Lt. Col. Matthew Humphrey will command the squadron, which is nicknamed "Scarface." His predecessor, Lt. Col. Jay Moorman, was relieved Dec. 1 by by Brig. Gen. Steven Rudder, the commanding general of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Rudder had a "loss of confidence in Moorman's ability to continue to command," according to a statement from III Marine Expeditionary Force.
Rudder appointed Maj. Gregory Rivaldi, the former executive officer of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262, as the interim commander of HMLA-367 before Humphrey received command on a permanent status.
Humphrey was previously the executive officer of Marine Light Attack Squadron 167, the "Warriors." He first learned to fly the UH-1N before later transitioning to the UH-1Y while he was the operations officer at HMLA-167.
He has flown combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Air Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device and Strike/Flight Numeral 9, as well as other personal decorations.
The circumstances behind Moorman's early relief from the Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii-based squadron are unclear. Officials said he was the subject of an inspector general complaint filed with 1st MAW. That complaint prompted an investigation by III MEF, a Marine Corps spokeswoman said.
1st MAW denied Marine Corps Times' request for a copy of the investigation. 1st MAW cited parts of the Freedom of Information Act that allow the government to withhold documents from the public that "could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings" or "would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or impartial adjudication."
