HMH - 361 Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 ( HMH - 361 ) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH - 53E Super Stallion transport helicopters . The squadron , known as the " Flying Tigers " , is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 16 ( MAG - 16 ) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 3rd MAW ) . History . Early years . HMH - 361 was initially commissioned as Marine Transport Squadron 361 on February 25 , 1952 at what was then Marine Corps Air Station Santa Ana , California . The " Flying Tigers " were attached to the only helicopter group in the Marine Corps , Marine Air Group ( HR ) - 16 . At that time , the squadron consisted of only three OY - 2 and one HRS - 2 helicopters located at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro . The original mission of the squadron was to train for and improve upon amphibious ship - to - shore tactics . An additional mission was training replacement pilots for duty in the Korean War . Shortly thereafter the squadron undertook its first major operation , to provide support for the atomic test exercise at Desert Rock , Nevada which is still the largest helicopter operation in history . Upon their return , HMR - 361 was transferred to the newly established MAG ( HR ) - 36 at MCAF Santa Ana in 1953 . On December 31 , 1956 , the squadron was redesignated HMR ( l ) - 361 and was now flying the HRS - 3 helicopter . The Flying Tigers participated in two more atomic bomb testing exercises , beginning in June 1957 and February 1958 . In September 1958 , the squadron began flying the H - 34 helicopter and in 1960 performed the first West Coast parachute drop for Marine Pathfinders from the H - 34 . On February 1 , 1962 , the Flying Tigers were redesignated HMM - 361 according to a Marine Corps wide redesignation for all H - 34 squadrons . HMM - 361 deployed for the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 27 , 1962 in support of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Force on board the USS Iwo Jima ( LPH - 2 ) . Vietnam War . In June 1963 , the Flying Tigers were deployed to Okinawa , Japan . The one - year deployment was cut short , however , when the squadron was transferred to Da Nang , Republic of Vietnam , as one of the first units in country , to participate in Operation Shufly . It was there that HMM - 361 earned the nickname " Ross ' s Rice Runners " , after their Commanding Officer , LtCol Tom Ross . On August 12 , 1965 the squadron conducted the first nighttime helicopter assault by Marines during the war when they lifted 2nd Battalion , 3rd Marines into a landing zone 10 miles northwest of Da Nang during " Operation Midnight " . On September 3 , 1967 , HMM - 361 had 17 of its aircraft destroyed by enemy artillery while they were parked at Dong Ha . This incident would lead to their transfer south to the Marble Mountain Air Facility . The squadron served in Vietnam until being transferred back to the U . S . and attached to Marine Aircraft Group 26 at Marine Corps Air Station New River , North Carolina . It was there that the squadron transitioned to the CH - 53A Sea Stallion helicopter and was redesignated Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron , HMH - 361 . They were again ordered to Vietnam with Marine Aircraft Group 36 at Phu Bai in 1969 and remained there until their return to the newly redesignated Marine Corps Air Station ( H ) Santa Ana , CA in 1970 as part of Marine Aircraft Group 56 . Postwar and the 1980s . HMH - 361 received their first CH - 53D Sea Stallion helicopter in 1977 , and on June 1 , 1979 made their first squadron to deploy overseas as part of the new Unit Deployment Program , completing the first of twelve , six - month WestPac deployments on December 3 , 1979 . In October 1984 the squadron became the first 3rd MAW helicopter squadron to train under the squadron training exercise and employment plan . Finishing this training in May 1985 , HMH - 361 attained the highest Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation System ( MCCRES ) grade to date for a rotary wing squadron . During the squadron ' s ensuing six WestPac deployments under the UDP , HMH - 361 accomplished the first over water flight to NAS Cubi Point , Republic of the Philippines . The 1990s . Marine Heavy Helicopter squadron 361 began conversion to the CH - 53E Super Stallion on August 23 , 1990 . On November 5 , 1992 , the Flying Tigers deployed to Okinawa as the Aviation Combat Element ( ACE ) of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit , the first MEU to utilize a CH - 53E squadron as the nucleus . Here they were joined by detachments of CH - 46 E ' s from HMM - 262 , AH - 1W ' s , and UH - 1N ' s from HMLA - 267 , and AV - 8B ' s from VMA - 311 to become HMH - 361 ( REIN ) , the first CH - 53E composite squadron in history . The Flying Tigers again made history in November 1994 when they were quadruple sited while on their tenth deployment to Okinawa . Detachments were sent to the 13th and 31st MEU ' s , the Special Purpose Marine Air - Ground task force in support of Operation United Shield while the main body remained on Okinawa . In August 1995 , the Flying Tigers were awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association ' s Keith B McCutcheon award as Marine Heavy Helicopter squadron of the year and in June 1996 were awarded the 1995 CNO Aviation Association Safety Award . After returning from Okinawa and reintegrating its MEU detachments in May 1997 , HMH - 361 assumed the Alert Contingency Marine air - ground task force ( ACM ) status . Once again the Flying Tigers were awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association ' s Keith B McCutcheon award as Marine Heavy Helicopter squadron of the year . The squadron also supported HMX - 1 and the President of the United States , transporting three CH - 53E ' s to San Carlos de Barioche , Argentina , aboard Air Force C - 5 Galaxy aircraft . Global War on Terror . On January 26 , 2005 , a CH - 53E Super Stallion from HMH - 361 crashed near Ar Rutbah , Iraq killing all 31 service members on board . In August 2010 HMH - 361 deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . They are based at Camp Leatherneck and returned to the States in Early 2011 . In August 2012 HMH - 361 again deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom , where they took part in fending off a Taliban attack on the British Camp Bastion airfield on 14 September 2012 . The squadron returned to the United States in February 2013 . In April 2013 , upon return from their deployment to Afghanistan , HMH - 361 was announced as the recipient of the Keith B McCutcheon Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron of the year award .