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{{Use American English|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234
| image=File:VMGR-234-Rangers.svg
|caption= VMGR-234 Insignia
|dates= 1 May 1942 – 20 March 1946<br />1 June 1947 – present
|country= [[United States]]
|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]]
|branch= [[United States Marine Corps]]
|type= Cargo Transport / [[Aerial refueling]]
Aircraft Lockheed Martin KC-130J
|role= [[Assault support]]
|size=
|command_structure= [[Marine Aircraft Group 41]]<br />[[4th Marine Aircraft Wing]]
|current_commander= Lieutenant Colonel Chad J. Magro
|garrison= [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth]]
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname= "Rangers"<br />"Bears" (Vietnam Era)
|patron=
|motto=
|colors='''[[Tail Code|QH]]'''
|colors_label=Tail Code
|march=
|mascot=
|battles= [[World War II]]<br />[[Operation Desert Storm]]<br />[[Operation Enduring Freedom]]<br />[[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]
|anniversaries=
}}
'''Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234''' ('''VMGR-234''') is a reserve [[United States Marine Corps]] [[Lockheed Martin KC-130|KC-130J]] squadron.  They are a part of [[Marine Aircraft Group 41]] (MAG-41), [[4th Marine Aircraft Wing]] (4th MAW) and provide both fixed-wing and rotary-wing [[aerial refueling]] capabilities to support [[United States Marine Corps Reserve|Marine Forces Reserve]] air operations in addition to assault air transport of personnel, equipment, and supplies. The squadron, known as the "Rangers" is stationed at [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth]], [[Texas]].
==History==
===World War II===
[[File:VMSB-234 WWII Logo.jpg|thumb|Squadron logo during WWII when they were VMSB-234]]
[[File:TBM-3E Avenger VMTB-234 in flight 1945.jpeg|thumb|A VMTB-234 TBM-3E from the {{USS|Vella Gulf|CVE-111}}, in 1945.]]
Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 234 ('''VMSB-234''') was activated at [[Marine Corps Air Station Ewa]] on 1 May 1942.  The squadron departed for [[Espiritu Santo]] in December 1942 and began their first combat tour as part of the [[Cactus Air Force]] on [[Guadalcanal]] on 28 January 1943.  Their second stint on Guadalcanal began on 15 April 1943.  During this time they did patrol duties in the [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]] and also provided [[close air support]] in [[Battle of New Georgia|New Georgia]].  They moved to [[Munda, Solomon Islands|Munda]] and began operating from there in October 1943 concentrating their attacks in the vicinity of [[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]].  In November 1943 the squadron had moved to [[Efate]] and from there they returned to the United States.<ref name="Sherrod_pp464-5">Sherrod ''History of Marine Corps Aviation'', pp. 464–465.</ref>
They relocated to [[Marine Corps Air Station Miramar]], [[California]] in November 1943 and were redesignated Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 234 ('''VMTB-234''') on 14 October 1944.  Their name was again changed this time to '''VMTB(CVS)-234''' after which they deployed as part of [[Marine Carrier Group 3]] on board the {{USS|Vella Gulf|CVE-111}}.  They were paired with [[VMF-513]] during their deployment but never saw combat as the war ended.  The squadron returned to California in November 1945 and was deactivated at [[Marine Corps Air Station El Toro]] on 20 March 1946.<ref name="Rottman_p442">Rottman ''USMC WWII OOB'' p. 442.</ref>
===Late 1940s through the 1960s===
In January 1946, VMTB-234 was reassigned to [[Marine Aircraft Group 46]] of the [[4th Marine Aircraft Wing]] at [[MCAS El Toro]], California.  The squadron was deactivated on 20 March 1946.  On 1 July 1947, the unit was reactivated as '''VMF-234''', at [[Naval Air Station San Diego]], California, and later moved to [[NAS Twin Cities]] in [[Minneapolis]].  During the [[Korean War]], many of squadron's personnel were recalled to active duty and assigned to other squadrons, leaving VMF-234 as a paper squadron in Minneapolis.
The 1950s were a decade of constant change for the squadron, as it was transformed into an attack squadron ('''VMA-234''') with the transition to the [[F9F Panther]] in February 1955; then the Douglas [[A-1 Skyraider|AD-5 Skyraider]] in May 1958; and the Fairchild [[C-119 Flying Boxcar|C-119F Flying Boxcar]] in December 1961.  After trading the Skyraider for Flying Boxcars, the unit was re-designated as Marine Transport Squadron 234 ('''VMR-234''') on 1 January 1962.
===1970s through the 1980s===
In 1970, the unit moved to [[Naval Air Station Glenview|NAS Glenview]], [[Illinois]].  Five years later, they traded the C-119F Packets for the [[C-130 Hercules|KC-130F Hercules]].  The "Thundering Herd" received its current squadron designation, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 ('''VMGR-234'''), on 23 October 1983.
