Marines played a modest role in the Bosnian War and NATO intervention . Operation Deny Flight began on 12 April 1993 , to enforce the United Nations no-fly zone in Bosnia and Herzegovina and provide air support to the United Nations Protection Force . The F/A -18 D Hornet was proven to be a " highly resourceful multirole platform " , in addition to showcasing the importance of precision-guided munitions . In 1995 , the mission was expanded to include a bombing campaign called " Operation Deliberate Force " . On 2 June 1995 , Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady 's F-16 was shot down by a Bosnian Serb Army surface-to-air missile in the Mrkonjić Grad incident . Marines from the 24th MEU , based on the , rescued him from western Bosnia on 8 June . Marines would support the IFOR , SFOR , and KFOR until 1999 . On 3 February 1998 , an EA-6B Prowler from VMAQ-2 , deployed to Aviano Air Base to support the peacekeeping effort , hit an aerial tram cable and killed 20 European passengers
hit an aerial tram cable
Cavalese cable car disaster (1998)
History of the United States Marine Corps