Lieutenant Colonel Norm “Face” Holcombe attended Officer Candidates School through the Naval ROTC program and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) in May 2010. He attended flight school in Pensacola, Florida and was designated a Naval Aviator in June 2013. After completing initial AH-1W training at Camp Pendleton, California, he was assigned to the HMLA-167 “Warriors” at MCAS New River, North Carolina. While serving with HMLA-167 from 2014 to 2018, LtCol Holcombe held several key billets, including Pilot Training Officer, Future Operations Officer, and Aviation Safety Officer. His flight designations included Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI), Air Mission Commander, FAC(A) Instructor, and FW/RW DACM Instructor. He deployed with the Warriors to Okinawa, Japan from October 2015 to May 2016, during which time he supported multi-national exercises in Thailand and the Philippines.
From 2018 to 2019, LtCol Holcombe attended the Expeditionary Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia, where he graduated with distinction and was named the outstanding aviation student in the Class of 2019. After graduation, he reported to Headquarters Marine Corps, Manpower and Reserve Affairs for duty as the Rotary Wing Company Grade Monitor from 2019 to 2021. As the Monitor, he was responsible for managing the careers and assignments of over 2,500 company-grade H-1, CH-53, and MV-22 pilots. In 2021, LtCol Holcombe reported to Marine Special Operations Company Mike (MSOC M), 3d Marine Raider Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to serve as the MSOC Air/Fires Officer and Small UAS and Counter-UAS program managers. He deployed to Iraq with MSOC M in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE from July 2022 to January 2023.
In April 2023, LtCol Holcombe completed AH-1Z Series Conversion and Refresher training at HMLAT-303 in San Diego. He reported to Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) Headquarters at MCAS New River in June 2023, where he served as the Assistant Operations Officer. In January 2024, LtCol Holcombe returned to HMLA-167, where he served as the Executive Officer until October 2024. He then reported to VMM-263 (REIN) to serve as the H-1 Detachment Officer-in-Charge for the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Aviation Combat Element (ACE). He assumed responsibilities as the ACE Executive Officer in January 2025.
LtCol Holcombe holds a dual-major Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a graduate of the MAWTS-1 WTI Course (Yuma, AZ), the EWTGLANT TACP/JTAC Course (Virginia Beach, VA), the U.S. Navy Aviation Safety Officer Course (Pensacola, FL), the Expeditionary Warfare School (Quantico, VA), and the U.S. Air Force Command and Staff College Distance Learning Program. LtCol Holcombe has also served as an Adjunct Faculty instructor for Marine Corps University’s Expeditionary Warfare School Distance Education Program.
LtCol Holcombe’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with one Gold Star.