World War II Marine Utility Squadron 253 "VMJ-253" was commissioned on 11 March 1942 in
San Diego,
California. The squadron's first cadre of pilots were airline pilots that were also in the
Marine Corps Reserve. Soon after commissioning the squadron joined the joint air transport organization dubbed the
South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT). Lieutenant Colonel Perry K. Smith, USMC, became the first Commanding Officer of SCAT. By November 1942, VMJ-253 had supported operations on
Guadalcanal and surrounding islands, logging thousands of flight hours. While on
Guadalcanal, VMJ-253 was the first combat transport squadron to land at
Henderson Field, bringing Brigadier General
Roy S. Geiger and his staff to take command of the
1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Following the Japanese counterattack that forced the
United States Navy to withdraw, VMJ-253 continued to re-supply fuel, ammunition, food, and medical supplies in support of the besieged ground troops. The squadron's
Douglas R4Ds delivered supplies despite being fired upon by Japanese troops lurking near Henderson Field and marauding
A6M Zeros in the skies. Until the end of 1942, it was the Marines of VMJ-253 and other SCAT units that solved the logistical problems of Marines and soldiers on Guadalcanal. Through 1943, VMJ-253 supported operations on
Bougainville,
New Georgia, Vella Lavella, and numerous islands throughout the
Solomon chain. As the island-hopping campaign moved into the Central Pacific in 1944, so did VMJ-253. Detached from SCAT, VMJ-253 officially became a transport squadron and was redesignated VMR-253. VMR-253 was assigned to the
Transport Air Group, popularly called TAG, which was the Central Pacific version of SCAT. Continuing the heavy schedule of lifts from
Tarawa, VMR-253 sortied to
Kwajalein, Roi-Namur, and
Eniwetok. In October 1943, VMR-253 moved to
Guam. Working out of Guam, VMR-253 supported actions on
Tinian,
Saipan, and
Peleliu. VMR-253 remained on Guam until the close of the war, and in May 1946, returned to
MCAS Miramar.
Post WW II / Korean War at the
National Museum of Naval Aviation From Miramar, VMR-253 moved to
MCAS El Toro under
Marine Aircraft Group 25 where the aging fleet of R4Ds was replaced with
Douglas R5Ds. VMR-253 continued its primary mission of moving men and supplies wherever the Marine Corps needed them. After a four-year squadron stand down from 1947 to 1951, VMR-253 reactivated for active duty in the
Korean War; with only six
Curtiss R5C aircraft, 5 officers and 18 enlisted Marines. By the end of the year it had grown to 58 officers and 184 enlisted men; had received 16 new
Fairchild R4Qs; and was ready to go to war once again. From January 1952 through June 1953, the squadron logged over 11,000 flight hours, carried 30,170 passengers, and moved of cargo.
1954 – 1965 In 1954, the squadron relocated to
Itami Air Force Base, Japan and then to
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni,
Japan. From Japan, VMR-253 conducted the bulk of Marine air transport in the Pacific for nearly ten years. On 1 February 1962, the famous
Lockheed KC-130F Hercules joined Marine aviation in the Pacific. With its ability to refuel fighter and attack aircraft, VMR-253 was redesignated Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152), and the squadron's primary mission became aerial refueling. Less than a year after receiving the Hercules aircraft, the pilots and Marines of VMGR-152 were called upon to support
United States Army advisors in the latest hot spot, Indo-China. This deployment gave the squadron valuable experience in the employment of the Battle Herc that would soon pay off. On 24 August 1965, a KC-130F (
BuNo 149802) from the squadron veered off runway on take-off from
Kai Tak Airport,
Hong Kong hit the seawall and crashed into the sea. This was the first Hercules hull loss in Marine Corps service. It was carrying Marine personnel returning to Vietnam after
R&R in Hong Kong; of six crew and 65 passengers, 59 were killed.
Vietnam era , in 1967 Beginning in 1965, with increasing U.S. involvement in
Vietnam, detachments from VMGR-152 were deployed in country with
Marine Amphibious Forces to support
F-4s and
A-4s used by Marine tactical squadrons. To better support the detachments in Vietnam, the squadron relocated to
Okinawa, Japan. From 1967 to 1975, the bulk of VMGR-152's missions were directly in support of action in
Southeast Asia. Detachments typically lasted five days, and operated out of
Da Nang Air Base. In addition to aerial refueling and Marine Logistic cargo missions, VMGR 152 'GVs' dropped flares in support of ground troop operations at night. At its peak, the squadron was flying 900 missions a month and continued this high tempo of operations well into 1967. On 10 February 1968 a VMGR-152 KC-130F was hit by groundfire during landing at
Khe Sanh Combat Base,
Quang Tri Province. The fuel bladders on board were set alight and the airframe burned out on the runway, with the loss of six on board. Concurrent with the direct support of action in Vietnam, the squadron established itself as a mainstay in the Western Pacific. VMGR-152 conducted numerous trans-Pacific missions, which involved the refueling of entire squadrons of fighter and attack aircraft as they crossed the Pacific on deployment. VMGR-152 also participated in a myriad of exercises and the movement of tons of cargo and thousands of troops, securing VMGR-152's tenure in WESTPAC.
