Marine Unit Returns to Using Nickname Crusaders

BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) _ A Marine flying squadron is again using a nickname a former commander thought was politically incorrect. The Beaufort Gazette reports Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is once again the Crusaders. The nickname was used from 1958, when the unit got its first Crusader aircraft, until 2008 when deploying to Iraq. The squadron’s commander at that time was quoted as saying using Crusaders for a unit fighting in the Middle East “wouldn’t float.” So the squadron returned to its World War II nickname Werewolves. The Marine Corps said Monday the change wasn’t about political correctness and Werewolves honored World War II Marines during the unit’s first combat deployment since Vietnam. The current commander says returning to Crusaders after 70 years reflects the unit’s heritage.