Looking for a brief chronlogical history of the VMF-124? Then look no further! Our own Michael "Stans" Stansfield has scoured multiple sources and created this useful chronological list of significant events that occured in the real VMF-124's history during WWII.

• Sep 7, 1942, VMF-124 is organized from the remnants of VMF-122 at Camp Kearny, California.
• Dec 28, 1942, the twenty-two F4U-1’s of VMF-124 are declared combat ready.  At this time, only 178 Corsairs have rolled off the assembly line at Vought.
• Jan 8, 1943, VMF-124 departs San Diego aboard the SS Lurline.

First deployment, February to September, 1943:

• Feb 11, 1943, VMF-124 arrives at Guadalcanal aboard the SS Lurline.
• Feb 12, 1943, Major Gise leads 12 Corsairs of VMF-124 to Cactus field, Guadalcanal in the morning, before noon they fly their first combat mission, a Dumbo escort.
• Feb 13, 1943, VMF-124 flies a 600 mile round trip mission escorting PBY’s.  Such a long escort flight had previously been unheard of in the U.S. Navy.  One Zero was encountered, evidently a curious Japanese pilot wanting to get a look at the unfamiliar fighters.
• Feb 14, 1943, the "Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre".  Four P-38’s, two P-40’s, two F4U’s, and two bombers are lost, only three Zeke’s downed including the one that collided with a Corsair.
• Apr 1, 1943, 58 Zekes on a fighter sweep tangle with six P-38’s.  The P-38’s had just relieved Ken Walsh and his seven F4U-1’s of CAP (Combat Air Patrol) duty.  Ken Walsh and his flight returned to the area to assist the P-38’s, two Zekes and one P-38 were already falling from the sky.  By the end of the battle, 42 Allied aircraft were in the fight, 20 Japanese aircraft were shot down.  This marked Ken Walsh’s first combat flight, he was credited with three aircraft destroyed.
• Apr 4, 1943, VMF-213 arrives on Guadalcanal, VMF-124 rotates to Australia for six weeks of R&R.
• May 13, 1943, Ken Walsh becomes the first Corsair ace by downing three more aircraft and a probable fourth, this is only his second combat mission.  Major Gise is killed in action this day.
• June 5, 1943, Walsh downs a Zeke and a Pete.  During June of 1943, VMF-124 occasionally operated from the forward airstrip at Banika in the Russell Islands.
• July, 1943, VMF completes their second six week combat tour and rotates out for six weeks of R&R.
• Aug 12, 1943, Walsh downs two more with a probable third.
• Aug 14, 1943, VMF-124 moves to Munda, New Georgia, only nine days after it was captured.
• Aug 15, 1943, VMF-124’s best day of combat with 13 kills while protecting the landings on Vella Lavella.
• Aug 21, 1943, Walsh downs two more with a probable third.
• Aug 23, 1943, Walsh gets another probable in the Vella Lavella area.
• Sep 7, 1943, VMF-124 completes its first tour of duty and rotates out of Munda.
• Oct 13, 1943, VMF-124 arrives in the U.S. for reorganization and retraining .

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• Sep 18, 1944, VMF-124 departs the U.S. aboard the USS Ticonderoga.
  
• Sep 24, 1944, VMF-124 arrives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In October of 1944, kamikaze attacks begin.  The Navy, not being short of F6F Hellcats, but short on fighter pilots, begins transitioning SB2C and TBM pilots to the Hellcat.  This transition training would take a lot of critical time, so the Navy authorized the immediate carrier qualifications of ten Corsair squadrons.  VMF-124 and 213 are among the ten selected.

• Dec 28, 1944, VMF-124 and 213 board the fast carrier Essex at Ulithi Atoll with new F4U-1D Corsairs.

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Second deployment, January to March, 1945:

• Jan 2, 1945, VMF-124’s first carrier born combat mission, escorting TBM’s of Torpedo 4 on an attack on Kagi airfield, Formosa.
• Jan 4, 1945, escort TBM’s striking Formosa.
• Jan 6 and 7, 1945, stikes against the northern Philippines.  In the first nine days of combat operations, VMF-124 and 213 lose seven pilots and 13 Corsairs, all to operational accidents.
• Jan 9, 1945, strikes flown against Formosa.
• Jan 10, 1945, CAP 200 miles west of Luzon.
• Jan 11, 1945, CAP 100 miles east of China.
• Jan 12, 1945, anti-shipping strikes in the Saigon River and harbor and attacking runways and buildings in Bien Hoa and Long Bin.
• Jan 14, 1945, CAP over the task force.
• Jan 15, 1945, attack on the harbor area, Takao, Formosa.
• Jan 16, 1945, strikes against Yulingan Bay and Saifa Point, southern China.
• Jan 20, 1945, CAP nets eight Helens shot down and one probable out of ten sighted.  A great day for VMF-124 and 213.
• Jan 21, 1945, strikes against Formosa.
• Jan 22, 1945, strikes against Okinawa.
• Jan 25, 1945, the Essex returns to Ulithi for re-supply, replacement Corsairs, and replacement pilots.
• Feb 16, 1945, escort TBM’s striking Vayzu airfield near Tokyo.
• Feb17, 1945, strikes against Tokyo.
• Feb 19, 1945, strikes against Iwo Jima.
• Feb 21, 1945, strikes against Iwo Jima, Haha Jima, and Chichi Jima.
• Feb 25, 1945, fighter sweeps over airfields north of Tokyo.  Many pilots report few targets and the weather over Tokyo is so bad that pilots report frozen guns and frost bite.
• Mar 1, 1945, strikes against Okinawa, minimal opposition reported.
• Mar 4, 1945, the Essex returns to Ulithi, VMF-124 and 213 are detached and will depart for the U.S.  Many of VMF-124 and 213’s Corsairs remain onboard the Essex, are given new markings (the "hour glass" marking) and become VBF-83’s Corsairs.

The war would end before VMF-124 would be ready for another combat tour.