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Approximately 50 Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 returned home to anxious family members and friends, Feb. 5, after spending nearly seven months in support of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa.
The 'Condors' mission was to support operations within the Horn of Africa dealing with extremism, terrorism and capacity-building for the local populous.
"They did a terrific job out there," said Lt. Col. Richard C. Rush, HMH-464 commanding officer. "It was abnormal in the sense that they performed a larger number of missions than normal, but that was not enough to stop them from excelling."
HMH-464, which utilizes CH-53E Super Stallions, are one of only a few east coast heavy helicopters squadrons that have been supporting missions in Africa during the past six years.
"The Marines gave outstanding support to the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa," said Rush. "They are always willing to get out there and get the job done. They stand up to challenges and make sure that the squadron is "mission ready" so we can provide the best support that we can."
With rotating deployments and a constant mission load, some Marines have learned to expect the unexpected and to overcome any obstacles that may come forth.
"We flew more hours than we were originally supposed to," said Cpl. Benjamin Holmstead, an airframes mechanic. "As mechanics, it is our job to keep the aircraft functional and ready to fly.
"The shops teamed together to get the job done and we were able to accomplish our missions and then some," he said.
Despite the accomplishments that the squadron achieved while deployed, the Marines and sailors are just happy to be back.
"The camaraderie is great between the Marines," said Holmstead. "Everyone came together to make this deployment successful while having a good time but there is no better feeling than coming back home to family and friends."
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.19.2010 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 45593 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 120 |
This work, Condors return home from Africa, by Cpl Brandon Dulaney, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
