Iron Horse, Recon Marines hone amphibious assault capability

Photo By Sgt. Kaitlyn Klein | A Marine with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, dives into the water from the rear of a CH-53E Super Stallion during helocast training aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., May 7, 2015. During helocast training, Marines exit an aircraft into an open body of water to perform an assault or deep reconnaissance from the sea. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kaitlyn Klein/Released)  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

05.07.2015

Story by Cpl. Kaitlyn Klein 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marines in flight suits hurried along the length of a CH-53E Super Stallion. Their boots blackened by hydraulic fluid, treaded carefully around hooks and gunners’ belts.

Marines in flight suits hurried along the length of a CH-53E Super Stallion. Their boots blackened by hydraulic fluid, treaded carefully around hooks and gunners’ belts.
As the helicopter landed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, May 7, Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, readied their boats and safety jackets to board.

Once the recon Marines were packed into the helicopter with two boats, the pilots took off over Morgan Bay, navigating toward the watery objective.

“Helocasting allows us to increase the range that reconnaissance Marines can move from the aircraft to their objective in a tactical manner,” said Capt. Robert Paugh, a Super Stallion pilot with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461. “Those Marines are positioned in our helicopters about 10 feet above the water, and then we launch the boats and send them off.”

Crew chiefs aboard the helicopter kept steady watch of their surroundings, guiding the pilots from the rear and preparing the Marines to jump from the aircraft to the water.

“The Marines set up where they needed to be inserted and communicated that to us,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Romeo, a crew chief with the squadron and a Bradenton, Florida, native. “My job as a crew chief means that I need to be able to help guide the pilot from the back of the aircraft and make sure that we are in the correct parameters for them to cast out to shore and carry on with their mission.”

While the recon Marines boarded and debarked from the helicopter quickly, the pilots and crew chiefs had been preparing to provide support for them days prior to the event itself.

“A lot of planning goes into missions like this,” said Paugh, a native of New Fairfield, Connecticut. “We’ve spent the past few days preparing with tactical plans, insertion and movement plans, and loading and staging plans. Our crew chiefs are constantly maintaining our aircraft and making sure that our missions are running smoothly.”

HMH-461 supports an array of training missions with units such as U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, assault amphibious battalions, and British forces. The pilots and crew chiefs with the squadron provide the capability for Marines to conduct parachute operations, tactical inserts and helocasting in support of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

“Our motto is Mission First, People Always,” said Paugh. “Our sole purpose is to support the ground units’ mission, but it will never be done at the expense of safe operating procedures.”

• Date Taken: 05.07.2015
• Date Posted: 05.13.2015 14:57
• Story ID: 163180
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US