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USS IWO JIMA, At Sea – On July 12, 2010, Medium Marine Helicopter Squadron 774, a reserve squadron comprised of Active Duty, Active Reserve and Select Marine Corps Reserve Marines and sailors stationed at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., embarked on the USS Iwo Jima to serve as the Air Combat Element for Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Continuing Promise 2010.
Special-Purpose MAGTF CP10 launched in support of Operation CP10, a Navy-led U.S. Southern Command mission that brought humanitarian-civic assistance and subject matter expert exchanges to eight different countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America over the course of four months.
HMM-774 deployed eight CH-46E Sea Knight, medium-lift, helicopters and approximately 160 Marines and sailors to provide air support for CP10 consisting of transportation of personnel, movement of equipment and supplies and aerial site-surveys.
“The capabilities of the ACE were irreplaceable to mission accomplishment,” said Capt. Thomas M. Negus, commodore of CP10. “The mobility they provided us with made Operation Continuing Promise 2010 a reality.
During their four month deployment in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility in support of CP10, the ACE flew over 1,050 flight hours, moved over 11,000 passengers and lifted over 700,000 pounds of cargo.
This included the transportation of surgical patients, medical staff, engineers, infrastructure support teams, presidents, ambassadors, distinguished visitors and military leaders to and from the USS Iwo Jima.
Following Hurricane Tomas, HMM-774 helicopters and aircrew were key in facilitating CP10’s mission of conducting aerial site surveys and assessing the damage caused by the hurricane in Haiti.
As a logistical component for CP10, the ACE lifted the brunt of cargo necessary to maintain the USS Iwo Jima and 1,500 Marines, sailors and CP10 personnel, which included replenishing the ship’s food stores and bringing mail and care packages to those aboard.
“This deployment is just one of many that demonstrate how a reserve squadron can provide operational relief for active duty units,” said Grandgeorge. “I just couldn’t be prouder of a bunch of Marines and sailors from all different backgrounds coming together with less than a 45-day work up period to get the squadron on the boat, fly the required pre-deployment training flights and deploy with ease.”
HMM-774’s participation in CP10 also validates the Department of Defense’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review endorsement that “prevailing in today’s wars requires a Reserve Component that can serve in an operational capacity—available, trained, and equipped for predictable routine deployment.”
“We usually fly about 1,500 hours a year at our squadron,” said Lt. Col. Scott W. Grandgeorge, commanding officer of HMM-774. “In four months we flew almost that same amount. We’ve also conducted a lot of Military Occupational Specialty training for our maintenance Marines - training that would normally take over a year and a half of reserve time to accomplish.”
HMM-774 Marines volunteered to mobilize for Special-Purpose MAGTF CP10 after being notified of their squadron’s participation in CP10. This required Marine reservists to put their lives, jobs and education on hold in order to deploy.
The Marines and Sailors of HMM-774 are slated to return to their families Nov. 18 upon the USS Iwo Jima’s return to Naval Base Norfolk, Va. They will remain activated until the end of January.
| Date Taken: | 07.12.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2010 15:33 |
| Story ID: | 60350 |
| Location: | USS IWO JIMA, AT SEA |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Marine Reserve CH-46 squadron delivers unprecedented support to Operation CP10, by Cpl Daniel Negrete, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
