The squadron was formed 1 June 1928, and designated Headquarters Detachment 7M in San Diego, California.

The squadron was heavily involved during World War II and participated in the following campaigns: Pearl Harbor, Marianas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Following the war, the squadron relocated to MCAS Cherry Point and was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 21.

The decade of the nineties started in earnest with VMGR-252 deploying aircraft to Freetown, Sierra Leone in support of 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit operations following civil unrest in nearby Liberia.

With little down time the squadron found itself facing an even greater challenge with the mobilization of forces for Operation Desert Shield.

During the remainder of the 1990s, the squadron continued to support East Coast Marine Expeditionary Units for operations in Kenya, Rwanda, the Republic of the Congo, Albania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Kosovo.