HMR-261
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Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 (VMM-261) is a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Raging Bulls", is based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, North Carolina and typically falls under the command of
Marine Aircraft Group 26 Marine Aircraft Group 26 (MAG-26) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station New River composed of seven MV-22 Osprey squadrons, one of which is the Fleet Replacement Squadron, an aviation logistics squadron ...
(MAG-26) and the
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major 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 aviation combat element for the ...
(2nd MAW). They are the fourth squadron in the Marine Corps to transition to the MV-22 Osprey.


Mission

Provide
assault support Assault Support is one of the six functions of United States Marine Corps aviation and comprises those actions required to airlift personnel, supplies or equipment into or within a battle area by helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. It provides th ...
of
combat troops Combat arms (or fighting arms in non-American parlance) are troops within national armed forces who participate in direct tactical ground combat. In general, they are units that carry or employ weapons, such as infantry, cavalry, and artillery ...
, supplies and equipment during amphibious operations and subsequent operations ashore. Routinely, VMM squadrons provide the foundation for an aviation combat element (ACE) of any level
Marine Air-Ground Task Force Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF, pronounced MAG-TAF) is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined ar ...
(MAGTF) mission that may include conventional assault support tasks and special operations.


History


Early years

Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 261 (HMR-261) was commissioned on 5 April 1951 at
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and ...
, North Carolina. From 1951 through 1956, HMR-261 carried the tail code of "HM." Since then, it has carried the tail code of "EM" on its helicopters. From 20 January to 28 February 1952 the squadron participated in Operations HELEX I and II to demonstrate ship to shore assault helicopter operations operating from . In 1954, the squadron moved from MCAS Cherry Point to MCAS New River, North Carolina. In October 1954, HMR-261 embarked its HRS helicopters on the aircraft carrier and sailed for
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
where they flew humanitarian assistance/disaster relief missions following Hurricane Hazel. In December 1956, the squadron was re-designated Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron (Light) 261 (HMR(L)-261). In February 1957 the squadron began receiving the H-34 Choctaw to replace its HRS-1 helicopters. The squadron was the first helicopter squadron to conduct troop lifts on the East coast. In 1961, the squadron was re-designated Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (HMM-261). The squadron was, by then, flying the UH-34D helicopter. During July and August 1961 the squadron was deployed on in the South China Sea. By April 1962 the squadron was assigned to
Marine Aircraft Group 16 Marine Aircraft Group 16 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar that is currently composed of four V-22 Osprey squadrons, four CH-53 Super Stallion squadrons, one Personnel Support Detachment, and ...
(MAG-16) based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa. The squadron had been participating in an exercise in the Philippines when it received orders to exchange helicopters with
HMM-362 Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 362 (VMM-362) is a United States Marine Corps squadron that operates MV-22 Osprey. The squadron, known as the "Ugly Angels", was reactivated on 17 August 2018 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. Miss ...
operating from . On 15 April HMM-362 went ashore at
Sóc Trăng Airfield Sóc Trăng Airfield was a French colonial, Imperial Japanese Army, United States Marine Corps (USMC), United States Army (US ARMY) and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) base located in Sóc Trăng i ...
in the
Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...
,
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
to become the first Operation ''Shufly'' squadron and the squadron became the
Special Landing Force The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units 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 Marines and ...
(SLF) helicopter squadron. On 15 May 1962 in response to the defeat of Royal Lao Army in the Battle of Luang Namtha in early May by
People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...
and
Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
forces, it appeared that a communist invasion of northern Thailand was imminent and the Kennedy Administration ordered US combat forces into Thailand to deter any attack. On 18 May the SLF went ashore at Bangkok and then moved to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base. On 25 June the squadron was replaced at Udorn by
HMM-162 Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (VMM-162) is a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Golden Eagles", is based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Caro ...
. During October 1962, HMM-261 was embarked aboard and subsequently USS ''Thetis Bay'' for support during the Cuban Blockade. Returning to MCAF New River, HMM 261 was deployed to the southern United States during the Civil Rights Movement to support freedom marches in the spring of 1963. Returning to MAG-26, MCAF New River, HMM-261 prepared to stand down for subsequent transfer of its colors to the Western Pacific.


