Probably the very first rescue executed by a Kaman HOK was undertaken with aircraft 129813, a Huskie at that time used by Kaman Aircraft Corp. for various trials at their Bloomfield, CT plant..
Chief test pilot Mr. Al Newton, KAC rescued 13 persons from different locations in Unionville, CT. during a disasterous flood in the Farmington River Valley, CT.  on 19 Aug 1955.
The aircraft had no hoist or cargo hook. The rescues were made with the aid of a 75' length of 5/8"  manila rope with a loop in the end.

A second HOK, with KAC test pilot Pete Russell and Herley Tower, KAC employee, picked up a doctor from his flooded backyard. Both HOKs helped to transport food and medical supplies.
(KamanRotorTips July 1960-page 3 and 13)

The Navy's Overhaul and Repair Facility was based at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL.  (1959-1962)
(KamanRotorTips  April 1962-p.7)  

In the Far East the UH-43C/OH-43D (HUK-1, HOK-1) overhaul and rework was facilitated at  Shin Meiwa Industry Co.'s  Itami, Osaka, Japan.  It was completed with the delivery of the 39th helicopter. A ceremony was held by the Osaka Detachment of  Fleet Air Western Pacific, U.S. Navy, to mark the event. Pilot of this HOK was Capt Francis E. Martin, USMC.  With the captain, were Cdr Edward O. Crosby, USN, facility management officer; and Lt D. D. Conquest, USN, contract administrator.
(KamanRotorTips  Apr-May64-p.9)

 Kaman Rotor Tips issue Aug-Sep-1965 page 15

MARINES   VMO-1

"VMO-1  HOKs Qualify For Carriers"
A whole squadron of HOKs flew out to the carrier USS Thetis Bay off the coast of North Carolina recently for a period of carrier qualification and shipboard indoctrination for 10 pilots attached to VMO-1, MAG-26, MCAF New River, NC.
It was the first time this squadron of HOK has been given the opportunity to carrier qualify.
VMO-1 is called upon from time to time to send a couple of HOK's with other squadron detachments from MAG-26 when they go aboard carrier for cruises, and therefore, their combat readiness was elevated considerably by all of the available squadron pilots being able to carrier-qualify at one time.
Under normal operations, the pilots of VMO-1 are under the operational control of the 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, and fly missions in support of ground forces in maneuvers at the Marine Corps Base, and at Vieques, Puerto Rico where they have one HOK in support of the battalion there.

"VMO-1 Rescues Three"
While on detached duty, OH-43D crews from VMO-1, MAG-26, MCAF, New River, NC., rescued two marines and a civilian from shark-infested waters. Saved were the pilot and crewman of a light observation plane which crashed near the USS Okinawa while coming in for a landing.
An OH-43D, piloted by 1stLt D. P. Reichert, was loaded with cargo slings at the time. The helicopter landed on the ship, dropped the slings, took aboard Sgt C. W. Revier and Cpl B. Hilmandolar as crewmen, then flew to the crash site. The rescuees were hoisted to the OH-43D from their life raft and taken aboard the ship for medical treatment.
Several days later another OH-43D was on its way from St. Thomas to the naval station at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, when Capt George G. Evans and his co­pilot, Capt Jacob W. Moore, intercepted a radio call on SAR frequency between a Coast Guard SA-16 and the naval station tower. A civilian had been sighted in a water-filled boat and rescue operations were underway. Captain Evans joined in the search and, guided by smoke flares dropped from the SA-16, located the boat. The lone occupant was hoisted to safety and flown to shore.

photo 129820  "9820 ER"  "143"     1962
photo 129823  "9823 ER"  "142"     1964
photo 139977  "9977 ER"  "146?"   1962
photo 139979  "9979 ER"  "147"

MARINES     VMO-2                                   Apr 1956 - 30 Apr 1965
MAG 16 , 3nd  Marine Division   
Camp Sukiran , Okinawa , Japan                 Apr 1956 - Oct 1960 
MCAF Futema , Okinawa , Japan               Oct 1960 -  Apr 1965               

MARINES   Sub-Unit 1 , VMO-2 
MAG 11    NAS Atsugi , Japan                  Sept 1960 - Apr 1965

Helicopters of Sub-Unit 1, VMO-2  at Atsugi.
Sub Unit One of MAG-16  VMO-2  originated Sept. 1960, and was placed under operational control of MAG-11. The sub unit operated with two HOKs and three pilots

The squadron calls MCAF Futema, Oki­nawa, home, but Sub-units of the squadron are likely to be found scattered throughout the Far East.
In order to carry out all of these varied missions, the squadron employs the Kaman HOK-1 and Cessna OE-1 type aircraft 
The squadron was in the Philippines partici­pating in "Operation Tulungan. "
The squadron had aircraft oper­ating in Japan, on the LPH Princeton, NAS Sangley point, and two locations on Mindoro Island, Philippines. Also, during this maneuver the entire squadron, including all personnel, equipment, and aircraft, were moved from the aircraft carrier to shore and back again, three separate times.
The nine HOK's participating in this ma­neuver logged 428 hours in 13 flying days. 
Whenever aircraft are transferred to Japan, Korea, Philippines, or other areas in the Far East, they usually are dis­assembled and airlifted by Marine GV's or Air Force Globemasters, then reassembled on location. During the past ten months the HOK's were disassembled and reassembled 21 times and the OE's ten times.

