18,000 NM in 14 days to join Marine Aircraft Group 13 (MAG-13) (forward). During the trip the squadron accrued 904 flight hours in December, a record for fleet Harrier squadrons. On the morning of January 17, 1991, Operation Desert Storm began and VMA-231 was flying combat missions to silence Iraqi artillery batteries, which were indiscriminately shelling the Saudi Arabian border town of Khafji. On February 9, 1991, a newly promoted captain, pilot Russell A.C. Sanborn’s aircraft was shot down over the Iraqi-occupied Kuwaiti desert by a surface-to-air missile during a combat mission. With the uncontrollable jet hurtling inverted toward the sand, he ejected safely but was quickly captured by Iraqi troops. For 26 days, he was held in a small, dank, and unsanitary cell and tortured viciously by his captors until his release on March 6, 1991 when he was repatriated with fifteen other Americans. During February 1991, when the air war intensified and the critical ground campaign began, Marine Attack Squadron 231 accumulated 966.2 hours. This monthly total is a United States Marine Corps Harrier record. The "Ace of Spades" flew a total of 987 combat sorties and 1,195.8 hours during the conflict. In total, 1,660 Mk-82s, 62 Mk-83s, 969 Mk-20 Rockeyes, 78 Mk-77 fire bombs, and 22,709 rounds of 25-millimeter munitions were expended. A grand total of 1,692,000 pounds of ammunition was delivered against enemy positions and equipment. In September 1991, a six-plane detachment was sent out with HMH-362 aboard the amphibious assault ship where it served as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Persian Gulf. During November 1992, the squadron embarked on a two-site deployment by taking part of the squadron and fourteen jets to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, and leaving six jets at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, to support the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the Saipan. From February 1995 to August 1996, VMA-231 would participate with the 24th MEU aboard the amphibious assault ship in rescuing downed United States Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady and also with the 26th MEU aboard the amphibious assault ship participating in Operation Deny Flight. In April 1999, the Ace of Spades deployed with the 26th MEU on board the Kearsarge. They were involved in many operations, such as Operation Allied Force, bombing targets in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. They also participated in Operation Joint Guardian, Operation Shining Hope, and Operation Avid Response. The Global