1991 it brought its six AV-8Bs ashore to King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Saudi Arabia, where 66 AV-8Bs and 20 OV-10s ultimately operated, and it later returned to Tarawa for the voyage home. The Nightmares came back with all of their aircraft and without loss of life or major injury.
Afghanistan. From 2002 to 2003 the Nightmares were the first squadron to base Harriers at Bagram Air Base in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, flying against the challenges of night, weather and an austere mountain environment. The squadron’s executive officer, Michael “Zak” Franzak, who retired as a lieutenant colonel, told the story in A Nightmare’s Prayer, the first Afghanistan memoir written by a Marine Harrier pilot and winner of the 2012 Colby Award.
Iraq. In 2006 the squadron deployed to Al Asad Air Base in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and there became the first Marine Harrier squadron to employ the Joint Direct Attack Munition in combat.
At Sea
1972 — USS Guam: interim sea control ship tests.
1990–91 — USS Tarawa, Detachment B: Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
2007 — HMS Illustrious: Exercise Bold Step.
From Yuma the Nightmares also sent six-plane detachments to the Western Pacific and to sea with Marine Expeditionary Units, aboard ships including USS Belleau Wood, USS Essex and USS Bonhomme Richard.
“When we went overseas with 513, we lived in Quonset huts out in the jungle when we were in the Philippines.”
— Richard Campbell, VMA-513, 1975–76
The Maintainers
The first Marines to keep the AV-8A flying learned a brand-new, British-built airplane, often side by side with British technical representatives, and on the mid-1970s Western Pacific deployment they lived on top of one another in barracks at Iwakuni and huts in the Philippines.
“The maintenance crews were great in teams. There was no fighting over who’s going to do what. … It was a period of quick learning, a period of a lot, a lot of long hours, hard work, and guys just sticking together to get a job done.”
— Richard Campbell, VMA-513 avionics Marine
The Owl and the Night
VMA-513 was commissioned on February 15, 1944, as Marine Fighting Squadron 513. It earned the name Flying Nightmares as a night-fighter squadron in Korea, where it scored the first radar kill of an enemy jet at night; in March 1951 alone it flew 604 night combat sorties. The squadron’s owl insignia carried into the Harrier era — at Beaufort its flight line was known as “Hoot’s Halfacre.”
“If it was 231, you were 231. If you were 513, you were 513. If you were 542, you were 542.”
— Richard Campbell, VMA-513 and VMA-231
Awards and Milestones
1971 — The first operational high-performance V/STOL squadron in the United States, and the first Marine Corps Harrier squadron.
1972 — Completed the Department of Defense sortie-rate validation for the AV-8A.
2002–03 — The first squadron to base Harriers at Bagram, Afghanistan.
2006 — The first Marine Harrier squadron to employ the JDAM in combat.
2012 — A Nightmare’s Prayer, by former executive officer Michael “Zak” Franzak, wins the Colby Award.
In Memoriam
Maj. Michael J. Ripley — June 18, 1971, Chesapeake Bay
Capt. Donald P. Kaltenbaugh — December 1976, Sea of Japan
Capt. Charles G. Reed — September 6, 1977, Nevada
Maj. Thomas W. Tyler — June 26, 1981, Pacific Ocean near San Diego
Capt. Jeffrey C. Fishbaugh — December 3, 1981, near Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Lt. Charles E. Simpson — January 26, 1982, MCAS Yuma
“When you know these guys, it gets to be difficult. I mean, you see them every day wandering around the squadron and that kind of stuff.”
— Richard Campbell, VMA-513
This record is still being compiled. If you served with VMA-513 and can help us honor the Nightmares we lost, please share your story.
Harrier Commanding Officers
Lt. Col. Billy McMillin — 1987–1988
Lt. Col. Samuel Smith — 2013, final commanding officer
This list is still being compiled. If you commanded or flew with VMA-513, help us complete it.
Sundown
On July 12, 2013, after 69 years of service, VMA-513 was deactivated at MCAS Yuma as the Marine Corps reduced its budget and prepared for the F-35B. Most of the squadron’s Marines moved to other Yuma Harrier squadrons, and its jets went primarily to VMA-214.
“I’m proud of the Nightmares; I’m proud of their tradition. I truly believe that we are finishing this thing very strong.”
— Lt. Col. Samuel Smith, final VMA-513 commanding officer, 2013
“To be the last element of this squadron’s history is something special. The squadron’s done some amazing things.”
— Capt. Tommy Ragsdale, VMA-513 Harrier pilot, 2013
Today
On June 26, 2020, VMA-513 was reactivated at MCAS Beaufort — where its Harrier story began — and redesignated Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 502, the Marine Corps’ second F-35B fleet replacement squadron, under Lt. Col. Carlton A. Wilson. The Nightmares moved to MCAS Miramar, Calif., in December 2021 and train F-35B pilots today.
The Harrier Legacy Project
The Nightmares’ story is part of The Harrier Legacy Project, CALLSIGN Publishing’s 136-page commemorative book on the Marine Corps AV-8 Harrier community, built from more than two years of embedded reporting, original photography and firsthand oral histories. Learn about the book →
More Harrier Squadrons
VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers · VMA-214 Black Sheep · VMA-223 Bulldogs · VMA-231 Ace of Spades · VMA-311 Tomcats · VMA-331 Bumblebees · VMA-542 Tigers · VMAT-203 Hawks · VX-4 Evaluators · VX-5 Vampires · VX-9 Vampires · VX-31 Dust Devils
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the first Marine Corps Harrier squadron? VMA-513, the Flying Nightmares. It took delivery of its first AV-8As at MCAS Beaufort, S.C., on April 16, 1971.
When did VMA-513 fly the Harrier? From April 1971 until the squadron was deactivated at MCAS Yuma on July 12, 2013 — the AV-8A until 1987 and the AV-8B Harrier II after that.
Why is VMA-513 called the Flying Nightmares? The name dates to the Korean War, when the squadron flew as night fighters and scored the first radar kill of an enemy jet at night.
What wars did VMA-513 fight in with the Harrier? Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where it was the first squadron to base Harriers at Bagram, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Who was VMA-513’s last commanding officer? Lt. Col. Samuel Smith, who led the squadron at its deactivation in 2013.
Does VMA-513 still exist? Its lineage does. In 2020 the squadron was reactivated and redesignated VMFAT-502, which trains pilots on the F-35B and still carries the Nightmares name.
Sources and Further Reading
The Last of the Nightmares – The Deactivation of Marine Attack Squadron 513, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
The Last of the Nightmares, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
United States Naval Aviation 1910–2010, Chronology 1970–1980, Naval History and Heritage Command
Harriers in the Breach, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
Marine Attack Squadron-513, GlobalSecurity.org
Marine Aircraft Group 13, GlobalSecurity.org
VMFAT-502 Activation and Re-designation, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort
Marine Corps Activates Second F-35B Fleet Replacement Squadron, Seapower
VMA-513 Flying Nightmares, Seaforces.org
A Nightmare’s Prayer, Simon & Schuster
Maj. Thomas W. Tyler, USMC, USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
VMFAT-502, Wikipedia
List of Harrier family losses, Wikipedia
Interviews conducted by CALLSIGN Publishing for The Harrier Legacy Project.
Last updated September 2026.