"2,500 Hours"   
Congratulations were in order at VMO-2, MCAF Futema, Okinawa, when this OH-43D set down. It was the squadron's fourth helicopter of this type to pass the impressive 2500-hour flight mark. Shown after the landing are, left to right, WO H. L. Ritter, maintenance officer; LtCol  J. L. Freitas, command­ing officer; Cpl D. L. Curtis, crew chief; and GySgt E. G. Stover, maintenance control chief. Like the men of VMO-2, the OH-43D's have really "been around. " This helicopter accumulated the 2500 hours while flying in the United States, Okinawa, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Korea. (USMC photo by Sgt George Franco)

"Marine Mercy Mission"
Capt George E. Pratt, USMC, of VMO-2, MCAF, Futema, Okinawa, was awarded a Scroll of Honor re­cently for the night helicopter evacu­ation of a seriously injured civilian from the jungle on Mindoro Island , PI. 
Darkness was fast approaching when Captain Pratt, in an OH-43D, heard a call on Guard channel from a forward air controller on the ground. A civilian had a badly lac­erated leg and needed immediate medical attention. The captain pro­ceeded to the area and was vectored into the landing zone by the lights of a jeep. The trees in the area were from 100 to 150 feet high but, with radio help from the ground, he was able to land and evacuate the injured man to a field hospital.

"VMO-2's Flyingest Helicopter Retires"    (photo of   HOK  VS-9   19 Oct 1964   3000hrs )
MCAF FUTEMA, OKINAWA, Office of Information - One of the "flyingest" helicopters west of the In­ternational ternational Dateline and east of San Diego set a milestone in Marine Corps helicopter aviation recently at Futema, Okinawa. 
On 19 October, 1964, "Old Num­ber Nine, " an OH-43D (HOK-1) manufactured by the Kaman Air­craft, Corp., completed 3000 flight hours and nine years of active ser­vice with Marine Observation Squad­ron Two stationed at Futema. It also rounded out 180, 000 accident and incident-free air miles in end­ing its service career. LtCol J. L. Freitas, Jr., commanding officer of VMO-2, was at the controls for the historic flight; Mr. William Murray, KAC vice president, was copilot.   
VMO-2, one of the squadrons making up Marine Aircraft Group 16 stationed at Okinawa,  accepted Number Nine in April of 1956. Since that time squadron pilots have tested Nine's worth in training missions as a part of the Marine Corps' Force in Readiness in such locations as Formosa, Korea, Japan and the Philippines. Marine observers have used the aircraft to perform land and carrier-based operations in­volving reconnaissance, naval gun­fire spotting, artillery spotting, photo reconnaissance and the direc­tion of close air support attack air­craft. When not flying tactically, the marines have flown Number Nine on routine training flights, search and rescue assignments, and for emergency evacuation of sick, wounded or injured marines of the 3rd Marine Division, also stationed at Okinawa.

The nine years and 180, 000 air miles of accident/incident free fly­ing for Number Nine is mute testi­mony to the outstanding mainte­nance and repairs Nine has received at the hands of VMO-2 mechanics electricians, metalsmiths and plane captains. In fact, the mechs and the plane captains have kept the 'chopper' in the same state of com­bat readiness as when it first joined the Corps. VMO-2 will be receiv­ing anew jet helicopter soon, but 'Old Number Nine' goes into retire­ment as a tough, dependable, proven veteran, ready for recall should the need arise.
Photo-caption: 
HISTORIC FLIGHT -Shown after OH-43D's 3000th landing are, left to right, Col Robert A. Merchant, commanding officer of MAG-16; LtCol Joseph L. Freitas, Jr., commanding officer of VMO-2; LCpI G. F. Brickey, crew chief; William R. Murray, KAC vice president - Test Operations and Customer Service; Donald R. Tancredi, KAC service representative. (USMC photo)

"Veteran OH-43D Retires"           photo of VS-12 
Jack King, technical representative for KAC, says "sayonara" to 1stLt Don W. Cantrell, OIC of VMO-2's Sub Unit 1 as the pilot and his copilot, 1stLt Wayne W. Crews, prepare their unit's OH-43D Syncropter for its final flight to Kisarazu where it will be phased out of the Naval-Marine service. The VMO-2 Sub Unit is the last Navy organization to utilize the services of the piston-driven helo. Since 1958 the unit has supported Marines attached to Camp Fuji, located at the base of Mt Fujiyama. King was at Naha air station in 1956 when the first OH-43D was unloaded. (Official USN photo)  see photo near top of this page "Final Flight"

photo  129827  with  "VS 8"    Korea  1960
photo  139983  with  "VS 1"    Japan  1960
photo  139984  with  "VS 10"  Philippines  Jun 1964,  with "VS 5", "VS 6" and "VS 11"
photo  139988  with  "VS 14"  Japan   May 1964
photo  139990  with  "VS 4"    Okinawa      (KamanRotorTips  Feb 1963-p.6) with  "VS 1"  and  "VS 6"
photo  …..        with  "VS 3"    Sub Unit 1, VMO-2   Early 1964
photo  …..        with  "VS 9"    Oct 1964
photo  …..        with  "VS 12"  Sub Unit 1, VMO-2    1965  

Camp Pendleton, CA  ---  A  HOK-1  passed the 2,000 flight-hour mark here recently (about Jan 1962).
The HOK-1 was accepted from the manufacturer at Bloomfield, Conn in July 1956. During the past five and one-half years it has twice seen service with VMO-6 at Camp Pendleton and with HMR-363, MCAS Santa Anna, CA. (MAG-36) 
The HOK-1 , used for reconnaissance and observation missions, will soon retrace the route it took in February 1959 - to the Navy's Overhaul and Repair Facility at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL.

photo 129828  "WB 23" 
photo 129836  "WB 17"   Feb 1961 
photo 138098  "WB ?"     May 1961
photo 139974  "WB 7"     (in storage 1965) 
photo               "WB 16"   Oct 61

photo 129820  "XM 33" 
photo 129821  "XM 34" 
photo 139992  "33"          Jun 1962 
photo 139978  "33"          Nov 1962

KamanRotorTips  April 1962-p.7