of the squadron were awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor for their gallant conduct in the recovery operations at the scene of the death of President Ramon Magsaysay on Cebu Island. The plane carrying the Philippine President from Cebu City to Manila crashed and the squadron was asked to assist in the rescue and recovery operations that were subsequently undertaken. As the year came to a close HMR(L)-162 boarded the and set sail for the South China Sea. While en route, the ship was ordered to Singapore to load supplies to be helo distributed to flood victims in Ceylon. The squadron used 20 HRS-3s in the operation and logged a total of 1123.9 hours for the five days of evacuation and resupply. One of the recommendations to emerge from this action was that efforts be continued and intensified to devise navigational systems for helicopters. On February 5, 1959, the squadron was transferred to the Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, where it reformed as a unit of Marine Aircraft Group 26. During the summer months of 1962, HMR(L)-162 was involved with the relief operations in the Gulf Coast area in the aftermath of Hurricane Carla. On April 2, 1960, HMR (L)-162 was reduced to zero strength and shifted to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron was immediately built up in a few days at MCAS Futenma, Okinawa as personnel began reporting from MCAS New River. In late June 1962 the squadron replaced HMM-261 as the helicopter unit supporting the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Unit (3rd MEU) at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. Just four days after their arrival the 3rd MEU was ordered to withdraw and the squadron was loaded on the and they departed Thailand. Vietnam War On 11 January 1963 the squadron replaced HMM-163 as the Operation Shufly squadron at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam. On 10 March two squadron UH-34Ds were engaged in a search and rescue operation for a United States Army OV-1 Mohawk missing in mountains southwest of Quảng Ngãi. As one helicopter lowered a South Vietnamese Ranger on a rescue hoist the helicopter lost power and crashed, killing the Ranger and the copilot. Another UH-34D crashed nearby while attempting to rescue the crew, its crew was recovered and the helicopter destroyed. On 13 April the squadron landed Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops from the 2nd Division