National Naval Aviation Museum to Dedicate HA(L)-3 Vietnam Exhibit Sept. 25 to honor the legacy of one of Naval Aviation’s most decorated combat units

More than 50 years after HA(L)-3 was disestablished in Vietnam, Seawolves veterans will gather in Pensacola on Friday, Sept. 25, for the dedication of a new National Naval Aviation Museum exhibit honoring one of the most extraordinary chapters in Naval Aviation history.

Known as the “Seawolves,” Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) 3 was the Navy’s first rapid-reaction armed-helicopter squadron, its service a unique chapter in Naval Aviation history that also laid the foundation for modern operations. It was also the first and only Navy squadron to be established and disestablished in a combat theater. The squadron never spent a day in the United States.

Pensacola played an important role in the Seawolves’ story. Every HA(L)-3 pilot completed flight training at what was then NAAS Ellyson Field, the Navy’s helicopter training location during the Vietnam War era. Today, the former airfield is part of Ellyson Industrial Park.

During its five years of continuous combat, the Seawolves flew approximately 78,000 combat missions and 131,000 flight hours in support of U.S. and South Vietnamese forces throughout the Mekong Delta, including the Mobile Riverine Force and Navy SEALs. Squadron personnel earned more than 17,000 decorations and medals, including five Navy Crosses, 31 Silver Stars, 219 Distinguished Flying Crosses and six Presidential Unit Citations.

The record came at a tremendous cost. Forty-four HA(L)-3 men were killed and more than 200 were wounded during the squadron’s five years of combat.

“The Seawolves represented Naval Aviation at its best, and there was a special bond between pilots and their enlisted gunners,” said U.S. Navy (Ret.) Capt. Sterling Gilliam, director of the National Naval Aviation Museum. “Adapting to a unique and difficult operational environment, they embodied teamwork, heroism and dedication to each other and those they protected.”

Three Seawolves veterans will have speaking roles during the dedication, including retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jim Fuller, president of the Seawolf Association, and retired Navy Cmdr. Ed Dyer, who spearheaded the creation of the exhibit. Former Seawolves pilot and museum docent Terry Ogle will provide historical context alongside a Mobile Riverine Force veteran and a Vietnam-era Navy SEAL. Ogle also participated in a combat mission for which an HA(L)-3 enlisted aircrewman was awarded the Navy Cross.

The centerpiece of the new exhibit is a UH-1B “Huey” that flew combat missions with HA(L)-3 in Vietnam and was donated to the Museum by Seawolves veterans. It joins other Vietnam-era aircraft in Hangar Bay One, including a MiG-killing F-4 Phantom II and the last Navy A-1H Skyraider to fly an attack mission for the Navy.

The dedication is part of the Museum’s expanded interpretation of Naval Aviation during the Vietnam War, with additional exhibits highlighting Marine aviation, Operation Market Time, coastal patrol operations and the air war against North Vietnam.

WHAT:
HA(L)-3 Seawolves Exhibit Dedication

WHEN:
Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at 11 a.m.

WHERE:
Hangar Bay One
National Naval Aviation Museum
Naval Air Station Pensacola

IMPORTANT BASE ACCESS INFORMATION

Attendees age 18 and older without a Department of Defense ID must present a valid REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, identified by a star, or a U.S. passport to enter Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Visitors without a DoD ID must enter NAS Pensacola through the West Gate on Blue Angel Parkway between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.