HMH-464 deploys to Japan for UDP
US Marine Corps News
By Cpl. John Suleski | Marine Corps Air Station New River | December 23, 2013
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -- As the war in Afghanistan winds down, the Marine Corps is going back to its normal deployment cycle in its continuous mission of keeping American presence around the world.
One part of doing this is the Unit Deployment Program (UDP), which allows units to have a six-month deployment in order to expand their training and increase mission readiness.
Approximately 50 Marines and Sailors from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 464 left Marine Corps Air Station New River for a UDP deployment to the West Pacific, Dec. 2.
"This is my first deployment," said Lance Cpl. Joseph A. Myers, HMH-464 avionics technician. "It's a great opportunity to learn more and work hard. It should be fun."
Capt. Ryan Keller, HMH-464 CH-53E Super Stallion pilot, said the squadron is replacing HMH-772, a reserve CH-53E squadron based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
Keller said HMH-464 will support Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 36 while on the deployment. This may include providing humanitarian assistance to victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines.
"It's good to go out and do this stuff that we have trained for," said Keller, who has not deployed before. "We were in the right place, right time and right part of our deployment cycle."
The squadron is scheduled to return by next summer.
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