HMH-772
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Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 (HMH-772) is a
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
helicopter squadron consisting of
CH-53E Super Stallion The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor ...
transport helicopters. The squadron, known as the Flying Armadillos with the Radio Callsign "Hustler", is based at
McGuire AFB McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is unde ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and falls under the command of
Marine Aircraft Group 49 Marine Aircraft Group 49 is a United States Marine Corps Reserve aviation unit based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, New Jersey that is currently composed of squadrons that fly the MV-22B, CH-53E, AH-1Z, UH-1Y, UC-35D and UC-12F/W ...
(MAG-49) and the
4th Marine Aircraft Wing The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing is the reserve airwing of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana but its subordinate units are scattered throughout the United States. Mission Conduct air operations in sup ...
(4th MAW).


Mission

Provide the active component a combat-ready force to augment and reinforce regular forces in Major Regional Contingency (MRC) and to provide relief to these forces during times of high tempo operations. Training must be such that this integration is seamless. Additionally, HMH-772 will reach out to the community in which it serves to tell the Marine Corps story, establish a civilian support base, and when so tasked, to provide assistance to the community during emergencies or disaster relief.


History


Early years

Helicopter Transport Squadron 772 (HMR-772) was activated on 15 April 1958, at the Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Willow Grove,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
as part of the
United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...
. The squadron was redesignated 1 April 1962, as Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 772 (HMM-772) and reassigned in February 1965 to
Marine Aircraft Group 43 Marine Aircraft Group 43 (MAG-43) was a fixed wing aviation group in the United States Marine Corps Reserve based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. The group was originally formed during World War II as the ...
under the
4th Marine Aircraft Wing The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing is the reserve airwing of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana but its subordinate units are scattered throughout the United States. Mission Conduct air operations in sup ...
.


Vietnam War & the 1980s

In 1970 the squadron moved from NAS Willow Grove, PA to
NAS Lakehurst Lakehurst Maxfield Field, formerly known as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), is the naval component of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), a United States Air Force-managed joint base. The airfield is approximat ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. The following year, 1971, HMH-772 transitioned to the more capable CH-53A Sea Stallion helicopter. Redesignated Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772, the squadron returned to NAS Willow Grove in 1972 and joined
MAG-49 Marine Aircraft Group 49 is a United States Marine Corps Reserve aviation unit based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, New Jersey that is currently composed of squadrons that fly the MV-22B, CH-53E, AH-1Z, UH-1Y, UC-35D and UC-12F/W air ...
. In January 1986, the squadron was asked to support the SAR effort following the
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. The spacecraft disintegrated above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Can ...
.


The Gulf War & the 1990s

In 1991 the Squadron was mobilized in support of
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
. The squadron aircrew flew fourteen (14) CH-53A aircraft across the country to join the 3rd MAW and awaited further orders to
Okinawa, Japan is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west ...
. While in Okinawa with the 1st MAW the Squadron transitioned to the CH-53D aircraft. From Okinawa the squadron embarked aboard the and provided support for Operation Fiery Vigil, which was the evacuation of personnel from the
Republic of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...
after the volcano
Mount Pinatubo Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains in Luzon in the Philippines. Located on the tripoint of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, most people were unaware of its eruptive history before the pre-eruption volc ...
erupted. During this time the squadron also provided support for Operation Sea Angel the humanitarian relief operations in
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. For these actions, HMH-772 was awarded another
Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...
. The Squadron returned to
CONUS ''Conus'' is a genus of venomous and predatory cone snails.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&i ...
in November 1991, was deactivated and was reassigned back to the 4th MAW.


The Global War on Terror

After
9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
HMH-772 was mobilized once again and activated on 27 January 2002, in support of
Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...
and
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
. Within two weeks of the activation the squadron relocated to
MCAS New River Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCutc ...
, NC, and was assigned to MAG-29 within the
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major East Coast of the United States, east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the ...
. The squadron was given tasking to integrate with the
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about ...
(MEU) Air Combat Element (ACE)
HMM-263 Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263) is a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of MV-22B Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Thunder Chickens", is based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, Nort ...
. At the completion of the workup cycle, HMH-772 had the distinction of being the first reserve squadron to receive the Special Operations Capable (SOC) designation. While deployed the HMH-772 (Det) provided heavy lift support for Operational Rehearsal Dynamic Response 2002 in
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
. After Kosovo the detachment then moved onto
Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...
and for the next 5 months provided support for the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA). After Djibouti, the detachment rejoined the 24th MEU and provided support for
Task Force Tarawa Task Force Tarawa (TFT) was the name given to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was a Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanded by Brigadier General Richard F. NatonskiNatonski message. that was attached t ...
and the
1st Marine Expeditionary Force The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It i ...
during
Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...
. The detachment was deployed overseas for 9 months and returned in May 2003.


Operation Enduring Freedom

On 25 March 2009 HMH-772 (-) was mobilized to deploy to Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
. As part of the workup, HMH-772 broke down five CH-53E Super Stallions for Air Force C-5 and C-17 transport to Afghanistan. On 30 April 2009, approximately 100 Marines departed NAS JRB Willow Grove. These Marines joined with HMH-361 (DET) at Kandahar Air Base. The remaining Marines arrived with the five CH-53Es throughout the month of May. In June 2009, HMH-772 (-) (REIN) part of MAG-40 moved to
Camp Leatherneck Camp Leatherneck was a 1,600 acre United States Marine Corps base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The site was mostly in Washir District and was conjoined with Camp Bastion, which was the main British military base in Afghanistan and Camp S ...
in the
Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...
to begin supporting operations in the region. The "Hustlers" took part in
Operation Strike of the Sword Operation Strike of the Sword or Operation Khanjar was a US-led offensive in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. About 4,000 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as well as 650 Afghan troops were involved, supported by NATO ...
(Operation Khanjar), the largest movement of Marines Since the Vietnam War. HMH-772 (-) (REIN) was the first unit to airlift the Marine Corps M777A2 Howitzer in combat. The howitzers were lifted from
Firebase Fiddler's Green Fiddler's Green was an expeditionary fire base in Afghanistan built by the United States Marine Corps. It was located off Route 605 in Nawa-I-Barakzayi District of Helmand Province near the border with Pakistan at what the Marine Corps considere ...
and taken to FOB Golestan. After spending 8 months deployed, the "Hustlers" of HMH-772 (-) returned to NAS JRB Willow Grove, PA in December 2009. They later de-mobilized on 24 March 2010, and continue to provide support to the Fleet Marine Force.


Japan UDP

In March 2013 HMH-772(-) was mobilized to do the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) and deployed to Okinawa, Japan. They were joined with HMLA-167 out of MCAS New River. Once they arrived in Japan and were reinforced. The unit returned in November 2013 and demobilized that following winter.


See also

*
List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons This is a list of all of the active squadrons that exist in the United States Marine Corps, sorted by type. Most squadrons have changed names and designations many times over the years, so they are listed by their current designation. :''To se ...
*
United States Marine Corps Aviation The United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providi ...


References

;Notes : ;Bibliography


External links


HMH-772's official webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hmh-772 Military units and formations in Pennsylvania H772 4th Marine Aircraft Wing