Vietnam War

On 8 June 1963, the squadron began serving as the
Operation Shufly Operation Shufly was a United States Marine Corps operation to improve the mobility of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces in the early phases of the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1965. Beginning on 15 April 1962, Marine helicopter squadrons, ...
squadron at
Da Nang Air Base Da Nang Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Đà Nẵng) (1930s–1975) (also known as Da Nang Airfield, Tourane Airfield or Tourane Air Base) was a French Air Force and later Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility located in the city ...
, South Vietnam. In mid-July the squadron suffered its first aircraft loss in a non-fatal accident southwest of Da Nang. On 16 September another UH-34D was destroyed in a non-fatal crash west of Huế. On 2 October the squadron was relieved by HMM-361, it had achieved 5,288 combat flying hours and 11,406 sorties. In 1964, the squadron, deployed aboard as part of the Ready Landing Force in the Western Pacific, participating in training exercises in the Philippine Islands and Taiwan and was afterwards shore-based at MCAS Futenma, Okinawa until returning the squadron colors to MCAF New River. The squadron again departed MCAS New River on May 18, 1965 finally arriving at Kadena Air Base in early June. On June 21, 1965 the squadron was flown to
Da Nang Air Base Da Nang Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Đà Nẵng) (1930s–1975) (also known as Da Nang Airfield, Tourane Airfield or Tourane Air Base) was a French Air Force and later Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility located in the city ...
where it replaced
HMM-163 Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (VMM-163) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of MV-22 Osprey transport tiltrotors. The squadron, known as "Evil Eyes", is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and fa ...
and was assigned to
Marine Aircraft Group 16 Marine Aircraft Group 16 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar that is currently composed of four V-22 Osprey squadrons, four CH-53 Super Stallion squadrons, one Personnel Support Detachment, and ...
(MAG-16). On August 12, the squadron participated in Operation Midnight the first nighttime helicopter assault.From 18 August the squadron supported
Operation Starlite Operation Starlite (also known in Vietnam as Battle of Van Tuong) was the first major offensive action conducted by a purely U.S. military unit during the Vietnam War from 18 to 24 August 1965. The operation was launched based on intelligence pr ...
. At the end of August, MAG-16 moved to the newly completed Marble Mountain Air Facility east of Da Nang. On 10 October the squadron was assigned as the SLF helicopter squadron on . On 30 November the SLF conducted Operation Dagger Thrust. In December the squadron supported Operation Harvest Moon transporting Marines and
Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April ...
(ARVN) troops. On 5 January 1966 the squadron came ashore from SLF duty. While In early March the squadron supported
Operation Utah Operation Utah was a US Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) operation that took place northwest of Quảng Ngãi, lasting from 4–7 March 1966, during the Vietnam War. Background Following the conclusion of Operation Double E ...
. On 26 May the squadron left South Vietnam. During its 1965-66 tour HMM-261 flew 11,859 combat hours, MEDEVAC-ed 2,315 wounded, flew 38,090 combat sorties, ferried 47,522 troops into battle and expended 32,610 rounds of ammunition.


1966-1970s

In 1966, the squadron returned to New River again. During the late 1960s, the squadron accepted their first CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters. The squadron later flew an updated model of the same helicopter, the CH-46E. Throughout the 1970s, the squadron participated in various training exercises in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean regions. It was during this time that the squadron added to their nickname and became the "Raging Bulls".


1980s

In 1982, the squadron deployed to
Beirut, Lebanon Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...
. In October 1983, the squadron had just departed Naval Base Norfolk aboard heading toward Beirut, but received word to divert to the Caribbean for the invasion of
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
, codenamed
Operation Urgent Fury The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...
. There, the squadron provided the only helicopters for the initial landings of Marines and subsequent operations for the entire joint task force until Army helicopters arrived on the third day of action. Delta Force had arrived by Army helicopters as part of the initial assault, but after day one all the Army helicopters were unavailable due combat damage. While providing close air support to Army forces, two AH-1T Cobras were shot down resulting in three squadron pilots being killed. Later one CH-46 was damaged beyond repair during the successful rescue of several hundred American students at the Medical School's Grand Anse Campus, while inserting Rangers of 2nd Battalion,
75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgi ...
. Following this operation, the squadron resumed its mission to continue to Beirut, to relieve
24th Marine Amphibious 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 2 ...
which had endured the bombing of the Marine barracks. While stationed off Beirut, the squadron conducted a variety of missions in support of the
22nd Marine Amphibious Unit The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. They are currently based out of Ma ...
located ashore, U.S. 6th Fleet and the
Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
(flying diplomats to/from the various meetings and evacuating over 800 American and Lebanese citizens to safety.)


The Gulf War and the 1990s

In 1990, the squadron took part in Operation Sharp Edge, which consisted of the evacuation and protection of American citizens in
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
. In January 1991, following a quick turnaround in New River, the squadron deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. With the ground war in full swing, the squadron flew numerous medevac and assault support missions in support of
2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina ...
. The squadron returned home to New River on 13 May 1991. On 15 April 1997 the squadron prepared for a pending Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) in the country of Zaire, leaving behind a detachment of four CH-46s and two UH-1Ns to board . The 22nd MEU Forward, which included HMM-261 (REIN) Det. A entered the Mediterranean Sea to cover the 22nd MEU's commitments. During the deployment, the main body of the 22nd MEU participated in two major operations:
Operation Guardian Retrieval Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Operation (game), ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * Operations (magazine ...
, operating out of
Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
,
Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
; and Operation Noble Obelisk, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which resulted in the evacuation of more than 2,500 American citizens and foreign nationals. Meanwhile, HMM-261 (REIN)'s Det. A participated in Operation Silver Wake in Tirana, Albania. A year later, in October 1998, the squadron was called upon to help provide hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.


