MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Monday was a bittersweet day for more than 200 Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

They traded the easy-going comforts of home, friends and family for challenges and excitement during a six-month deployment to Iraq.

“Shoot straight, be safe and don’t do anything stupid,” advised Maj. Gen. Samuel T. Helland, commanding general, 3rd MAW, during his remarks to the squadron before their deployment.

With all of their gear packed and ready to ship out, the squadron was waiting for the go ahead to board the chartered aircraft that would take them to the Middle East.

“Everything is ready, set, go,” said Capt. Elio F. Marcillo, a CH-53E Super Stallion pilot, HMH-361, and 29-year-old native of Guayaquil, Ecuador.  “That way when we arrive, the Marines from HMH-466 can pack up and get back to Miramar to be with their friends and families.”

The squadron has been constantly training to stay operationally ready since their return from Iraq in 2005.

“The squadron has been training for the last 13 months for this deployment,” said Capt. Eric C. Palmer, CH-53E pilot, HMH-361. “It has been training since day one after our last deployment, and I think the squadron is definitely prepared for this one. I have full confidence in the Marines, and I feel really good about that.”

For some Marines with HMH-361 it is their first tour. For others it will be their second or third, but true to form all of the Marines are ready and waiting to hit Iraqi soil and begin completing missions.

“It is going to be a lot of work and a lot of long days, but there will be a tremendous amount of excitement once we get there,” said Palmer, a 30-year-old, Endwell, N.Y., native. “We’ll be going strong non-stop when we get there, and we are looking forward to it.”

The squadron’s main mission is troop and cargo transport. They will mainly be transporting troops from Al Asad to different areas in Iraq. They will also be carrying a lot of cargo such as water pallets, ammunition and any other supplies Marines might need.

“As a heavy lift asset, we are there to lift heavy cargo and passengers anywhere they ask, under any conditions,”  concluded Palmer. “We will always complete any assignment on time and exceed expectations. You might get a couple of days notice if you’re lucky, so there is not a lot of preparation time, but the goal is to get it done no matter what the mission is.”