There are two significant events in the
history of the ‘Wake Island Avengers’ that
underline, perhaps, the true ethos of the
US Marine Corps. They demonstrate that
everyone in the corps, regardless of rank
or trade, is still a Marine rifleman when the
chips are down.
Although decades apart, these events
are linked in that they involve ‘Avengers’
Marines literally taking up arms to fight.
In November 1941, the then VMF-211
embarked 12 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats and
13 pilots aboard the USS Enterprise (CV 6),
bound for the small Wake Island atoll in the
Pacific. On December 8, Japanese forces
attacked the island, destroying seven of the
unit’s aircraft on the ground. Over the next
two weeks, with five remaining Wildcats,
the squadron fought valiantly in the face of
overwhelming odds and relentless strikes
by the Japanese.
During the course of their defensive
action, US ground forces and VMF-211
inflicted significant losses on the Japanese,
destroying at least four enemy warships
and eight aircraft. Eventually after the loss
of their last Wildcat, the squadron members
fought alongside fellow Marines until the
surrender of the island on December 23
when it was finally overrun by Japanese
forces.
After suffering further losses in the attack
on Pearl Harbor, the squadron regrouped
in May 1942. It deployed to Palmyra Atoll
in the South Pacific and adopted the
‘Avengers’ name in memory of those who
were killed or captured on Wake Island.
Some 70 years later, at approximately
22.00hrs on September 14, 2012, 15 heavily
armed Taliban insurgents dressed in US
uniforms launched a co-ordinated attackon Camp Bastion Airfield in Helmand
Province, Afghanistan. Harriers of VMA-211
were deployed there as part of Operation
‘Enduring Freedom’ and were located on
Lima Ramp on the northernmost tip of the
airfield, only 750 meters from where the
insurgents breached the perimeter fence.
When the attack began, there were no
friendly forces between the squadron’s
AV-8Bs and the insurgents, and it fell to
these Marines to act as the first line of
defense. US and British quick reaction forces
from the opposite side of the camp made
contact with the enemy within 16 minutes
of the attack, beginning an engagement
that lasted into the early hours of the
following morning.
Personnel killed 14 of the Taliban
attackers and wounded one enemy
survivor. The heroic actions by those forces
on the scene undoubtedly prevented
greater loss of life and equipment. However,DEFINING MOMENTS
Left: Lt Col
Christopher
‘Otis’ Raible,
who was killed
in action
alongside Sgt
Bradley Atwell,
on September
14, 2012. USMC
Below: Six AV-8B
Harriers were
relocated to
Camp Bastion
to increase
the overall
readiness level
after the base
was attacked
on September
14, 2012, and to
help complete
the squadron
deployment.
USMC/Sgt
Keonaona C.
Paulothe event had a devastating effect on
the ‘Avengers’. Tragically, the squadron
lost its commanding officer, Lt Col
Christopher ‘Otis’ Raible. He was killed in
action, as was Sgt Bradley Atwell, who
died as a result of a separate skirmish
during the night.
Six of the unit’s AV-8Bs were
completely destroyed and a further two
severely damaged. Later investigations
established that the attackers,
undetected, were able to get so close
to the Harriers on the flight line that
they were able to place anti-personnel
grenades underneath the aircraft.
On the night of the attack, Raible, who
had flown a mission that afternoon,
was heading back to his quarters when
he heard explosions on the flight
line. Alongside fellow pilot Maj Greer
Chambless, Raible ran to the squadron.
With the attack developing rapidly and
several aircraft and fuel cells already
ablaze the two pilots made their way,
under fire, to the squadron maintenance
unit and joined the duty team who
were hunkered down inside. Quickly
realizing that they had to stem the attack
in some way, Raible and Chambless
sought volunteers from the assembled
maintainers. Raible elected to lead a
makeshift counter-attack. This was
successful in that it stopped the Taliban
in their tracks and forced them to take
seek cover, which in turn allowed other
defensive troops to enter the fray. The
delaying effect also allowed dozens of
Marines to escape to more secure areas.
Sadly, at some point during the
firefight Raible and Atwell were both
fatally injured. Raible’s decisive and brave
actions in rallying his men and mounting
a counter-attack were key factors
in establishing an effective holding
defense.
Although losing their skipper was
a devastating blow, the ‘Avengers’
received replacement Harriers
and heroically completed
their deployment. A
few months after the
attack, in November
2012 Senator John McCain
gave an address at Yuma to mark
the arrival of the first F-35B at the
base and commented on the USMC
fighting spirit. He said, ‘Nowhere was
this fighting spirit better demonstrated
than in the case of two Yuma
Marines: Sgt Bradley Atwell and Lt Col
Christopher Raible, who lost their lives
defending their fellow Marines at Camp
Bastion. Today, we remember their
extraordinary courage and extend our
sincerest condolences, and the thanks
of a grateful nation.’ Richard CollensVMFA-211 | UNIT REPORT
49
January 2018 http://www.combataircraft.net40-51 VMFA-211 C.indd 49 23/11/2017 11:52