MARINECORPS BASE HAWAII -- On December 1st the EASYRIDERS of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron THREE SEVEN (HSM-37) held a change of command in Hangar 103 on Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.
Commander Teague J. Suarez, USN, relieved Commander Tony Chavez, USN, as the 34th Commanding Officer of HSM-37 since its establishment in 1975. Commander Gabriel M. Kelly, USN, assumed the duties of Executive Officer. Captain Sil A. Perrella, USN, the Commander of Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Pacific, was the event’s guest speaker. Captain Perrella previously served at HSL-37 for his department head tour in 2004.
CDR Chavez, a native of San Antonio, Texas and 1997 graduate of Louisiana State University, will serve his next assignment at Commander, SIXTH Fleet. He will be moving with his wife and two children to Naples, Italy for the tour. He looks back proudly on his time in Hawaii as the EASYRIDER Skipper. “I encourage you all to reflect on the amazing work you do each and every day in service to our country and to the EASYRIDER ohana. I am extremely proud of this squadron.”
CDR Suarez is looking forward to leading the EASYRIDERS, and is extremely honored to be the next Commanding Officer. CDR Suarez commented on his vision for the squadron moving forward; “Over the last year our squadron has been extremely successful, and we are poised to do more outstanding things in the near future. We will continue to put exceptional, combat-ready detachments to sea supporting our nation’s missions across the globe.”
As the incoming Executive Officer, CDR Kelly is looking forward to serving with the EASYRIDERS and enjoying time on the island of Oahu. From 2014 to 2016 he served as the lead planner at the United States European Command for all Joint U.S. / Israel exercises conducted in Israel. CDR Kelly is a 1999 graduate of the Naval Academy.
As the only Maritime Strike Helicopter Squadron in the Middle Pacific (MIDPAC) Region, HSM-37 provides a variety of services to MIDPAC based ships, including the detachments that embark them for deployment. These detachments support all Pearl Harbor based Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The squadron consists of 55 officers and 236 enlisted personnel who maintain and operate 15 Sikorsky MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopters, making it the largest operational MH-60R squadron in the U.S. Navy.