Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (VMM-268) is 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
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
squadron consisting of
MV-22 transport. The squadron, known as the "Red Dragons", is based at
Marine Corps Base Hawaii,
Kaneohe, Hawaii and falls under the command of
Marine Aircraft Group 24
Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. MAG-24 is subordinate to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF).
Mission
Pr ...
(MAG-24) and the
1st Marine Aircraft Wing
The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. A ...
(1st MAW).
Mission
Provide assault support to the landing force in the ship to shore movement and in subsequent operations ashore.
History
Early years
Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 268 (HML-268) was activated on September 15, 1972 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 ...
. HML-268 was deactivated on September 30, 1977.
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (HMM-268) was activated on March 1, 1979 at
Marine Corps Air Station Tustin
Marine Corps Air Station Tustin ( IATA: NTK, ICAO: KNTK, FAA LID: NTK) is a former United States Navy and United States Marine Corps air station, located in Tustin, California.
History
The Air Station was established in 1942 by the U ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. The squadron was designated for medium lift and equipped with CH-46 helicopters.
The squadron returned to MCAS Tustin on August 31, 1980. A high tempo of operations was maintained through the 10,000-accident free flight hour milestone, which the squadron attained on September 18, 1981. Additionally, during this period, the Red Dragons were the recipients of the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award for 1981.
Upon returning to the United States, the squadron was officially designated as the 3rd MAW's "Night Assault Squadron". Within 90 days of designation, the "Night Raiders" of HMM-268 implemented an aggressive
Night Vision Goggle
A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The devi ...
(NVG) program. During February 1984 the squadron surpassed the 10,000-hour mishap-free flight hour mark.
Between May 1989 and November 1990 the Red Dragons participated in numerous exercises including MAGTF 89-3 deployed aboard , in support of the
''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill cleanup. During this period, HMM-268 passed the 20,000 mishap-free flight hour milestone.
In April 2014 HMM-268 stood down and stood up again on the same day as VMM-268. All the squadron's CH-46E aircraft have been replaced with MV-22 "Ospreys."
The Gulf War
On December 1, 1990, while assigned as the
Aviation Combat Element of the
11th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (11th 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 with a strength of about 2,200 ...
(11th MEU), HMM-268 responded to the Persian Gulf Crisis. Embarked on and deployed with MAG-50, 5th MEB (SOC), the Red Dragons supported
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, ...
. En route to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
, the Red Dragons completed, for the first time ever, the NVG shipboard carrier qualification syllabus. The Dragons also pioneered and flew the first Low Light Level NVG carrier qualifications. On February 14, 1991, the squadron celebrated its 5-year Class A mishap-free milestone.
![USMC CH-46](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/USMC_CH-46.jpg)
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 ...
, HMM-268 moved ashore and provided combat assault support to 5th MEB, including the "G-Day" tactical insertion of
3rd Battalion, 1st Marines along the
Saudi Arabian
Saudis ( ar, سعوديون, Suʿūdiyyūn) are people identified with the country of Saudi Arabia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. The Saudis are composed mainly of Arabs and primarily speak a regional dialect ...
/
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
i border. The squadron flew over 450 hours in a seven-day period. After conclusion of the conflict, the squadron supported
I MEF from Tanajib, Saudi Arabia.
In April 1991, the squadron re-embarked aboard ''New Orleans'', as the ACE for the 11th MEU (SOC) and continued its
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
deployment. The MEU supported National Command Authority objectives in the Persian Gulf, until returning to the United States in August 1991.
The 1990s
In September 1993, the Red Dragons again deployed to the Western Pacific and were directed to
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 ...
to support
Operation Restore Hope II, in
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
. HMM-268 supported numerous VIP visits, MEU (SOC) and
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
humanitarian missions. The Squadron returned to California in March 1994, and in July was designated the Marine Corps Aviation Association's Marine Helicopter Squadron of the year for 1994.
In February 1998, as the ACE for the 11th MEU (SOC), HMM-268 (REIN) was tasked to deploy ahead of schedule in response to Iraq's disregard of United Nations decree. The squadron took part in
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003.
United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
and
Operation Safe Departure, in which over 170 American citizens were evacuated from war torn
Eritrea. During this deployment, HMM-268 received its fourth consecutive Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award. The squadron returned from this deployment on 6 August 1998.
The Red Dragons moved from
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro to
Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton or MCAS Camp Pendleton is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to Marine Aircraft Group 39. ...
in February 1999, and departed on 14 March 2001 as MAG-39's first Aviation Combat Element (ACE) for the 11th MEU (SOC).
The squadron supported Humanitarian Operations in
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
lifting several hundred tons of needed goods to the people of East Timor.
Global War on Terror
![CH-46 HMM268at TQ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/CH-46_HMM268at_TQ.jpg)
In January 2003, HMM-268 began the long process of deployment to Kuwait in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Red Dragons distinguished themselves by their tireless support for combat and Casualty Evacuation
CASEVAC
Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and air. "DUSTOFF" is ...
operations throughout the area of operations, returning September 19, 2003.
In August 2004, HMM-268 deployed again to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. For seven months the Red Dragons provided CASEVAC support for
I MEF units engaged in combat, returning home in March 2005.
The Red Dragons are the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award winners for 2004. The award signifies commitment to aviation safety, professionalism, solid leadership, and effective operations and readiness.
The squadron redeployed to Iraq in early 2006, and from February 25, were responsible for casualty evacuation and assault support in the area around Al Taqaddum Airfield where they were based.
On June 28, 2008, HMM-268 deployed to
Naval Air Station Lemoore
Naval Air Station Lemoore or NAS Lemoore is a United States Navy base, located in Kings County, California, Kings County and Fresno County, California, Fresno County, California, United States. Lemoore Station, California, Lemoore Station, a censu ...
after California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger requested military assistance to fight
raging wildfires. The helicopters provided medium lift rotary wing support to
United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...
and the
National Fire Center.
In March 2009 the Squadron again deployed to Iraq in support of II MAW FWD operations for stabilization of Anbar Provence.
In November 2011, HMM-268(REIN) embarked for its first shipboard deployment in over a decade aboard and USS ''New Orleans'' as the ACE for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. While deployed, the Red Dragons participated in seven Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) exercises in Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman, as well as supported several national tasking missions. Upon return from the MEU deployment, HMM-268 was designated to transition from the CH-46E to the MV-22B Osprey. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Red Dragons’ history as the squadron continued to maintain readiness while preparing for transition.
Operation Inherent Resolve
![MV-22_Osprey_assigned_to_Special_Purpose_Marine_Air-Ground_Task_Force-Crisis_Response-Central_Command_(SPMAGTF-CR-CC)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/MV-22_Osprey_assigned_to_Special_Purpose_Marine_Air-Ground_Task_Force-Crisis_Response-Central_Command_%28SPMAGTF-CR-CC%29.jpeg)
VMM-268 deployed to Southwest Asia as part of the Aviation Combat Element of
Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response Central Command 16.1 in the continuing fight against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
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 ...
*
Organization of the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior Marine commissioned officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recr ...
*
List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
References
:
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hmm-268
Medium 9B