12 Marines From MCAF Kāne‘ohe Bay Missing

12 Marines aboard two Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallions are missing after the two helicopters collided off of Hale‘iwa last night. The Marines and the helicopters are from the 463rd Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH-463) / 1st Marine Air Wing (MAW) at MCAF Kāne‘ohe Bay. Debris has been spotted a few miles offshore, and many agencies are participating in the search. The thoughts and prayers of the entire HNL RareBirds team goes out to all those involved in this incident.

Continuing coverage from Hawaii News Now.

HMH-363 Bids Aloha ‘Oe To The CH-53D

The HMH-363 "Lucky Red Lions" bid a fond aloha ‘oe (farewell) to the Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter, in a retirement ceremony held at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i this afternoon. The Heavy Marine Helicopter squadron will be transitioning to the Bell Boeing MV-22A Osprey Tilt-Rotor aircraft at NAS Miramar, CA for a three year training period, returning to Kāne‘ohe in 2015.

The "Lucky Red Lions" will be the first of the four CH-53D squadrons to transition to the MV-22A.

The above photo was taken at the 2010 Kāne‘ohe Bay Air Show.

More details in this Hawai‘i News Now article.

HMH-363 CH-53D Crash

A Kāne‘ohe-based US Marine Corps CH-53D from HMH-363 "Red Lions" crashed yesterday in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, killing all six on board. The unit is on a one-year deployment to support Operation Enduring Freedom, and are scheduled to return to Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i in March.

Pictured above, is a CH-53D from the HMH-363 "Red Lions" that was on static display at the 2010 Kāne‘ohe Bay Air Show.

It's with heavy hearts that we express our condolences to the families of those who perished on the CH-53D, who were serving our country and protecting our freedoms. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Thank you for serving our country.

Hawai‘i News Now coverage.

USMC CH-53D Forced Landing

A MCAF Kāne‘ohe Bay-based US Marines Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion executed an emergency landing on a sandbar two miles from shore in Kāne‘ohe Bay earlier this evening, around 1920HST. It was carrying four crew members when the helicopter went down. All four evacuated, and were rescued. They were taken to the Queen's Medical Center. Sadly, one the four crew members died. The unit involved is Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron 363 (HMH-363) "Red Lions", which is part of Marine Air Group 24 (MAG-24), 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW).

The HNL RareBirds team extends our thoughts and prayers to the four involved, and their families. We also thank them, the "Red Lions", and all service personnel for serving our country.

Pictured above is BuNo. 156961, from the HMH-363, on display at the 2010 Kāne‘ohe Bay Air Show.

From social media postings, it was reported that "27" was the CH-53D involved in the emergency landing.

Hawai‘i News Now coverage.

Veteran's Day

Saluting the men and women who served (and continue to serve) our country, especially those in harm's way, as well as those (and their families) who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

If you know a veteran ... please tell them "thank you for serving our country". When you see someone in uniform, tell them the same as well, especially those who are about to be deployed, or returning from combat. Past or present veterans need to be recognized for their service to our country.

I took this photo at the "Blues On The Bay '07" airshow. The US Marines and US Navy SEALS were demonstrating extracting troops under fire with these Marines rappelling out of this CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter from the HMH-463 "Pegasus". To end the demonstration, several gasoline bombs were set-off to simulate an air strike.