VMGR - 152 Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 ( VMGR - 152 ) provides aerial refueling service to support Fleet Marine Force ( FMF ) air operations ; and provides assault air transport of personnel , equipment , and supplies . The squadron , known as the " Sumos " , flies the fixed - wing KC - 130J aircraft . VMGR - 152 is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma , Okinawa , Japan and is part of Marine Aircraft Group 36 ( MAG - 36 ) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing ( 1st MAW ) . Mission . Provide aerial refueling service in support of Fleet Marine Force Air Operations and provide assault air transport of personnel , equipment , and supplies . Aerial refueling . VMGR - 152 is capable of refueling both helicopters and fixed - wing aircraft in support of tactical missions , training operations , or ferry flights . This is accomplished through the use of the two refueling pods mounted under the wings of their KC - 130 aircraft , outboard of the engines . These pods trail a 93 - foot hose attached to a stabilized paradrogue into which receiver aircraft plug . Assault air transport . Assault air transport is the squadron ' s secondary mission . VMGR - 152 can deliver supplies and troops by airdrop , or through assault landings on unimproved airstrips both during the day as well as at night , using night - vision devices . History . World War II . Activated in the Western Pacific on March 11 , 1942 , VMJ - 253 pioneered Trans - oceanic transport in the Marine Corps during World War II . VMJ - 253 also became the parent squadron for the joint air transport organization dubbed the South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command ( SCAT ) . Lieutenant Colonel Perry K . Smith , USMC , became the first Commanding Officer of SCAT . By November 1942 , VMJ - 253 had supported operations on Guadalcanal and surrounding islands , logging thousands of flight hours . While on Guadalcanal , VMJ - 253 was the first combat transport squadron to land at Henderson Field , bringing Brigadier General Roy S . Geiger and his staff to take command of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . Following the Japanese counter attack that forced the Navy to withdraw , VMJ - 253 continued to re - supply fuel , ammunition , food , and medical supplies in support of their besieged brethren . The Marines in their R4D s never wavered in their mission despite being fired upon by Japanese troops lurking near Henderson Field and marauding Zeros in the skies . Until the end of 1942 , it was the Marines of VMJ - 253 and other SCAT units that solved the logistical problems of Marines and soldiers on Guadalcanal . Through 1943 , VMJ - 253 supported operations on Bougainville , New Georgia , Vella Lavella , and numerous islands throughout the Solomon chain . As the island - hopping campaign moved into the Central Pacific in 1944 , so did VMJ - 253 . Detached from SCAT , VMJ - 253 officially became a transport squadron and was redesignated VMR - 253 . VMR - 253 was assigned to the Transport Air Group , popularly called TAG , which was the Central Pacific version of SCAT . Continuing the heavy schedule of lifts from Tarawa , VMR - 253 sortied to Kwajalein , Roi - Namur , and Eniwetok . In October 1943 , VMR - 253 moved to Guam . Working out of Guam , VMR - 253 supported actions on Tinian , Saipan , and Peleliu . VMR - 253 remained on Guam until the close of the war , and in May 1946 , returned to MCAS Miramar . Post WW II / Korean War . From Miramar , VMR - 253 moved to MCAS El Toro under Marine Aircraft Group 25 where the aging fleet of R4Ds was replaced with R5D s . VMR - 253 continued its primary mission of moving men and supplies wherever the Marine Corps needed them . After a four - year squadron stand down from 1947 to 1951 , VMR - 253 reactivated with only six R5C aircraft , 5 officers , and 18 enlisted Marines . By the end of the year it had grown to 58 officers , 184 enlisted , had received 16 new R4Q s , and was ready to go to war once again . From January 1952 through June 1953 , the squadron logged over 11 , 000 flight hours , carried 30 , 170 passengers , and moved 5 , 213 , 383 pounds of cargo . 1954 – 1965 . In 1954 , the squadron relocated to Itami Air Force Base , Japan and then to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni , Japan . From Japan , VMR - 253 conducted the bulk of Marine air transport in the Pacific for nearly ten years . On February 1 , 1962 , the famous Lockheed KC - 130F Hercules joined Marine aviation in the Pacific . With its ability to refuel fighter and attack aircraft , VMR - 253 was redesignated Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 ( VMGR - 152 ) , and the squadron ’ s primary mission became aerial refueling . Less than a year after receiving the Hercules aircraft , the pilots and Marines of VMGR - 152 were called upon to support U . S . Army advisors in the latest hot spot , Indo - China . This deployment gave the squadron valuable experience in the employment of the Battle Herc that would soon pay off . On August 24 , 1965 , a KC - 130F ( BuNo 149802 ) , c . n . 