The first Marine Corps helicopters to serve in Vietnam arrived just four months after the first American helicopters were deployed in-country.

On 15 April 1962, a Sikorsky HUS-1 (later redesignated the UH-34D) crew from LtCol Archie Clapp's HMM-362 touched down on a World War II Japanese fighter strip 3 miles from Soc Trang, southwest of Saigon, in the Mekong Delta. They were first in. Thirteen years and fifteen days later, on 30 April 1975, an HMM-164 CH-46D crew lifted the last Americans out of Vietnam, the Marine combined security force for Operation FREQUENT WIND. They were last out.

1962

OPERATION SHUFLY was initiated with the deployment of HMM-362 into Soc Trang. HMM-362 (reinf), assisted by HMM-261, both from the amphibious assault ship USS PRINCETON (LPH-5), was ashore by mid-afternoon and ready to accept missions the following day. HMM-261 returned to the USS PRINCETON as the SLF squadron. HMM-362 (reinf) included 24 recently overhauled HUS-1 helicopters, a detachment of 3 OE-1s from VMO-2, one R4D, and 50 additional maintenance personnel. The first helicopter-borne assault with ARVN troops was conducted 6 days later. Two days following that, HMM-362 suffered the first combat damage to an HUS-1 during OPERATION NIGHTINGALE when a bullet pierced an oil line in its engine compartment.

During May, HMM-362 flew its first night medevac. The EAGLE FLIGHT tactic, developed by HMM-362, was first employed on 18 Jun. An Eagle Flight employed 4 troop-loaded HUS-1s orbiting a tactical area to engage escaping VC. The first joint USMC, US Army, VNAF assault mission took place in July.

The policy of rotating squadrons into Vietnam every four months commenced 1 Aug when HMM-163 relieved HMM-362. The first mounting of 30 cal. M-60 machine guns on a helicopter occurred in August, inside the cargo hatch of an HUS-1. HMM-163 suffered their first battle damage 18 days later. In September, three HUS-1s were hit by small arms fire, and a crew chief was wounded, becoming the first Marine helicopter aircrew casualty of the war.

In response to a MACV (Military Assistance Command Vietnam) request for more capable aircraft and instrument-qualified pilots in mountainous I Corps, SHUFLY and HMM-163 moved north to Da Nang on 15 Sep , thus setting the stage for the Marine buildup to follow in the next 3 years. This squadron provided the majority of the helicopter support in I Corps. The first fatalities in Marine helicopters occurred 6 Oct 62 , when a HUS-1 crashed due to mechanical failure, killing 7 of the 8 aboard.

The Dept. of Defense changed the official designations of all military aircraft in November. The HUS-1 became the UH-34D, the OE-1 the O-1B, the R4D the C-117, the HR2S-1 (deuce) the CH-37C and the GV-1 became the KC-130.

1963

On 12 Jan, HMM-162 relieved HMM-163. With squadron rotations continuing three times a year for the next two years, half of the Marine Corps' squadrons received invaluable combat experience prior to the large-scale deployments that started in 1965. HMM-162 conducted a major lift of 300 ARVN into three LZs 15 miles west of Da Nang. The area would be revisited many times in the next 10 years.

On 13 Mar, three H-34s from HMM-162 delivered suppressive fire on the enemy during an ARVN troop lift. This was the first recorded instance of a Marine helicopter providing close air support in actual combat.

April 1963 saw the tempo of operations pick up with the advent of clear weather. This also caused the loss rate to climb, with many instances of aircraft being hit and crewmembers wounded. Army UH-1B gunships from the US Army 68th Aviation Co. in Da Nang regularly escorted the Marine H-34s. On 27 Apr, a year after the arrival of Marine helicopters into Vietnam, the first loss occurred of an aircraft that was not recovered, and directly attributed to enemy action.

HMM-261 relieved HMM-162 on 8 Jun , continuing the building of combat experience in the helicopter community. During August, HMM-261 conducted a major retrograde operation lifting 1300 ARVN from LZs near the Laotian border to Thuong Duc, SW of Da Nang.

On 2 Oct 63 , HMM-361 relieved HMM-261. Soon afterwards, the squadron lost 2 aircraft while on a SAR mission and 10 aircrew were killed. The ensuing recovery operation lasted 3 days and required the insertion of Marine and ARVN security forces numbering over 150 men. These and other actions caused the Marines to develop procedures to perform quick engine changes, "QECs," in the field.

President Diem's overthrow and assassination at the beginning of November caused a temporary halt to SHUFLY operations. President John F. Kennedy's assassination on 22 Nov 63 resulted in President Lyndon B. Johnson taking over the reigns of the American government.

1964

MACV announced, in January, that all Marines would be withdrawn from RVN during the first half of 1964 as part of a plan to end direct US participation in the war. Wonder what happened? In the meantime, the missions continued. HMM-361 conducted a critical retrograde of a 200 man CIDG unit under heavy VC pressure. During February, HMM-361 was relieved by HMM-364, who were informed that they would be the last squadron in country and to assume the mission of training VNAF helicopter pilots in