May 14 - May 17, 2024:
Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA)More Details
Patch
Unit Details
Strength
USMC Squadron
Type
Aviation
Year
1965 - 2011
Description
Activated 1 July 1965 at Santa Ana, California as a unit of
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 36, III MARINE AIRCRAFT WING
Reassigned during August 1965 to MARINE WING SERVICE GROUP 37
Deployed during September-October 1966 to the Republic of Vietnam and reassigned to
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 36, I MARINE AIRCRAFT WING
Participated in the War in Vietnam, October 1966 - August 1969,
Redeployed during August 1969 to Futema, Okinawa and reassigned to
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 15, 9th MARINE AMPHIBIOUS BRIGADE
Reassigned during December 1969 to
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 36, I MARINE AIRCRAFT WING
Participated during the early 1970s as part of the SPECIAL LANDING FORCE
in support of the War in Vietnam, and with the
31st MARINE AMPHIBIOUS UNIT assigned to the SEVENTH FLEET
Participated during July and August 1972 in Philippine Flood Relief
Participated during April 1975 in the evacuation of Saigon
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The LINEAGE of HMM - 165
Activated 1 July 1965 at Santa Ana, California as Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Reassigned during August 1965 to Marine Wing Service Group 37
Deployed during September - October 1966 to the Republic of Vietnam and reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36, Ist Marine Aircraft Wing
Participated in the War in Vietnam, October 1966 - August 1969, operating from:
Ky Ha ... Hue/Phu Bai ... USS Valley Forge ...
USS Tripoli ... Marble Mountain
Redeployed August 1969 to Futema, Okinawa and reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 15, 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade
Reassign during December 1969 to Marine Aircraft Group 36,
I Marine Aircraft Wing
Participated during July and August 1972 in Philippine Flood Relief
Participated during the early 1970s as part of the Special Landing Force in support of the War in Vietnam, and with the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit assigned to the Seventh Fleet
Participated during April 1975 in the evacuation of Saigon
Relocated 27 November 1977 to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and reassigned to Marine Air Group 24, 1st Marine Brigade
Participated in contingency operations in the vicinity of Beirut, Lebanon, September - October 1983 operating from USS Tarawa
Supported United States interest, to include reinforcement of American embassy, during the December 1989 Philippine Coup attempt
Participated in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, August 1990 - March 1991
Elements participated in Joint Task Force, Full Accounting, Cambodia, September - October 1992 and March - April 1993
Reassigned during September 1994 to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Aviation Support Element
Relocated during May 1996 to MAG - 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing MCAS El Toro, California
Relocated during November 1998 to MAG - 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, MCAS Miramar, California
Participated in peacekeeping operations in East Timor in late 1999
On station aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard as part of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit ...
Description
The 1983 Beirut barracks bombings were terrorist attacks that occurred on October 23, 1983, in Beirut, Lebanon, during the Lebanese Civil War when two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) peacekeepers, specifically against United States and French service members, killing 241 U.S. and 58 French peacekeepers, six civilians, and the two suicide attackers. An obscure group calling itself 'Islamic Jihad' claimed responsibility for the bombings and that the bombings were aimed to get the MNF out of Lebanon.
The chain of command likely ran from the government of Iran; to Iran's Ambassador to Syria, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur, located in Damascus; to Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Dehghan in Beirut as the Iranians drew on assets in Lebanon. Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria have continued to deny any involvement in any of the bombings, even though the Iranian government erected a monument in Tehran to commemorate the 1983 bombings and its "martyrs" in 2004.
Two suicide bombers detonated each of the truck bombs. In the attack on the building serving as a barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Battalion Landing Team - BLT 1/8), in the death toll were 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers, making this incident the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since World War II's Battle of Iwo Jima, the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Armed Forces since the first day of the Vietnam War's Tet Offensive, the deadliest single terrorist attack on American citizens in general prior to the September 11 attacks, and the deadliest single terrorist attack on American citizens overseas. Another 128 Americans were wounded in the blast. Thirteen later died of their injuries, and they are numbered among the total number who died. An elderly Lebanese man, a custodian/vendor who was known to work and sleep in his concession stand next to the building, was also killed in the first blast. The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 9,525 kg (21,000 pounds) of TNT.
