crashed into terrain in the Quế Sơn District after extracting a Marine patrol killing all 15 onboard. Among those killed was Lieutenant colonel William G. Leftwich Jr. commander of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. The squadron remained in Vietnam until April 1971 and then transferred to Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia and began flying the CH-46F helicopter. HMM-263 remained home based at Quantico for four years and participated in several cold weather exercises, two Mediterranean cruises, and one Caribbean deployment in addition to numerous smaller training exercises. 1970s & 1980s During August 1975, HMM-263 relocated to Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. While home based at New River, the squadron completed the transition to the CH-46E helicopter over the summer of 1980. For the next seventeen years the squadron deployed in four major NATO exercises, made six Mediterranean cruises, and deployed on goodwill cruises to Africa, South America and the Caribbean. During the squadron's 1984 deployment, it served with the Commander Joint Task Force Lebanon in support of Marine Security Forces ashore in Beirut. The squadron first served in Lebanon from October 1982 until March 1983, then again from April 1984 until August 1984. During their 1986 deployment the squadron served as the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) of the 26th Marine Amphibious Unit (26th MAU), which operated in support of Combined Task Force 60 (CTF-60) during operations in Libya. HMM-263 deployed in May 1987, under command of Lt. Colonel J.R. Pruden, as the ACE for the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (24th MAU). During this time contingency operations in the Persian Gulf necessitated splitting the squadron into three sections, operating from the United States, the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. While deployed, squadron aircraft participated in the seizure of the Iranian mine laying ship "Iran Ajar". The Gulf War & the 1990s In August 1990 the squadron again found itself headed for the Persian Gulf region. As a part of the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (4th MEB), the squadron’s aircraft flew countless hours in support of the amphibious task force, participated in numerous amphibious assault exercises, and conducted a non-combatant evacuation operation of the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia (Operation Eastern Exit). The squadron also assisted in the interdiction of two Iraqi vessels in support of the United Nations mandated embargo of Iraq. In March 1993 the squadron was called upon to support United States Central Command (USCENTCOM)