Marine Aircraft Group 36 Marine Aircraft Group 36 ( MAG - 36 ) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps , tasked with providing assault support aircraft . It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing ( 1st MAW ) , itself an integral part of the III Marine Expeditionary Force , and based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa , Japan . Mission . The mission of MAG - 36 is to support the Marine Air Ground Task Force ( MAGTF ) with combat ready expeditionary assault support aircraft and when directed , plan and conduct aviation operations as a Marine Expeditionary Brigade - level Aviation Combat Element . History . Originally formed at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , in Santa Ana , California , on 2 June 1952 as Marine Air Group ( Helicopter Transport ) 36 , the Group spent several years training for amphibious operations to carry out the role of ship - to - shore assault support . At this time , the Group consisted of squadrons HMR - 361 , HMR - 362 , HMR - 363 , all flying HRS - 1 helicopters . In 1959 , it was renamed Marine Air Group 36 , and in 1965 attached to the 1st MAW , when it deployed to Vietnam in August of that year . It sailed for Vietnam aboard the , flying ashore at Chu Lai on 1 September . This was both the first full Marine Air Group to arrive in Vietnam , and more generally the first time a full helicopter group had been transported this way . The Group participated in a wide variety of support missions during the Vietnam War , ranging from assault missions to medical evacuation and logistical flights using UH - 1 E gunships , CH - 46 Sea Knight s , and UH - 34 Seahorse s . In 1968 , it was closely involved in support of actions in Huế during the Tet Offensive . On 4 November 1969 , MAG - 36 withdrew from Vietnam and re - based to MCAS Futenma , Okinawa , Japan . VMGR - 152 , which had provided combat air refueling for detachments in Vietnam from Futenma since 1965 , became a part of MAG - 36 at that time . Until 1972 , MAG - 36 provided support squadrons to Marine Amphibious Unit aboard ship . In 1972 , VMGR - 152 was deployed to Thailand and Vietnam to provide refueling services to 1st MAW aircraft , whilst attack squadrons carried out operations against North Vietnamese logistics as part of the 7th Fleet . In early 1973 , MAG - 36 squadrons participated in clearing Haiphong harbor of mines , after which they returned to Futenma . On 11 April 1975 , the group provided transport for Operation Eagle Pull – the successful emergency evacuation of Americans from Cambodia . Following this , the Group deployed all of its available aircraft aboard 7th Fleet ships and in the famous Operation Frequent Wind , on 29 April 1975 in a 24 - hour period , evacuated over 7000 people from Saigon aboard MAG - 36 helicopters . From the late 1970s through the 1980s , MAG - 36 continued to support fleet operations in the Pacific Theater . MAG - 36 became the Unit Deployment Program ( UDP ) linchpin in the Western Pacific ( WestPac ) . As part of the UDP , CH - 46 , CH - 53 , and OV - 10 squadrons from Hawaii and California deployed to MCAS Futenma for six - month rotations . During these deployments MAG - 36 participated in numerous exercises and training deployments to various countries around the WestPac . In November 1992 , the last UDP detachment of OV - 10s returned to Camp Pendleton , CA . In the spring of 1993 , HMM - 262 arrived from Hawaii to become a permanent part of MAG - 36 . HMM - 262 was followed by HMM - 265 , and these two CH - 46 squadrons have formed the backbone of the 31st MEU Aviation Combat Element . Throughout the 1990s , MAG - 36 units participated in a variety of contingency operations . In 1995 , MAG - 36 units conducted relief operations in Kobe Japan after 6 , 400 people lost their lives in a massive earthquake and also participated in the withdrawal of United Nation Forces from Somalia during Operation UNITED SHIELD . In 1999 , units responded to a no - notice deployment to the Persian Gulf for Operation DESERT FOX and to East Timor for peacekeeping during Operation STABILIZE . During the first decade of the 21st century , MAG - 36 units continued to support Theater Security Cooperation exercises and numerous contingency operations . In 2004 and 2007 respectively , HMM - 265 and HMM - 262 deployed for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM combat operations . Since May 2009 , VMGR - 152 has been providing an enduring two - plane detachment to Afghanistan for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM . Nearly every year , MAG - 36 deploys as a MEB - level Aviation Combat Element , often supporting Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief ( HADR ) operations . In November 2007 , in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Sidr MAG - 36 elements deployed to Bangladesh for Operation SEA ANGEL II . MAG - 36 supported Operation CARING RESPONSE in May 2008 from Thailand after Tropical Cyclone Nargis impacted Burma . Additionally , MAG - 36 has conducted HADR in the Philippines on three separate occasions : during 2004 with Joint Task Force 535 , following three back - to - back typhoons in October 2009 , and again in October 2010 in the wake of Super Typhoon MEGI . Most recently during Operation TOMODACHI , MAG - 36 deployed to mainland Japan immediately following the triple - disaster created by an earthquake , tsunami , and damaged nuclear reactor to provide much needed relief to our host nation .