Global War on Terror

In July 2002, the MEU was called upon to conduct operations in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
(OEF). Once off the coast of Pakistan, the MEU continued to plan for interdiction operations in Afghanistan. Concurrently AV-8s flew the MEU’s first reconnaissance flights over the country. Advanced parties were dispatched into Pakistan to conduct liaison with host nation agencies. 2003 brought about pre-deployment planning for
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
II. Upon arriving in the Persian Gulf, the squadron flew into
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 is ...
’s Area of Operation, where it was attached to the
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...
at
Al Asad Airbase Ayn al Asad is an Iraqi Armed Forces base located in Al Anbar Governorate (also called Anbar province) of western Iraq. It was originally known as Qadisiyah Airbase. It was the second largest US military airbase in Iraq during Operation Iraqi ...
. While in Iraq, HMM-261 was fully engaged in various operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. The squadron continued to perform direct support missions in the form of casualty evacuation, command and control (C&C) standby, general support, re-supply, troop movements, VIP lifts and tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel (TRAP)/Quick Reaction Force (QRF) during the day and night. In September 2004, the squadron returned to MCAS New River, where it was attached to Marine Aircraft Group 29. During the deployment, HMM-261 successfully completed over 2,000 Aviation Support Requests (ASRs), transported 8,358 passengers and 815,274 lb of cargo, flew 3,058.2 hours and executed 1,941 sorties, with zero combat casualties or loss of any aircraft. On 8 November 2005, HMM-261 (REIN) conducted their onload to to begin their current deployment as part of the 22nd MEU. They were based at Al Asad air base in western Iraq and on their third tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The squadron finished its latest tour in Iraq in late March 2006, accomplishing 1,845 sorties and over 3,000 combat flight hours providing medevacs and close air support. In late 2007, the squadron served as the aviation combat element for the 22nd MEU. From 25 September to 11 October 2007, AV-8Bs attached to the squadron flew 70 combat missions over Afghanistan providing aerial reconnaissance, close air support and convoy escort in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following the impact of Cyclone Sidr on 15 November 2007, helicopters from the squadron operating from off the coast of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal provided
humanitarian assistance Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...
to those affected by the cyclone. On 10 April 2008, the squadron transitioned to the MV-22 Osprey after 42 years of flying the CH-46 Sea Knight. VMM-261 deployed to Afghanistan in November 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It marked the first deployment of the MV-22 Osprey to Afghanistan and in early December the squadron supported their first major combat operation when they lifted troops and supplies in support of Operation Cobra's Anger. In 2014, VMM-261 deployed to Afghanistan as the first Marine Corps casualty evacuation squadron since Operation Iraqi Freedom. Under the call sign “Elvis”, VMM-261 flew combat operations in direct support of Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) within
Helmand Helmand (Pashto/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 area. The province contains 13 ...
and Herat provinces. VMM-261 was supplemented with 12 Navy Hospital Corpsmen and 1 Navy
Flight Surgeon A flight surgeon is a military medical officer practicing in the clinical field of aviation medicine. Although the term "flight surgery" is considered improper by purists, it may occasionally be encountered. Flight surgeons are physicians ( MD ...
. The unit was considered enhanced (E-CasEvac) due to the V-22 Osprey’s operational speed and distance superiority over the US Army’s UH-60 Blackhawks (Dustoff) and British CH-47 Chinooks. Due to increased operational range, VMM-261 was assigned medical response responsibility to ISAF casualties beyond 80 nautical miles of a Role 2 Medical Facility.


Notable accidents

On 11 April 2012, a squadron MV-22 crashed near Agadir, Morocco, during a joint training exercise after taking off from . Two Marines were killed and two others were seriously injured, and the aircraft was lost. A Marine Corps investigation later deemed the crash was due to pilot error, not a mechanical or safety problem."Two U.S. Marines killed in Morocco helicopter crash"
''BNO News'', 12 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
"ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 144945"
'' Aviation Safety Network'', 15 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.


See also

*
List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons This is a list of all of the active Squadron (aviation), 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 desi ...
* United States Marine Corps Aviation


Citations


References

: ;Bibliography * * * * *


External links


VMM-261's official website

Historical video of VMM-261
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vmm-261 VMM261