The squadron arrived at Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo on May 4, 1944, and flew into Luganville Airfield the next day joining Marine Aircraft Group 21. It remained there for nearly a month before the flight echelon departed on June 2, 1944, on the . The squadron's ground personnel were split between the , , and the . After 65 days at sea, VMF(N)-534's, as part of Marine Aircraft Group 21, took off from the USS Santee, becoming the first aviation unit to land on Guam as they touched down on Orote Field on August 4, 1944. The first combat air patrols commenced on August 7, 1944. That same evening VMF(N)-534 also conducted its first night raids when a section of aircraft strafed the Japanese garrison on Rota. Between August 7 and December 29 the squadron conducted a total of eight strafing/bombing missions against Rota Island. While on Guam squadron personnel conducted numerous patrols and assisted in burying Japanese war dead. From August 4 through December 31, VMF(N)-534 flew 1402 sorties totaling 2,610.6 hours of flying conducting nighttime CAP, strafing and bombing, and search missions. Test flight, fighter cover and ferrying missions accounted for another 491.6 hours.
