HMLA - 167 Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 ( HMLA - 167 ) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH - 1W SuperCobra attack helicopters and UH - 1Y Venom utility helicopters . Known as the " " Warriors " " , they are based at Marine Corps Air Station New River , North Carolina and fall under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 29 ( MAG - 29 ) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 2nd 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 . Vietnam War . On April 1 , 1968 , at Marble Mountain Air Facility , Republic of Vietnam , Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 167 was commissioned . From commissioning date until June 1971 , HML - 167 would participate in operations against communist forces in the Republic of Vietnam . Flying UH - 1 Es for the duration of its tenure in Vietnam . On June 21 , 1969 , HML - 167 dropped the first helicopter bomb . This was accomplished using the Helicopter Trap Weapon ( HTW ) . In May 1971 , HML - 167 was the last operating Marine helicopter squadron in the Republic of Vietnam . On May 26 , 1971 , the squadron held its official stand down , concluding over 60 , 000 combat flight hours . On June 19 , 1971 , HML - 167 was transferred to MCAS New River , Jacksonville , North Carolina and became a part of Marine Aircraft Group 26 , 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing . 1970s & 1980s . In April 1972 , HML - 167 received the Marine Corps ’ first UH - 1N . HML - 167 acquired the additional responsibilities as training squadron and model manager for the UH - 1N . On May 16 , 1972 , HML - 167 was transferred to Marine Aircraft Group 29 . The squadron performed the first coast to coast UH - 1N flight in 1973 . From 11 to 22 August 1980 personnel and equipment from the squadron deployed throughout Haiti to provide disaster relief after the effects of Hurricane Allen . When Hurricane David and Hurricane Frederic hit the Dominican Republic , HML - 167 was on the scene to provide disaster relief from 1 to 17 September 1980 . In 1982 , HML - 167 was reorganized and transferred back to MAG - 26 at the same Air Station . This was evident by HML - 167 ’ s role in the peacekeeping force in Lebanon from October 1982 through November 1983 . On October 1983 , HML - 167 achieved ten years of mishap free flying , accumulating approximately 65 , 000 flight hours . Through the years HML - 167 was awarded the following : CNO Aviation Safety Award ( 1972 , 76 , 78 , 81 , 92 , 93 ) , FMFLANT Aviation Award ( 1975 , 83 ) , National Defense Transportation Award 1981 , and Commandant of the Marine Corps Certificate of Commendation 1981 . HML - 167 received its first AH - 1T Cobras on January 17 , 1984 , and became HMLA - 167 on April 1 , 1986 . It was the first unit to be officially designated as a Light Attack Squadron with a permanent composite mix of UH - 1N and AH - 1T Helicopters . Throughout 1986 and 1987 , HMLA - 167 demonstrated its flexibility . HMLA - 167 ’ s main body deployed as the Aviation Combat Element ( ACE ) for contingency MAGTF 2 - 88 in the Persian Gulf participating in Operation Praying Mantis . MAGTF 2 - 88 conducted an assault on the Sassan Gas / Oil separation platform complex in response to the Iranian mine attack on the USS " Samuel B . Roberts " . HMLA - 167 also escorted eleven " Earnest Will " oil tanker convoys as well as ten minesweeper transits during its deployment in the Persian Gulf . As 1989 came to a close , HMLA - 167 took delivery of its first three AH - 1W Super Cobras during a ceremony at the National Helicopter Association ’ s annual convention . The Gulf War & the 1990s . Beginning in June 1990 , detachments from HMLA - 167 supported 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit during the largest Noncombatant Evacuation Operation ( NEO ) since the evacuation of Saigon with the evacuation of over 3 , 000 American citizens and foreign nationals from the embattled capital in Monrovia , Liberia . In August , HMLA - 167 was recalled for deployment in support of Operation Desert Shield . Six AH - 1Ws and sixteen pilots were detached to MAG - 29 and subsequently deployed to Saudi Arabia later that month and would remain in theater through the completion of Operation Desert Storm . Separate detachments from HMLA - 167 would also participate in Operation Provide Comfort and Operation Encourage Hope in eastern Turkey and northern Iraq during the spring and summer months of 1991 . Detachments from the squadron would eventually begin participating in operation Operation Provide Promise in the Adriatic Sea during the Balkans crisis . A special purpose MAGTF , formed with a detachment of UH - 1Ns , embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS " Theodore Roosevelt " in response to the continuing crisis in the Balkans . They also supported Operation Southern Watch in the Red Sea during renewed tensions with Iraq . This deployment marked the first time Marine ground and helicopter assets were embarked aboard an aircraft carrier . In October 1993 , HMLA - 167 was activated in support of Operation Support Democracy in expectation of contingency operations in Haiti . This operation was the first time Warrior aircraft executed an immediate embarkation aboard amphibious transport . Support for operations in the Caribbean Sea continued into 1994 while HMLA - 167 was tasked to support counter drug operations within the United States . HMLA - 167 won the CNO ’ s Safety Award for 1992 and 1993 . 