 During his second combat tour he served as MAG-12's Aviation Safety Officer, then as the Operations Officer of VMA-211, flying over 300 combat missions.Returning in August 1973, General Williams joined newly recommissioned VMA-231 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, where he flew the AV-8A Harrier and served as Operations Officer until March 1975 when he was posted for two years as Officer in Charge of VMA-513 Detachment A with seven Harriers assigned.The primary mission of this detachment was to publicly demonstrate the combat capability of the Harrier.