| Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 | |
|---|---|
 VMGR-234 Insignia | |
| Active | 1 May 1942 – 20 March 1946 1 June 1947 – present |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Cargo Transport /Aerial refueling Aircraft Lockheed Martin KC-130J |
| Role | Assault support |
| Part of | Marine Aircraft Group 41 4th Marine Aircraft Wing |
| Garrison/HQ | Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth |
| Nicknames | "Rangers" "Bears" (Vietnam Era) |
| Tail Code | QH |
| Engagements | World War II Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lieutenant Colonel Chad J. Magro |
Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 (VMGR-234) is a reserveUnited States Marine CorpsKC-130J squadron. They are a part ofMarine Aircraft Group 41 (MAG-41),4th Marine Aircraft Wing (4th MAW) and provide both fixed-wing and rotary-wingaerial refueling capabilities to supportMarine Forces Reserve air operations in addition to assault air transport of personnel, equipment, and supplies. The squadron, known as the "Rangers" is stationed atNaval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth,Texas.
Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 234 (VMSB-234) was activated atMarine Corps Air Station Ewa on 1 May 1942. The squadron departed forEspiritu Santo in December 1942 and began their first combat tour as part of theCactus Air Force onGuadalcanal on 28 January 1943. Their second stint on Guadalcanal began on 15 April 1943. During this time they did patrol duties in theFiji Islands and also providedclose air support inNew Georgia. They moved toMunda and began operating from there in October 1943 concentrating their attacks in the vicinity ofBougainville. In November 1943 the squadron had moved toEfate and from there they returned to the United States.[1]
They relocated toMarine Corps Air Station Miramar,California in November 1943 and were redesignated Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 234 (VMTB-234) on 14 October 1944. Their name was again changed this time toVMTB(CVS)-234 after which they deployed as part ofMarine Carrier Group 3 on board theUSS Vella Gulf (CVE-111). They were paired withVMF-513 during their deployment but never saw combat as the war ended. The squadron returned to California in November 1945 and was deactivated atMarine Corps Air Station El Toro on 20 March 1946.[2]
In January 1946, VMTB-234 was reassigned toMarine Aircraft Group 46 of the4th Marine Aircraft Wing atMCAS El Toro, California. The squadron was deactivated on 20 March 1946. On 1 July 1947, the unit was reactivated asVMF-234, atNaval Air Station San Diego, California, and later moved toNAS Twin Cities inMinneapolis. During theKorean War, many of squadron's personnel were recalled to active duty and assigned to other squadrons, leaving VMF-234 as a paper squadron in Minneapolis.
The 1950s were a decade of constant change for the squadron, as it was transformed into an attack squadron (VMA-234) with the transition to theF9F Panther in February 1955; then the DouglasAD-5 Skyraider in May 1958; and the FairchildC-119F Flying Boxcar in December 1961. After trading the Skyraider for Flying Boxcars, the unit was re-designated as Marine Transport Squadron 234 (VMR-234) on 1 January 1962.
In 1970, the unit moved toNAS Glenview,Illinois. Five years later, they traded the C-119F Packets for theKC-130F Hercules. The "Thundering Herd" received its current squadron designation, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 (VMGR-234), on 23 October 1983.
In December 1986, VMGR-234 became the first Marine squadron to land an aircraft on an ice runway, transporting supplies toMcMurdo Station,Antarctica. In April 1988, a submarine, theUSSBonefish required assistance off the Florida coast. With the new nickname "Bears," from the local Chicago major league football team, VMGR-234 flew flotation equipment toNAS Norfolk,Virginia andNAS Newport,Florida, getting off the ground in less than an hour.
In January 1991, the squadron was activated in support of the Gulf War, but remained at Naval Air Station Glenview. Aircraft from VMGR-234 deployed to thePersian Gulf forOperation Desert Storm, and the squadron remained on active duty until May 1991. In August 1994, the squadron was reassigned toMarine Aircraft Group 41 atNaval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth,Texas. On 22 October 1995, the unit surpassed 73,000 accident free flight hours.
In 2000, VMGR-234 flew a variety support missions on six different continents for both active and reserve components. Changing their nickname again, the Rangers were deployed for a total of 717 days. In one calendar year alone the squadron flew a total of 1,691 sorties.
In 2003, VMGR-234 deployed to Bahrain and Kuwait to supportOperation Iraqi Freedom. During the initial weeks of the invasion, the Rangers averaged roughly 25 combat sorties and 60 hours of flight time per day. The Rangers began their retrograde back to NAS-JRB Fort Worth, Texas, in September of that year. The squadron flew a total of 3,435 combat flight hours and 2,059 combat sorties in 2003.
In 2004 the squadron was deployed to Al Asad, Iraq as part of a co-operative cycle of Marine VMGR squadrons constantly in support of the war in Iraq. 234 was deployed from March to October 2004 with VMGR-352 and VMGR-452.
In 2005, VMGR-234 flew critical supplies to thegulf coast as part ofJoint Task Force Katrina which provided support in the wake ofHurricane Katrina. From 2007 to 2011, the Rangers participated in numerous exercises in Morocco, Thailand, Romania, Norway, and the Philippines while supporting JIATF-S, 160th SOAR, 4th MAW and numerous other agencies. From 2011 to present, VMGR-234 has deployed in support of Operation Unified Protectorate, SPMAGTF-AF, SPMAGTF-BSRF, SPMAGTF-CR and ISO RFF-1200.
In 2021, VMGR-234 deployed aircraft toCamp Lemonnier inDjibouti, Africa as part of the North African Response Force andCombined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa. VMGR-234 personnel conducted 11 airlifts, evacuating 838 personnel and 102 tons of cargo from Afghanistan during the2021 Kabul airlift.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Marine Corps.| Leadership |
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