AL TAQADDUM, Iraq(Aug. 06, 2004) -- The Marine Corps Aviation Association recently named the “Greyhawks” of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing as the Edward C. Dyer Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron of the Year.

The award was established in memory of Brig. Gen. Dyer, who was a pioneer helicopter pilot.

The “Greyhawks” are no strangers to this award. In 2001, HMM-161 also earned the Marine Corps’ top spot as a CH-46E Sea Knight squadron in the annual aviation association awards.

The recognition of the award has been a huge morale boost, according to Maj. James R. Kennedy, executive officer, HMM-161.

“Winning the award is a source of great pride in the squadron,” Kennedy said. “ It makes it gratifying to get this award while still in combat.”

This fact may have been a contributing factor to the squadron’s success this year, the 38-year-old claimed.

“The thing that made us stand out is we began the period during (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and made a short turnaround, then ended it again in combat,” the Glendale, Ariz., native explained. “We were the only squadron to do that.”

The “Greyhawks” have been in Iraq since February providing casualty evacuation support to I Marine Expeditionary Force units in and around the area of Iraq known as the Sunni Triangle.

Although Lt. Col. David W. Coffman, commanding officer, HMM-161, will not accept the award formally until the awards banquet in September, the squadron’s Marines and Sailors have already been notified that they have earned the recognition. They were also all notified that they all did indeed help to earn the award, Kennedy assured.

Many facets of squadron operations are taken into consideration during for the award, such as flight exposure and operational achievements, Kennedy remarked.

“We submit a data sheet in all areas of the squadron that paints a picture of the overall squadron,” he said. “The board picks who they think excelled the most.”

There is a long list of people to thank, Kennedy claimed.

“This is all because of the guys in the ‘S’ shops in supporting roles and the guys turning wrenches. It was, no kidding, a total squadron effort,” he said. “Also, the (staff noncommissioned officers) make everything happen. Without their leadership, we couldn’t get these helicopters in the air.”

It is this leadership that the “Greyhawks” have built and filtered down to all their Marines, which has enabled them to excel, the major noted.

“From the commanding officer on down, we’ve fostered a command climate that focuses on the mission of firing and flying,” he said. “We focus on the Marines first, which has provided such a dynamic leadership and inspiration to the squadron.”

This has allowed the Marines to focus on the tasks at hand instead of non-mission related things, Kennedy revealed.

”The mission we have is an extremely important mission,” he explained. “It is one we’ve lived and breathed out here without a break. The Marines understand how important our casualty evacuation mission is and have responded magnificently.”

Although the squadron is thrilled about the award, and fully plans to take advantage of the “bragging rights” they’ve earned through the award, there is only one thing that could overshadow this achievement, Kennedy explained.

“We’ve not dropped on mission since the very first day we took it,” he said. “The success of the (casualty evacuation) mission means there are Marines walking around who wouldn’t be. It’s nice to be recognized, but pulling injured Marines out of a firefight is the ultimate recognition. Nothing is better than that.”

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