HMLA-469
Encyclopedia
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469) is a United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1W Cobra
AH-1 SuperCobra
The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engine attack helicopter based on the US Army's AH-1 Cobra. The twin Cobra family includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra...

 attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom
UH-1Y Venom
The Bell UH-1Y Venom is a twin-engine medium size utility helicopter, part of the United States Marine Corps' H-1 upgrade program. The helicopter is also called Yankee for its variant letter....

 utility
Utility helicopter
A Utility Helicopter is a multi-purpose helicopter. A utility military helicopter can fill roles such as ground attack, air assault, cargo, surveillance and troop transport. Their size is generally between cargo helicopters and light observation helicopters....

 helicopters. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton
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. The airfield is also known as Munn Field in honor of...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 39
Marine Aircraft Group 39
Marine Aircraft Group 39 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California that is currently composed of six AH-1W Super Cobra and UH-1N Huey light attack squadrons, three CH-46 Sea Knight squadrons and one logistics squadron...

 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
The 3d Marine Aircraft Wing is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and provides the aviation combat element for I Marine Expeditionary Force...

 (3rd MAW). The squadron was activated on June 30, 2009.

The stand-up of HMLA-469 is part of the Commandant’s
Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

 plan to “grow the force” to better meet the demands of the War on Terror
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...

 and the complexities of an evolving global threat.

Mission

Provide offensive air support, utility support, armed escort and airborne supporting arms coordination during naval expeditionary operations or joint and combined operations.

History

The unit’s nickname comes from the words of former president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

, when he stated that America will seek vengeance on those responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

. Each helicopter in the squadron has the tailcode SE, for September Eleventh, inscribed on the tail boom to pay tribute to those who lost their lives that day.

On October 29, 2009 a US Coast Guard HC-130 aircraft with seven crewmembers collided with an HMLA-469 AH-1 Cobra
AH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois...

 helicopter with two crewmembers 15 miles east of San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...

. Both aircraft crashed into the ocean and all nine crewmembers in both aircraft were killed. The C-130 was searching for a missing boater while the USMC aircraft was heading towards a military training area in company with another Cobra and two CH-53E Super Stallion
CH-53E Super Stallion
The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is the largest and heaviest helicopter in the United States military. It was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, a seventh blade to the main rotor and canting the tail rotor 20 degrees. Sailors commonly refer to the Super...

s from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , formerly Naval Air Station Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force...

.

See also

  • United States Marine Corps Aviation
    United States Marine Corps Aviation
    United States Marine Corps Aviation is the air component of the United States Marine Corps. Marine aviation has a very different mission and operation than its ground counterpart, and thus, has many of its own histories, traditions, terms, and procedures....

  • List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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