NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. - Three months after holding its last flight, a Norfolk-based helicopter squadron is no more.
HM-14 "Vanguard" held its disestablishment ceremony on Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk.
“For 45 years, you all have kept the waterways of the world free from mines," CDR Nicklaus Smith — the squadron's final commanding officer in its 45-year history — told hundreds in the audience.
Many in attendance served in HM-14 in the last four decades.
The emotional ceremony included speeches from Smith and Mike Stevens, Chief Petty Officer for the Navy and former Vanguard sailor.
A key part of the program was when CDR Smith passed a folded American flag to Robert Jones, the squadron's very first commanding officer in 1978.
“We often don’t get to meet those who started our units in the Navy. Some of [the squadrons] go on for so long and people pass on, but this community is so close. We remain very tight knit and the camaraderie is unparalleled in naval aviation," Smith told News 3 after the ceremony.
The program closed with Smith and Jones walking through a line of Vanguard sailors for the squadron's final "Pipe Ashore," signaling the end of HM-14's run.
The men and women currently in the squadron will now move on to other squadrons and other roles within the Navy.
