Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-463 [HMH-463]
HMH-463 has been providing heavy lift support to the 3rd Marine Regiment at MCBH Kaneohe Bay, HI, as part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Aviation Support Element, Kaneohe, for more than five decades. Since its original activation on July 20, 1944 as a fixed wing bombing squadron, HMH-463 has operated from both coasts in the United States as well as Hawaii and served in no less than nine Marine Aircraft Groups in three Marine Aircraft Wings. Having been deactivated three times, the squadron was reactivated on March 1, 1966 as Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 and has been in continuous operation ever since.
In May of 1967, HMH-463 deployed to Marble Mountain, Republic of Vietnam where it participated in the Vietnam War for four consecutive years. The squadron returned to the area in 1973 to participate in minesweeping operations in the Haiphong/Hon Gai area of North Vietnam and, again, in 1975 to participate in operations Eagle Pull and Frequent Wind during evacuations of Cambodia and Saigon. The squadron's efforts in Southeast Asia earned HMH-463 a Presidential Unit Citation Streamer, a Navy Unit Commendation Streamer with two Bronze Stars, a Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer with one Silver Star, a Vietnam Service Streamer with two Silver Stars and one Bronze Star, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with a Palm Streamer, and a Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Actions Streamer.
In August of 1990, HMH-463 returned to combat by deploying to Saudi Arabia to take part in Operation Desert Shield. The squadron remained in the Gulf to participate in Operation Desert Storm before returning to Kaneohe Bay in March 1991.
Since then, the squadron has participated in a variety of roles around the globe. In September of 1992, HMH-463 came to the aid of the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in the form of Operation Garden Isle: (Hurricane Iniki Relief). Since then, HMH-463 has twice participated in Joint Task Force-Full Accounting in Cambodia, most recently in February 1995. Following that operation, the squadron remained in Asia to participate in Exercise Cobra Gold in Thailand, which continued through April 1995. November of 1996 saw HMH-463 deploy four CH-53Ds aboard Air Force C-5 "Galaxy" airplanes to Cairns, Australia in support of the President of the United States and his White House Staff. In April 1997, HMH-463 completed a three month deployment aboard the USS New Orleans to participate in Exercise Tandem Thrust 97, the largest Joint/Combined Exercise held in Australia since World War II.
HMH-463's mission is to transport equipment and personnel in support of Fleet Marine Force operations. Flying the workhorse of Marine helicopter aviation, the CH-53D Sea Stallion, the squadron primarily provides assault support to the 3d Marine Regiment within the Hawaiian Island chain.
Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 aboard MCB Hawaii, had the opportunity to assist the Navy SEALS from Seal Delivery Vehicle Team 1 aboard Pearl Harbor Naval Station Aug. 6, 2003. The SEALS were practicing insertion and extraction techniques on an undisclosed location aboard the island of Oahu. The Marines from HMH-463 were tasked with flying to Pearl Harbor and loading them into a CH-53 D "Sea Stallion" Helicopter and inserting them into a simulated enemy territory.
