Dungan takes charge of K-Bay

By Cpl. Chadwick deBree, MCB Hawaii

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII (Aug. 3, 2007) -- Brigadier Gen. Steven A. Hummer will relinquish command of MCBH to Col. Mark A. Dungan during a change of command ceremony today at Dewey Square at 10 a.m. Hummer is headed to Marine Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla to serve as chief of staff.

Dungan began his Marine Corps career in July 1975 after graduating boot camp and became an electronics technician on the OV-10 “Bronco” for Marine Observation Squadron 1. He was selected for the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program in 1979 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1979.

After completing the Basic School and Naval Aviation Flight School, Dungan qualified to fly the CH-53E “Super Stallion helicopter.” He was then assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 in June 1984 and participated in two Landing Force Sixth Fleet deployments with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 as part of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
He attended the Weapons and Tactics Instructor School in January 1987 and was designated as a CH-53 weapons tactics instructor.

From June 1988 to May 1992, he was assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., where he participated in Operations Desert Shield and Storm while attached to HMH-464.

He was then transferred to Tustin, Calif., and deployed with HMM-164 on the 15th MEU as the CH-53E Detachment officer-in-charge during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.

Dungan was assigned to HMH-361 and deployed to Okinawa, Japan, and participated in Operation United Shield in Somalia, as the CH-53E Detachment OIC with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267.

He attended the College of Naval Command and Staff in Newport, R.I., and was assigned as the amphibious warfare officer and naval operations chief in the current operations division at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.

He took command of HMH-366 here in 1998. He was then assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 24 as the operations officer and later executive officer.

While assigned to MAG-24, he deployed to East Timor where he served a joint billet as the operation officer and executive officer for U.S. Group East Timor.

Dungan left Hawaii in 2003 to attend the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Penn.

In July 2004, he assumed command of Headquarters and Service Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific at Camp H.M. Smith.

In December of that year, he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as the commander of Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.

He returned to MarForPac a year later.

He assumed duties as deputy commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii July 16, 2006.

His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two stars, Air Medal, Strike Flight 3, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Navy Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Ellie