Marine Corps Air Base, Cherry Point, S.C.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312
"Any clime and place..."
'312 XO awarded for air missions
    Aboard the USS Enterprise, Mid-Atlantic--Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 Executive Officer LtCol. Raymond C. Damm was awarded the Air Medal Strike/Flight Numeral "1" by RADM. J. Cutler Dawson in a ceremony here today.
    Damm earned the Strike/Flight Air Medal for missions ranging from enforcement of NATO Air Operations in the former Republic of Yugoslavia with VMFA-312 in 1993 to Operation Southern Watch with VMFA-251 earlier this year.
'312 deploys aboard the USS Enterprise
by Cpl. Justin Hardgrove
        Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort S.C.--Marine Fighter Attack Sqadron 312, the "Checkerboards," packed up and shipped out this week for a six-month deployment aboard the Navy carrier, the USS Enterprise.  The entire squadron, comprised of approximately 200 Marines and Sailors, arrived by aircraft at Norfolk to board the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise Nov. 4 and 5.  Twelve of the Checkerboards'  F/A-18s flew to Norfolk to join the squadron aboard the aircraft carrier.
        VMFA-312 will be the only Marine squadron aboard the Enterprise throughout the six-month deployment.   The squadron has been preparing for this deployment for the last six months.
        The USS Enterprise relieves the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower of the latter's six-month deployment.