3693 , from the squadron veered off runway on take - off from Kai Tak Airport , Hong Kong hit the seawall and crashed into the sea . This was the first Hercules hull loss in Marine Corps service . It was carrying Marine personnel returning to Vietnam after R & R in Hong Kong - of six crew and 65 passengers , 59 were killed while flying . Vietnam era . Beginning in 1965 , with increasing U . S . involvement in Vietnam , detachments from VMGR - 152 were deployed in country with Marine Amphibious Forces ( MAF ) to support F - 4 s and A - 4 s used by Marine tactical squadrons . To better support the detachments in Vietnam , the squadron relocated to Okinawa , Japan . From 1967 to 1975 , the bulk of VMGR - 152 ’ s missions were directly in support of action in Southeast Asia . Detachments typically lasted five days , and operated out of Da Nang . In addition to aerial refueling and Marine Logistic ( MarLog ) cargo missions , VMGR 152 ' GVs ' dropped flares in support of ground troop operations at night . At its peak , the squadron was flying 900 missions a month and continued this high tempo of operations well into 1967 . On 10 February 1968 a VMGR - 152 KC - 130F was hit by groundfire during landing at Khe Sanh , Quang Tri province . The fuel bladders aboard were set alight and the airframe burned out on the runway , with a loss of six on board . Concurrent with the direct support of action in Viet Nam , the squadron established itself as a mainstay in the Western Pacific . VMGR - 152 conducted numerous trans - Pacific ( TRANSPAC ) missions , which involved the refueling of entire squadrons of fighter and attack aircraft as they crossed the Pacific on deployment . VMGR - 152 also participated in a myriad of exercises and the movement of tons of cargo and thousands of troops , securing VMGR - 152 ’ s tenure in WESTPAC . 1980s – 1990s . During the 1980s , larger U . S . Air Force tankers specifically designated for the strategic movement and refueling of aircraft relieved VMGR - 152 of its TRANSPAC mission . This allowed the squadron to explore a more tactical employment of the KC - 130 in intra - theater refueling and transport operations , and employ a more effective use of the aircraft and its personnel in a tactical environment . In 1987 , VMGR - 152 became the first PCS ( permanent change of station ) aircraft squadron on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma . Since the early 1990s , VMGR - 152 has experienced a steady increase in the number of missions flown . In June 1993 , the squadron acquired five KC - 130Rs , which provided the squadron with a significant increase in aircraft range and added to its effectiveness in refueling and transport operations . In January 1995 , VMGR - 152 joined Special Purpose MAGTF in support of Operation United Shield , the final withdrawal of all UNOSOM forces from Somalia . In May 2009 , VMGR - 152 joined Operation Enduring Freedom with the new KC - 130J . Recent Significant Operations . In November and December 2004 , VMGR - 152 participated in Joint Task Force 535 , the Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief mission in the Republic of the Philippines after several tropical storms and typhoons struck the island of Luzon . In the wake of the December 26 , 2004 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia , and subsequent widespread tsunami in the Indian Ocean region , VMGR - 152 deployed aircraft and personnel to Thailand , Sri Lanka , and Indonesia in support of " Operation Unified Assistance " . In September 2006 , VMGR - 152 was awarded the Henry Wildfang Aerial Refueler / Transport Squadron of the Year award from the Marine Corps Aviation Association , which recognizes its impact on the community , as well as how well the squadron performs its mission and the types of missions it is involved in . Community work cited include not only the humanitarian missions throughout the Pacific , but also the work in the Okinawan community . In May and June 2008 VMGR - 152 was called upon to provide HADR to the country of Burma . The HADR flights were initiated in response to an official request from the country ' s military government which had , for more than a week , stalled efforts by the U . S . government and a myriad of relief organizations to provide assistance in the wake of devastation left by Cyclone Nargi , a tropical storm that caused a reported 32 , 000 deaths . During this time the Sumos launched 312 sorties to total 481 . 8 hours and delivered an impressive 2 , 808 , 954 pounds of cargo . Some of the relief supplies delivered include rice , tarps , water , hygiene kits , first aid kits , blankets , ply - wood , various building supplies , cooking utensils , various food items , and tents . 