1980s – 1990s During the 1980s, larger
United States Air Force tankers specifically designated for the strategic movement and refueling of aircraft relieved VMGR-152 of its TRANSPAC mission. This allowed the squadron to explore a more tactical employment of the KC-130 in intra-theater refueling and transport operations, and employ a more effective use of the aircraft and its personnel in a tactical environment. In 1987, VMGR-152 became the first PCS (permanent change of station) aircraft squadron on
Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. F/A-18Cs, in 2006 Since the early 1990s, VMGR-152 has experienced a steady increase in the number of missions flown. In June 1993, the squadron acquired five KC-130Rs, which provided the squadron with a significant increase in aircraft range and added to its effectiveness in refueling and transport operations. In January 1995, VMGR-152 joined Special Purpose MAGTF in support of
Operation United Shield, the final withdrawal of all
UNOSOM forces from
Somalia. In May 2009, VMGR-152 joined Operation Enduring Freedom with the new KC-130J.
Recent significant operations In November and December 2004, VMGR-152 participated in Joint Task Force 535, the Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief mission in the
Republic of the Philippines after several tropical storms and typhoons struck the island of
Luzon. In the wake of the 26 December 2004 earthquake off the coast of
Indonesia, and subsequent widespread
tsunami in the
Indian Ocean region, VMGR-152 deployed aircraft and personnel to
Thailand,
Sri Lanka, and Indonesia in support of
Operation Unified Assistance. In September 2006, VMGR-152 was awarded the Henry Wildfang Aerial Refueler/Transport Squadron of the Year award from the Marine Corps Aviation Association, which recognizes its impact on the community, as well as how well the squadron performs its mission and the types of missions it is involved in. Community work cited include not only the humanitarian missions throughout the Pacific, but also the work in the Okinawan community. In May and June 2008 VMGR-152 operated relief flights in Myanmar to provide assistance in the wake of devastation left by
Cyclone Nargis, a tropical storm that caused a reported 32,000 deaths. During this time the Sumos launched 312 sorties to total 481.8 hours and delivered of cargo. The squadron took delivery of its first KC-130J Super Hercules on 4 June 2007 with the first operational flight of the new aircraft on 19 June. A second KC-130J was delivered in September that year. In June 2008 the squadron participated in
Exercise Pitch Black, which is a biennial military exercise hosted by the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and based on
RAAF Base Tindal. The aim of the exercise is to practice Offensive Counter Air and Defensive Counter Air combat, in a simulated war environment and consists of a "red team" and a "blue team". As a member of the "red team", the Sumos acted as the force multiplier of the exercise by providing Fixed Wing Aerial Refueling. In May 2009 the squadron sent two KC-130Js as a detachment with VMGR-352 in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). It was the Sumos' first combat deployment since 1975 during the Vietnam War. A total of 40 VMGR-152 Marines deployed to
Kandahar, Afghanistan to provide additional support in the War on Terror. In November VMGR-152 sent a second detachment to OEF. In July 2010 a two-aircraft detachment departed for the country of Bangladesh carrying Marines from MWSS-171 and their equipment to support their mission in building schools for Bangladeshi children. VMGR-152's role in this mission resulted in carrying over of cargo and 42 passengers to the poverty stricken country. During October 2010, VMGR-152 flew relief operations in the Republic of the Philippines in the aftermath of
Typhoon Megi. In December that year VMGR-152 completed its transition to the KC-130J. After the
Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on 11 March 2011, the squadron sent eight of its KC-130Js to Iwakuni for disaster relief and support for the Japanese Government and people in what became "Operation Tomodachi". The first crews left with less than a 24-hour notice and were not given an expected return date. In the month of April the squadron continued support for Operation Tomodachi. A three-aircraft detachment shifted to Atsugi, and most crews were moved back home to the squadron and based out of Futenma for the remaining support. In July 2012 the final deployment of three crews, two aircraft and 40 maintenance Marines to Afghanistan returned after five weeks in theater because of operational draw downs. Their return marked the end of eight consecutive wartime deployments of VMGR-152 to OEF and the restoration of a 15-aircraft fleet now available for future operational commitments tasked to the Sumos throughout the Pacific Command. Since summer of 2012, VMGR-152 has been involved in exercises and operations throughout all of its Area of Responsibility and beyond to include Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, Thailand, Nepal, and Mongolia. In July 2014, VMGR-152 completed a permanent change of station from MCAS Futenma back to MCAS Iwakuni for the first time since 1987. The squadron was the first to move from Futenma as the Marine Corps begins to turn the airfield over to the Japanese. With the move VMGR-152 takes its place as only the second PCS squadron aboard MCAS Iwakuni, joining Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 (VMFA-242). ==Awards and Safety==