Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 467 (HMLA-467) was 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 AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron, nicknamed the "Sabers", was based at

Marine Corps Air Station 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. McCut ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and was under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW). The squadron's aircraft markings are grey & white stripes on the aircraft tail to replicate the tail markings on a Diamondback Rattlesnake and the markings on the lighthouses in North Carolina. The stand-up of HMLA-467 was part of the Commandant's plan to "grow the force" to better meet the demands of the Long War and the complexities of an evolving global threat. They were activated in October 2008.

Mission

Support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force commander by providing offensive air support, utility support, armed escort and airborne supporting arms coordination, day or night under all weather conditions during expeditionary, joint or combined operations.

History

HMLA-467 began as a cadre in April 2008, and began to stand up using aircraft from the reserve squadron HMLA-775. During September 2008, pilots and aircrew from HMLA-467 received their first aircraft from HMLA-775 and flew them to MCAS Cherry Point for the squadron's activation ceremony on 23 October 2008, becoming the first HMLA to be activated in 37 years. Fifteen weeks later, in January, HMLA-467 supported Marine Aircraft Group 31 at Exercise Southern Fury. During the months of September and October 2009, the Sabers supported Enhanced Mojave Viper (EMV) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. During this exercise the Sabers executed day/night close air support, FAC(A), Escort, Command and Control, SCAR/AR, and weapons delivery training, flying 74 total sorties. During Mojave Viper, on 1 October, the one-year anniversary of the squadron, HMLA-467 reached Full Operational Capability (FOC). In January 2010, a detachment of UH-1N Hueys deployed with HMH-461 as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in order to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster response in support of

Operation Unified Response Operation Unified Response was the United States military's response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It was conducted by Joint Task Force Haiti and commanded by United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Military Deputy Commander Lieutenant Gen ...

following the

2010 Haiti earthquake The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...

. In 2010 HMLA-467 Det A attached to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and supported HADR operations in Pakistan as well as combat operations in Afghanistan and Libya. In 2011 HMLA-467 Det B was the first east coast HMLA to support the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit attaching to HMM-265 (REIN) and supporting exercises such as PHIBLEX. In 2012, a detachment of UH-1N Hueys deployed to Retalhuleu Guatemala in support of Operation Martillo. As a result of force structure reductions, HMLA-467 was deactivated on 16 June 2016.

Gallery

File:Activation32.jpg, The colorguard of HMLA-467 during its activation ceremony in 2008. File:HMLA467history.jpg, The first AH-1W of HMLA-467 to land at MCAS Cherry Point, October 2008. File:IMG_hellfire467.JPG, Marines of HMLA-467 carry ordnance during Mojave Viper operations, Twenty-nine Palms, CA. File:US Navy 100116-N-5345W-058 UH-1N Huey from the Sabers of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 467 prepares to touch down on the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5).jpg, UH-1N Huey from HMLA-467 prepares to touch down on the USS Bataan (LHD-5). File:Hueyin.jpg, A HMLA-467 UH-1N Huey flies into Prescott, AZ. File:HMLA-467 deactivation ceremony.jpg, Casing of the Colors during the HMLA-467 deactivation ceremony.

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. HMLA-467 has been presented with the following awards:

References

External links