4 June 2007 was a very exciting day for VMGR - 152 as it marked the arrival of the squadrons first KC - 130J Super Hercules . 19 June marked another milestone for the Sumos as it marked the first operational flight of our newly acquired KC - 130J . 28 September the Sumos sent a fully qualified crew to the Lockheed Martin Plant in Marietta , GA to accept the squadrons second KC - 130J , Buno # 167923 . In June , 2008 the squadron participated in Exercise Pitch Black , which is a biennial military exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) and based on RAAF Tindal . The aim of the exercise is to practice Offensive Counter Air and Defensive Counter Air combat , in a simulated war environment and consists of a “ red team ” and a “ blue team ” . As a member of the “ red team ” , the Sumos acted as the force multiplier of the exercise by providing consist and reliable Fixed Wing Aerial Refueling . In May , 2009 The Sumos sent two KC - 130Js as a detachment with VMGR - 352 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) . It was the Sumo ’ s first combat deployment since 1975 during the Vietnam War . A total of 40 VMGR - 152 Marines deployed to Kandahar Air Field , Afghanistan to provide additional support in the War on Terror . In November VMGR - 152 sent a second detachment to OEF . In July 2010 a 2 plane detachment departed for the country of Bangladesh . The 2 aircraft carried Marines from MWSS - 171 and their equipment to support their mission in building schools for the Bangladesh children . VMGR ’ s role in this mission resulted in carrying over 35 , 000 lbs of cargo and 42 passengers to the poverty stricken country . During October 2010 , in the midst of Phiblex , super typhoon Megi hit the Isabella province and continued to sweep across the northern island of Luzon with winds of over 110 mph and created disaster in its wake . The VMGR - 152 flew 14 sorties , transported 144 passengers and 86 , 450 lbs of cargo to assist the citizens of the Republic of the Philippines and also evacuating Marines and sailors from Clarke Air Base . In December , 2010 VMGR - 152 completed its transition to a squadron consisting entirely of KC - 130J model aircraft greatly enhancing strengths and capabilities far into the squadron ’ s future . Not just a systems or avionics upgrade , the “ J ” , as it is referred to , is a completely new airframe with greater range , speed , and mission capability all with a reduction in aircrew to a possible 2 pilots and 1 crewmaster . On 11 March 2011 an 8 . 9 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of mainland Japan causing a devastating tsunami that not only caused massive loss of property and life but caused damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plants . The squadron sent eight of their KC - 130Js to Iwakuni for disaster relief and support for the Japanese Government and people in what became “ Operation Tomodachi ” . The first crews left with less than a 24 hour notice and were not given an expected return date . In the month of April the squadron continued support for Operation Tomodachi . A three - plane detachment shifted to Atsugi , and most crews were moved back home to the squadron and based out of Futenma for the remaining support . In July , 2012 the final deployment of three crews , two aircraft and 40 maintenance Marines to Afghanistan returned after 5 weeks in theater because of operational draw downs . Their return marked the end of eight consecutive wartime deployments of VMGR - 152 to OEF and the restoration of a 15 plane fleet now available for future operational commitments tasked to the Sumos throughout the Pacific Command . Since summer of 2012 , the Sumo ’ s of VMGR - 152 have been involved in exercises and operations throughout all of their Area of Responsibility and beyond to include Hawaii , Alaska , Australia , Thailand , Nepal , and Mongolia . They continue to meet the high operational demand placed on them not only by the Marine Corps but also by supporting Joint operations with the Army , Navy , and Air Force . Awards and Safety . VMGR - 152 ' s commitment to safety and maintaining readiness levels have earned the squadron numerous unit citations and awards . These include the CNO Aviation Safety Award for 1992 , 1993 , 1998 , 1999 , 2000 , 2001 , 2003 , 2004 , and 2005 , the MCAA Commandant ’ s Aviation Efficiency Trophy for 1992 , 1993 , 2011 and 2013 and the National Defense Transportation Unit Award for 1993 , 1995 , and 2000 , and the MCAA Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron of the Year Award ( Henry Wildfang Award ) for 1994 , 2001 , and 2005 . On July 16 , 2001 , the Sumos of VMGR - 152 exceeded 230 , 000 mishap free flight hours . In July 2005 , the Sumos exceeded 250 , 000 mishap - free flight hours .