Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 (HMLA-269) was a
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
helicopter squadron consisting of
AH-1Z Viper
The Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. Being one of the latest members of the prolific Bell Huey family, it is also ca ...
attack helicopters and
UH-1Y Venom
The Bell UH-1Y Venom[DoD 4120-15L, ''Model Desi ...](_blank)
utility helicopters. Also known as "The Gunrunners", the squadron 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. McCutcheo ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
and fell under the command of
Marine Aircraft Group 29
Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. The group is currently composed of four CH-53E Super Stallion squadrons including the Fleet Replacement ...
(MAG-29) and the
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW).
Mission
The mission of HMLA-269 is to 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
Early years
HMA-269 was formed at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina on February 22, 1971 and activated on July 1, 1971 as the Marine Corps first designated attack helicopter squadron. Equipped with the AH-1J "Sea Cobra," HMA-269's mission was to provide close-in fire support during aerial and ground escort operations during ship to shore movement and subsequent operations ashore.
In December 1977, HMA-269 took delivery of the first AH-1T (TOW) Cobra. The squadron opened a new era of attack helicopter aviation in early 1979 by being the first Marine Corps squadron to fire the
TOW anti-tank missile from an airborne platform.
In the early 1980s, with the addition of the
UH-1N
The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. It is a member of the extensive Huey family, the initial version was the CUH-1N Twin Huey (later CH-135 Twin ...
to the squadron, HMA-269 became HMLA-269 and expanded its primary mission to include utility helicopter support. Though heavily committed, HMLA-269 maintained its impressive list of firsts; first flight-test of biochemical protective suits in the AH-1T (TOW), first flight test of "fast rope insertion" equipment, first to refine the TOW missile engagement gun and missile radars. Additionally, the squadron participated in the first actual movement of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing assets in an air contingency drill. In 1986, The Gunrunners achieved yet another first when they fired a
Sidewinder air-to-air missile at a target drone over the Island of Vieques, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These achievements earned the squadron a Meritorious Unit Commendation and selection as the Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron of the Year for 1986. It was common practice during this period to split the squadron into detachments. At one time during 1988 while commanded by LtCol. Christopher B. Stoops, the squadron deployed for the Persian Gulf while simultaneously operating three other detachments in NC and the Caribbean Sea.
The Gulf War & the 1990s
In 1990, the Gunrunners deployed to Southwest Asia with twelve AH-1Ws, three AH-1Ts, and six UH-1Ns. These assets participated in a major 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade exercises during
Operation Desert Shield
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
. During
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-Ma ...
, the squadron conducted critical on-call close-in fire support, escort for minesweeping aircraft, Surface Combat Air Patrol, and air intercept operations. Meanwhile, Gunrunner Hueys played a vital role in the raid on
Faylaka Island, firing in excess of seventy-five 2.75" rockets at fortified Iraqi positions under
NVG low light level conditions.
Following the Gulf War, the Gunrunners continued to support requirements of LF6F deployments, in such areas as
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
,
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, and the Middle East. The squadron also supported numerous 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Forces Atlantic exercises, both in the continental United States (CONUS) and abroad, including exercises in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. In 1994 the Gunrunners were tasked with providing a detachment on short notice to
HMM-264
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 (VMM-264) was a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Black Knights", was based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North C ...
for Special Purpose MAGTF-CARIB in support of
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was a military intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The operation was effectively authorized by t ...
in
Haiti. One year later, on June 6, 1995, two Gunrunner cobras, assigned to
HMM-263
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263) is a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of V-22 Osprey, MV-22B Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Thunder Chickens", is based at Marine Corps Air Station New ...
and 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 ...
escorted two
CH-53Es from the
USS Kearsarge to successfully rescue
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
Captain
Scott O'Grady
Scott Francis O'Grady (born October 12, 1965) is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot. On June 2, 1995, he was shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina by a 2K12 Kub mobile SAM launcher and forced to eject from his F-16C into hostile ter ...
. During this deployment, HMLA-269 also became the first squadron to deploy the new Night Targeting System on all of its cobras; effectively adding increased combat compatibility to the forward deployed forces. Being named the HMLA Squadron of the Year rewarded the squadron's hard efforts that year.
The squadron also supported detachments with LF6F deployments that supported
Operation Assured Response
Operation Assured Response was a non-combatant evacuation operation in Liberia carried out by United States armed forces in 1996.
In April 1996, in response to skirmishes in Monrovia between supporters of Charles Talyor and Roosevelt Johnson th ...
in
Liberia. In 1997 the HMLA detachment to
HMM-365 supported
Operation Silver Wake
Operation Silver Wake was a non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) led by the United States to evacuate American citizens, noncombatants and designated third country nationals from Albania in March 1997. The operation was performed by U.S. M ...
in
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
and
Operation Guardian Retrieval in the
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
. In recognition of its hard-earned reputation for setting the standard in attack helicopter aviation, the Gunrunners were designated the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron of the Year in 1998 by the Marine Corps Aviation Association.
Global War on Terror
![HMLA-269](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/HMLA-269.New.Patch.Desert.png)
In the wake of the
September 11, 2001 attacks, The Gunrunners attached to
HMM-365 (Rein) with
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full strength during a deployment. ...
(SOC) flew combat missions in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom from
Forward Operating Bases Rhino
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
*Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Smal ...
and
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
, in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. In 2002 The Gunrunners attached to
HMM-263
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263) is a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of V-22 Osprey, MV-22B Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Thunder Chickens", is based at Marine Corps Air Station New ...
(REIN) 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 ...
(SOC) flew in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
, the
Horn of Africa, Operation Enduring Freedom.
In January 2003, The Gunrunners deployed as a squadron in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. HMLA-269 flew nearly 3,000 combat hours in 55 days and maintained 24-hour operations with no personnel losses due to enemy action or mishaps. January 2005 saw The Gunrunners again deploy to Iraq in support of OIF 04-06. During this deployment, The Gunrunners flew more than 5951 hours and 3994 sorties. The squadron celebrated its 35th anniversary on July 1, 2006 with a ceremony at
Al Asad airbase in western Iraq. The squadron has completed six deployments to Iraq since 2003 and designated Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron of Year in 2010 and 2013.
See also
*
United States Marine Corps Aviation
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 providing si ...
*
List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
*
Notes
References
:
;Bibliography
;Web
HMLA-269's official website
External links
HMLA-269 video from Iraq
{{2ndMAW
LA269