In December 1986, VMGR-234 became the first Marine squadron to land an aircraft on an ice runway, transporting supplies to [[McMurdo Station]], [[Antarctica]].  In April 1988, a submarine, the [[USS Bonefish (SS-582)|USS ''Bonefish'']] required assistance off the Florida coast.  With the new nickname "Bears," from the local Chicago major league football team, VMGR-234 flew flotation equipment to [[NAS Norfolk]], [[Virginia]] and [[NAS Newport]], [[Florida]], getting off the ground in less than an hour.
===1990s===
In January 1991, the squadron was activated in support of the Gulf War, but remained at Naval Air Station Glenview.  Aircraft from VMGR-234 deployed to the [[Persian Gulf]] for [[Operation Desert Storm]], and the squadron remained on active duty until May 1991.  In August 1994, the squadron was reassigned to [[Marine Aircraft Group 41]] at [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth]], [[Texas]].  On 22 October 1995, the unit surpassed 73,000 accident free flight hours.
In 2000, VMGR-234 flew a variety support missions on six different continents for both active and reserve components.  Changing their nickname again, the Rangers were deployed for a total of 717 days. In one calendar year alone the squadron flew a total of 1,691 sorties.
===Global War on Terror===
[[File:US Marine Corps KC-130 Hercules.jpg|thumb|VMGR-234 KC-130s dropping flares over Iraq, 2003.]]
In 2003, VMGR-234 deployed to Bahrain and Kuwait to support [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].  During the initial weeks of the invasion, the Rangers averaged roughly 25 combat sorties and 60 hours of flight time per day.  The Rangers began their retrograde back to NAS-JRB Fort Worth, Texas, in September of that year.  The squadron flew a total of 3,435 combat flight hours and 2,059 combat sorties in 2003.
In 2004 the squadron was deployed to Al Asad, Iraq as part of a co-operative cycle of Marine VMGR squadrons constantly in support of the war in Iraq. 234 was deployed from March to October 2004 with VMGR-352 and VMGR-452.
===Current Operations===
In 2005, VMGR-234 flew critical supplies to the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|gulf coast]] as part of [[Joint Task Force Katrina]] which provided support in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]]. From 2007 to 2011, the Rangers participated in numerous exercises in Morocco, Thailand, Romania, Norway, and the Philippines while supporting JIATF-S, 160th SOAR, 4th MAW and numerous other agencies.  From 2011 to present, VMGR-234 has deployed in support of Operation Unified Protectorate, SPMAGTF-AF, SPMAGTF-BSRF, SPMAGTF-CR and ISO RFF-1200.
In 2021, VMGR-234 deployed aircraft to [[Camp Lemonnier]] in [[Djibouti]], Africa as part of the North African Response Force and [[Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa]]. VMGR-234 personnel conducted 11 airlifts, evacuating 838 personnel and 102 tons of cargo from Afghanistan during the [[2021 Kabul airlift]]. <ref name="Aero">{{cite web | last =Visser| first =Frank| title = Refueling with the 'Rangers': Behind the Scenes WITH THE USMC'S VMGR-234 | publisher = Key.Aero | date = 2022-11-01| url = https://www.key.aero/article/refuelling-rangers-behind-scenes-usmcs-vmgr-234| access-date =2023-05-27}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[United States Marine Corps Aviation]]
* [[List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons]]
* [[List of inactive United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons]]
{{Clear}}
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
:{{Marine Corps}}
;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book
| last = Condon
| first = John Pomeroy
| title = Corsairs and Flattops - Marine Carrier Air Warfare, 1944-45
| publisher = Naval Institute Press
| year = 1998
| location = Annapolis Maryland
| page =
| isbn = 978-1-55750-127-1
}}
*{{cite book
|title=U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939–1945.
|author=Rottman, Gordon L.
|year=2002
|publisher=Greenwood Press
|isbn=978-0-313-31906-8
}}
*{{cite book
| last = Sherrod
| first = Robert
| authorlink =
| year = 1952
| chapter =
| title = History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II
| url = https://archive.org/details/historyofmarinec00sher
| url-access = registration
| publisher = Combat Forces Press
| location = Washington, D.C.
| oclc=1261876}}
{{Refend}}
;Web
{{Refbegin}}
* [https://www.marforres.marines.mil/Units/4th-Marine-Aircraft-Wing/Marine-Aircraft-Group-41/Marine-Aerial-Refueler-Transport-Squadron-234/ VMGR-234's official website]
{{Refend}}
{{US Marine Corps navbox}}
{{4thMAW}}
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[[Category:Military units and formations in Texas]]
[[Category:Aerial refueler transport squadrons of the United States Marine Corps|KC-130]]
[[Category:4th Marine Aircraft Wing]]