{"id":22413,"date":"2023-08-08T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=22413"},"modified":"2023-08-10T06:41:58","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T06:41:58","slug":"end-of-an-era-the-navys-last-special-warfare-dedicated-helicopter-squadron-holds-deactivation-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=22413","title":{"rendered":"End of an Era: The Navy\u2019s Last Special Warfare-Dedicated Helicopter Squadron Holds Deactivation Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

The squadron was joined by friends and family, as well as Sailors and veterans formerly assigned to HSC-85 and previously deactivated squadrons from the community. The ceremony honored not only HSC-85, but also its heritage from its forebears specializing in Naval Special Warfare (NSW) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), dating back to the Vietnam War with the Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) (HAL) 3 Seawolves, established April 1, 1967.<\/p>\n

HSC-85 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Nick \u201cSnowflake\u201d Ryan addressed those in attendance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gather today to commemorate the many accomplishments of HSC-85,\u201d said Ryan before pausing to recognize the Firehawks and their predecessors in attendance.
\u00a0
\u201cWe are humbled to be joined today by all the members of the storied squadrons that paved the way for the many accomplishments of the Firehawks and have shared in our success every day,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cMay I ask you to stand as I speak, so that we can acknowledge your service and sacrifice from you and your shipmates.\u201d
\u00a0
The \u201cSeawolves\u201d of HAL-3, \u201cProtectors\u201d of Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 9, \u201cRed Wolves\u201d of HAL-4, \u201cBluehawks\u201d of HAL-5, \u201cRed Wolves\u201d of Helicopter Combat Support Special Squadron (HCS) 4 and HSC-84, and \u201cFirehawks\u201d of HCS-5 and HSC-85 stood in turn, being thanked and applauded by the crowd around them.
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\u201cThank you all for your service and sacrifice to our nation,\u201d said Ryan.<\/p>\n

Commander, Naval Air Force Reserve (CNAFR) Rear Adm. Brad \u201cGunny\u201d Dunham then took the podium.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, when I think of the legacy of the Firehawks in naval aviation, the list is truly endless,\u201d said Dunham. \u201cYour approach to mission planning, innovation, and most importantly, ruthless execution, are just a few examples that are critical to success in combat.\u201d
\u00a0
Dunham spoke to the squadron\u2019s heritage, accomplishments and culture, emphasizing the incredible value of today\u2019s Firehawks\u2019 knowledge and experience to naval aviation as they move on to new squadrons and commands.
\u00a0
\u201cFirehawks, we ask all of you to bring your leadership, your training and your skills with you\u00a0 throughout the naval aviation enterprise as we move forward to enhance naval aviation across the fleet,\u201d said Dunham. \u201cYour unique experience brings indescribable value. In our enterprise, we can\u2019t afford to relearn the lessons of the past. Thank you for your courageous service and dedicated preservation of our national defense. Fair winds and following seas, and we\u2019ll see you in the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chief of the Navy Reserve (CNR) Vice Adm. John Mustin stood to speak to the legacy of the squadron and its predecessors from the Vietnam War, to Operation Desert Storm and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver decades, the HSC-85 \u2018Firehawks\u2019 and their predecessors have adapted to the many demands of our national security challenges,\u201d said Mustin. \u201cThere are few in the Navy with the vast legacy that you Firehawks have. Your service, your achievements and your sacrifice are both exemplary and legendary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ceremony\u2019s guest speaker, Executive Assistant to CNR Capt. Quinton \u201cQP\u201d Packard, has a long history with the squadron and its community, having served both as commanding officer of HSC-84 and commodore of the wing to which both HSC-84 and HSC-85 belonged, the Navy Reserve\u2019s Maritime Support Wing (MSW).<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, here we are,\u201d said Packard. \u201cSeven years, three months, 10 days ago, I stood on a similar stage in Norfolk, Virginia in front of a similarly large crowd, some of whom are here today, and disestablished the Firehawk\u2019s sister squadron, the \u2018Red Wolves\u2019 of HSC-84. In my list of favorite days, that might be the bottom, and this one won\u2019t be far behind.\u201d
\u00a0
Packard shared stories from his time serving with HSC-84 and as commodore of MSW, emphasizing that anything he could say about the community would only be a short and simple version of an extraordinary history.<\/p>\n

After Packard departed the podium, the ceremony ended bittersweetly. Firehawks and attendees reminisced proudly as they shared in refreshments, veterans of the deactivated squadrons gathered for group photos, and a strong sense of community filled the hangar.<\/p>\n

Though the Firehawks are preparing to close their doors in Fall of 2023, their legacy will live on in the expertly-cultivated skill of their Sailors as they move on to new squadrons, as well as in the memory of every Firehawk, those who served before them, and those who have worked alongside them.
\u00a0
In Honor of 56 Years of Dedicated NSW and CSAR Support (1967-2023)<\/strong>
Active Component Squadrons:<\/u>
\u201cSeawolves\u201d of HAL-3 (April 1967 – March 1972)
\u201cSea Devils\u201d of HC-7 (September 1967 – June 1975)
\u00a0
Reserve Component Squadrons:<\/u>
\u201cProtectors\u201d of HC-9 (August 1975 – July 1990)
\u201cRed Wolves\u201d of HAL-4\/HCS-4\/HSC-84 (July 1976 to March 2016)
\u201cBluehawks\u201d of HAL-5 (March 1977 –\u00a0 October 1989)
\u201cFirehawks\u201d of HCS-5 (October 1989 – December 2006)
\u201cFirehawks\u201d of HSC-85 (September 2010 – September 2023)<\/em>
\u00a0
CNAFR mans, trains and equips the Naval Air Force Reserve in order to provide enduring operational support and strategic depth to Navy forces that win in combat.
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The squadron was joined by friends and family, as well as Sailors and veterans formerly assigned to HSC-85 and previously deactivated squadrons from the community. The ceremony honored not only HSC-85, but also its heritage from its forebears specializing in Naval Special Warfare (NSW) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), dating back to the Vietnam […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22413"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22416,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22413\/revisions\/22416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}