(MUC) for achieving 43,000 accident free flight hours. This Commendation spanned from years previously flown in Vietnam without an accident. The award was issued while the squadron was deployed to Iwakuni, Japan and the commanding officer Lt. Col. "JACK" Rippy. On November 11, 1985, operational control of VMA(AW)-121 was transferred to Commander, Carrier Airwing Two attached to the . In July 1987, under the command of LtCol. Joe "Java" Weston, the squadron deployed aboard the Ranger on a six-month WestPAC/Indian Ocean cruise. Arriving on Gonzo Station in the North Arabian Sea, the squadron participated in Operation Earnest Will, the escorting of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. In February 1989, the squadron once again set sail aboard the Ranger for another WestPAC/Indian Ocean cruise under the command of Pete "NODAC" Jacobs. Upon return to MCAS El Toro in August 1989, operational control of VMA(AW)-121 was transferred back to Commander, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW). The Gulf War & the 1990s On December 8, 1989 the squadron was redesignated as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (All Weather) ONE TWO ONE (VMFA(AW)-121), becoming the first Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet night attack 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 MCAS El Toro following the cessation of hostilities, the Green Knights resumed the unit deployment rotation and relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California during August 1994 when custody of that installation was transferred from the Navy (as NAS Miramar) to the Marine Corps pursuant to BRAC action that also closed MCAS El Toro. The Green Knights made three deployments to the Western Pacific before returning to combat over Iraq in March 2000. During this 2000 deployment, the squadron flew 287 sorties in support of Operation Southern Watch (OSW) while based at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, providing much-needed operational tempo (OPTEMPO) relief to active duty USAF, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter squadrons that had been manning the OSW mission at Al Jaber since the end of the first Gulf War. 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