HMLA - 267 Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 ( HMLA - 267 ) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH - 1Z Viper attack helicopter s and UH - 1Y Huey utility helicopter s . The squadron is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , California falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 39 ( MAG - 39 ) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 3rd MAW ) . Mission . Support the Marine Air - Ground Task Force commander by providing offensive air support , utility support , armed escort and airborne supporting arms coordination , day or night under all weather conditions during expeditionary , joint or combined operations . History . Origins during World War II . HMLA - 267 was first activated as Marine Observation Squadron 5 , VMO - 5 , at Marine Corps Base Quantico , Virginia , Virginia on February 15 , 1944 . In August 1944 came its first deployment to Marine Corps Air Station Ewa , Hawaii under the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing to participate in the Pacific theater . The squadron saw action during the Battle of Iwo Jima , and under the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing participated in the occupation of Japan in Sasebo from September 1945 through January 1946 , at which time the squadron returned to San Diego and was deactivated on January 31 , 1946 . Vietnam . With the looming Vietnam War , the subunit of Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 30 ( H & MS - 30 ) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton was redesignated as VMO - 5 on December 15 , 1966 becoming a full fledged training squadron . They originally fell under the command of " Marine Helicopter Training Group 30 " under the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and were equipped with a complement of UH - 1E Hueys and OV - 10 Broncos . In March 1968 , the squadron was redesignated HML - 267 and remained at alert status and training replacement pilots and crew for the rest of the war . In 1971 , reorganization left the squadron with only UH - 1E helicopters , and by the end of 1976 only UH - 1N aircraft were flown . Post Vietnam . Every six months HML - 267 rotated one - third of its assets to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa , Japan . The Hueys were joined by another aircraft in 1982 as the new AH - 1J " Cobra " s were deployed . As part of the Unit Deployment Program ( UDP ) starting in 1983 , HML - 267 began a regular cycle of six months in Okinawa , 18 months on Camp Pendleton . During which the squadron participated in numerous training exercises including detachments to Korea , Guam , the Philippines , Hong Kong , Iwo Jima , and Australia . Redesignated HMLA - 267 in 1987 , the squadron received its first complement of AH - 1 Cobra " SuperCobra " s . In 1988 , the squadron split into three groups : A detachment on land in Okinawa , A detachment on a West Pac , and A detachment aboard the USS " Dubuque " . The USS " Dubuque " was part of the Joint Task Force in the Persian Gulf and Operation Earnest Will . On July 3 , 1988 , the USS " Vincennes " - also a part of Operation Earnest Will - shot down an Iranian commercial Airbus A300B2 - 202 ( Iran Air Flight 655 ) after mistaking it for an Iranian F - 14 . The total of 290 dead civilian passengers , included 66 children . In 1990 , HMLA - 267 split into two groups : A detachment on land in Okinawa and another attached to HMM - 164 . The group attached to HMM - 164 boarded the USS " Okinawa " on a routine West Pac deployment . The USS " Okinawa " eventually ended up in the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm , spending a total of 354 days away from their home port for this deployment . In 1992 , HMLA - 267 split into two groups : A detachment on land in Okinawa and another attached to HMM - 164 . The group attached to HMM - 164 boarded the USS " Tripoli " on a routine West Pac . The USS " Tripoli " went back to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Sweep . The next stop for the USS " Tripoli " was Mogadishu , Somalia and was part of the original insertion of Marines ( primarily those from HMLA - 267 ) and the beginning of Operation Restore Hope . Global War on Terror . In January 2003 , HMLA - 267 deployed aboard Amphibious Task Force West in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . The Stingers relocated to Ali Al Salem Airbase , Kuwait February 2003 in preparation of Operation Iraqi Freedom . HMLA - 267 supported the I Marine Expeditionary Force ( I MEF ) conducting combat operations throughout Iraq from 20 March 2003 until ordered to return to the United States in May 2003 . During Operation Iraqi Freedom , the Stingers flew over 2100 combat flight hours and 1400 combat sorties in support of I MEF combat operations in just three weeks . In June 2003 , HMLA - 267 participated in the Unit Deployment Program to Okinawa , Japan . During this period , the Stingers conducted exercises in South Korea , Australia and the Republic of the Philippines . From August through October 2003 , the Squadron detached three UH - 1N aircraft , thirteen pilots and one hundred Marines to Joint Task Force 515 , in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . This detachment was selected to provide aerial escort for the President of the United States as he toured the Republic of the Philippines , the second time this HMLA has been so honored . In October 2003 , HMLA - 267 was presented the John P . Giguere Award for the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron of the Year for 2003 . In June 2004 , a detachment of 4 AH - 1W Cobras and 2 UH - 1N Hueys attached to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 ( REIN ) on the 15th MEU . At the end of that year HMLA - 267 became the sole provider of HMLA detachments to the 11th , 13th , 15th , and 31st Marine Expeditionary Units ( MEU ’ s ) in support of I MEF and III MEF . While other MAG 39 squadrons continued to deploy to Iraq in support of counter - insurgency operations there , the Stingers began regularly deploying from Southern California and Okinawa to the Western Pacific and East Asia . In April 2010 , the Squadron ’ s mission officially changed to support Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) . In 2011 HMLA 267 deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . As of April 2012 , HMLA - 267 transitioned completely from the AH - 1W to the AH - 1Z Viper , ending their decades long usage of the Whiskey . HMLA - 267 was the first HMLA to completely transition to the AH - 1Z and the UH - 1Y . HMLA - 267 is currently the sole source for the 11th , 13th , and 15th MEUs with AH - 1Z and UH - 1Y aircraft .