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HMH-366

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Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 366
HMM-366 insignia
Active
  • September 30, 1994 – October 1, 2000
  • September 30, 2008 – present
CountryUnited States
BranchUSMC
TypeHeavy Transport
SizeWill be 320+ in 2009
Part ofMarine Aircraft Group 29
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Garrison/HQMarine Corps Air Station New River
Nickname(s)Hammerheads
Motto(s)"The honor of my squadron is my own"
Tail CodeHH
Commanders
Current
commander		LtCol Lawrence O. Jones

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 366 (HMH-366) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-53E Super Stallion heavy transport helicopters. The squadron, known as the "Hammerheads", is based at Marine Corps Air Station New River and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 29 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron's tail code is “HH.[1]” At their activation on September 30, 2008, the squadron had 130 Marines and 8 aircraft on-hand which grew to more than 300 Marines and 16 aircraft in 2009.[2][3]

Mission

Provide assault support transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment during expeditionary, joint or combined operations. Be prepared for short-notice, worldwide employment in support of Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations.

History

Unit logo from the 1990s

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-366 (HMH-366) was originally activated on September 30, 1994 at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii as part of Aviation Support Element Kaneohe (ASEK). As the fourth active CH-53D Sea Stallion squadron, it was the only Hawaiian home-grown helicopter squadron in active service in the Marine Corps. The squadron's callsign, "Hammerhead," was inspired by the fact that Kaneohe Bay is home to the world's largest hammerhead shark population, and the original unit patch featured a hammerhead shark leaping over an airborne CH-53D.

While active in Hawaii, the squadron deployed to the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Barking Sands on Kauai, the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, and completed a successful mainland deployment in support of Combined Arms Exercises (CAX) 9-98 and 10-98, and Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course (WTI) 2-00. The squadron also supported a four aircraft deployment to Dhaka, Bangladesh for presidential support of President Clinton's visit to the country. On 1 October 2000, with a limited number of available CH-53Ds in the Marine Corps, and no addition CH-53Ds being produced, the squadron was de-activated as part of a realignment plan to redistribute the units’ personnel and aircraft to the remaining three CH-53D squadrons in Hawaii (HMH-362, HMH-363, HMH-463), thereby increasing the Primary Authorized Aircraft (PAA) of those squadrons from eight to ten aircraft.

The squadron was reactivated on 30 September 2008 as part of the Marine Corp's expansion. Since then the Squadron has participated in the last HMH rotation in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2014 and Exercise Trident Juncture which took place in Norway in 2018.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. HMH-366 has been presented with the following award:

Ribbon Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Commendation

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ "USMC HELICOPTER SQUADRON TAILCODES and CALLSIGNS 1951 to Present". USMC Combat Helicopter Association. Archived from the original on 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  2. ^ Wilson, D.C. (2008-08-19). "Helicopter units to be activated in October at Cherry Point". www.enctoday.com. Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  3. ^ Wilson, D.C. (2008-08-30). "New squadron takes flight at Cherry Point". www.enctoday.com. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
Bibliography
Web
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