HMLA-169 sourced a detachment of 4 Cobras and 3 Hueys to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( 15th MEU ) , which was the among the first Marines into Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in 2001 . The squadron deployed to Iraq in late February 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) . During the 2003 invasion of Iraq 12 of the 18 AH-1Ws of the unit sustained battle damage and on March 30 , 2003 a UH-1N Huey crashed ; killing three members on board . HMLA-169 deployed again in the summer of 2004 to support the second iteration of OIF . During this deployment they provided close air support during the Battle of Najaf and Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah . The squadron is configured with 18 AH-1W SuperCobras and 9 UH-1Y SuperHueys . HMLA-169 again deployed to Iraq in March 2006 to provide close air support for the 1st Marine Division in Al Anbar province . The unit deployed to Al Anbar again in October 2007 The squadron was deployed to Afghanistan in the spring of 2009 as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade . They were part of the 17,000 troop increase announced by President Obama in February , 2009
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
HMLA-169