18                               hUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN NORThIERN IRAQ, 1991:


This is the insignia of IlMM-264, d?e hehcook'r squadron assigned to 24th MFU (SOC), dunng
Operation Provide Comfort.  The squadron nickname is "Black Knights" and the motto is
"Checkmate."

   The commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Joseph A. Byrtus, Jr. He
had been commissioned in 1972 and earned the gold wings of a naval aviator in
1973. Colonel Byrtus had spent most of his flying career with East Coast units.
He also served as a maintenance officer, attended Forward Air Controller School
and Jump School during a tour with 2d ANGLICO, and familiarized himself with
Soviet tactics and weapons during a staff tour with U.S. Central Command. In
1988 he became the executive officer of HMLA-167, then assumed command of
HMM-264 on 16 March 1990.
   The squadron had 61 officers, 289 enlisted Marines, and 8 Navy personnel.
The executive officer was Lieutenant Colonel David L. Ramsey. The squadron
staff was:  operations officer,  Major Richard J.     Crush; intelligence officer,
Captain George Taber; maintenance officer, Major John W. Cowan; logistics
officer, Captain Richard T. McFadden; administrative officer, Major Richard A.
Mehaffey; and safety officer, Major David T. Kerrick. The Black Knights' top
enlisted man was Sergeant Major Francisco Deleon.
   As a composite squadron, HMM-264 used a variety of aircraft to accomplish
different tasks. It included heavy-lift cargo helicopters, medium-lift transport
helicopters, attack helicopters,   and light utility helicopters. These aircraft
displayed some of the finest nose art in the Marine Corps and were given names
like "American Pie," "Saddam's Revenge," or "Warlock." Composite squadrons
often included a detachment of fixed-wing McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier
I! "jump jets," but ship space limitations prohibited this on this Mediterranean
cruise. Lieutenant Colonel Byrtus had operational control over AV-8Bs (VMA-
542), KC-130s (VMGR-252), and OV-lOs (VMO-1) during the training cycle,
however, during the deployment fixed-wing air support was provided by Navy
Carrier Air Wing 8's McDonnell Douglas F-14 Tomcats, McDonnell Douglas