HMX-1 - History

History

In 1946 General Roy S. Geiger observed the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll and instantly recognized that atomic bombs could render amphibious landings difficult because of the dense concentrations of troops, ships and material at the beachhead. The Commandant of the Marine Corps convened a special board, the Hogaboom Board, that recommended that the Marine Corps develop transport helicopters in order to allow a more diffuse attack on enemy shores. It also recommended that they stand up an experimental helicopter squadron. HMX-1 was commissioned on December 1, 1947 and based in MCAS Quantico, Virginia because of its relative proximity to the Sikorsky and Piasecki plants in Connecticut, and to the Marine Corps schools where most of the original personnel would come. They operated the Sikorsky HO3S-1 and the Piasecki HRP-1 and saw their first test of capabilities in May of that year when five squadron aircraft transported 66 Marines from the deck of the USS Palau (CVE-122) to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. While the test aircraft could only carry three Marines each and required multiple trips, it did indicate the possibilities of the concept. In 1948 the Marine Corps Schools came out with Amphibious Operations - Employment of Helicopters (Tentative) or Phib-31 which was the first manual for airmobile operations. The Marines used the term "vertical envelopment" instead of "air mobility" or "air assault". HMX-1 performed the first ship-to-shore movement of troops from the deck of an aircraft carrier in an exercise in May 1948.

After the start of the Korean War, four HMX-1 helicopters were attached to VMO-6 and sent to help the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade at the Battle of Pusan Perimeter in 1950. They were used for battlefield observation and control as well as medical evacuation and the rescue of fliers. During the Chosin campaign they were used for liaison between the different Marine units strung along the western edge of the Chosin Reservoir. The requirements of the Korean War exceeded the Navy's training requirement thus HMX-1 was pressed into service as a training command for the first few years of the war. They trained the nucleus of pilots that would form HMR-161, the first Marine helicopter transport squadron.

On September 7, 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was vacationing at his summer home in Newport, Rhode Island, when his immediate presence was needed at the White House. Typically, the return trip to Washington, D.C. required an hour-long ferry ride across Narragansett Bay to Air Force One, followed by a 45-minute flight to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, and a 20-minute motorcade ride to the White House. Realizing the urgent need for his presence in Washington, President Eisenhower directed his staff to find a faster way to Air Force One. An HMX-1, UH-34 helicopter was on Aquidneck Island in case of an emergency and could be used to fly the President to his awaiting aircraft. President Eisenhower approved the idea, and after the 7-minute flight a precedent was set.

Shortly thereafter, a naval aide to the President asked HMX-1 to evaluate landing helicopters on the south lawn of the White House. Preliminary assessment and trial flights concluded that ample room was present for a safe landing and departure. Formal procedures were finalized and HMX-1 began a long career of flying the President of the United States to and from the South Lawn and Andrews AFB, the home of Air Force One. Initially, this function was shared with the Army, but in 1976, the Marine Corps was assigned the sole responsibility and mission of providing helicopter support to the President worldwide. Today HMX-1 also supports the Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and all visiting Heads of States in the Washington, D.C. area.

On July 16, 2009, Marine One flew with an all-female crew for the first time, as the final flight of the first woman to fly the president: Major Jennifer Grieves.