1994 saw squadron detachments support Operation Deny Flight off of Bosnia and assisted in the withdrawal of United States forces from Somalia . On February 28 , 1995 , the squadron became the first HMLA on the East Coast to receive an AH - 1W Super Cobra with the Night Targeting System . This FLIR and Laser designator was a giant leap in technology and capability for the Warriors . From 1995 - 2001 , the Warriors supported all MAG - 26 designated Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments . These detachments supported numerous contingency operations to include : Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia , Operation Silver Wake in Albania and Operation Guardian Retrieval and Operation Noble Obelisk in Africa . The Squadron also sourced one 2 plane UH - 1N detachment to Special Purpose MAGTF - 8 in support of Operation Assured Response / Quick Response in Liberia , Africa . The Special Purpose MAGTF Huey detachment also conducted the medical evacuation of numerous civilians from the Merchant Vessel " Borren Mill " after it caught fire and was rendered unseaworthy off the West Coast of Africa . In the fall of 1998 , Special purpose MAGTF / JTF Full Provider supported humanitarian relief operations in Puerto Rico , Dominican Republic and Haiti with two Warrior UH - 1Ns after Hurricane Georges ripped through the Caribbean . In 2011 HMLA - 167 sent a detachment to support the 22nd MEU who was called to Libya . The Global War on Terror . In 2003 , HMLA - 167 supported Marine Aircraft Group 29 by providing 9 aircraft and 17 personnel to HMLA - 269 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . In February 2004 HMLA - 167 again deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . The squadron deployed 18 AH - 1Ws , 9 UH - 1Ns , and a small detachment of Marines in January aboard the USS " Bataan " . On the February 22 , all 27 aircraft made the transit from Kuwait to Al Asad , Iraq . This was the home of HMLA - 167 for the next six months . During Operation Vigilant Resolve in Fallujah in April 2004 , HMLA - 167 sent a detachment to help with surge operations from Al Taqaddum . The Warriors also operated from three forward operating bases ( FOBs ) , FOB Al Qaim , FOB Korean Village and FOB Kalsu . At the same time the Warriors were in Iraq , HMLA - 167 had a detachment with the 22nd MEU operating out of Afghanistan . As the Air Combat Element for the MEU , they operated out of Kandahar International Airport , outside of Khandahar , Afghanistan and flew in support of Marine , Army , Special Forces , and Afghan National Army operations in southwestern Afghanistan . On August 24 , 2004 the Warriors returned to MCAS New River . They fell back under the command of MAG - 26 . Having left their aircraft in Iraq for follow on units , the Warriors began to reassemble their squadron . The first aircraft delivered to 167 were former Unit Deployment Program ( UDP ) aircraft from Okinawa . These were dropped off by a Russian transport aircraft to MCAS Cherry Point . HMLA - 167 would eventually accept and transfer over 111 aircraft during then next year . On August 7 , 2005 HMLA - 167 departed MCAS New River and rejoined MAG - 26 in Al Asad , Iraq . This trip to Iraq would be the third in less than three years for many of the Marines . HMLA - 167 redeployed to MCAS New River on March 1 , 2006 . During this same period , HMLA - 167 had a detachment with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit that operated out of Al Asad during its 6 - month deployment . In August 2006 , HMLA - 167 departed MCAS New River after only 5 months at home to join MAG - 16 in Al Asad , Iraq . HMLA - 167 redeployed to MCAS New River in March 2007 . The squadron has again deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom leaving MCAS New River on March 11 , 2008 for a seven - month tour in Iraq . After only a few months home , HMLA - 167 split into two detachments , the main body deploying to Iraq and a small four AH - 1W cobra detachment deploying to Afghanistan on February 8 , 2009 . Unit awards . A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited . Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation . HMLA - 167 has been presented with the following awards :