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List of ground-based radars used by the United States Marine Corps

This is an incomplete list of ground-based radars operated by the United States Marine Corps since the service first started utilizing radars in 1940. The Marine Corps' ground-based radars have been used for anti-aircraft artillery fire control, long range early warning, ground controlled intercept, ground directed bombing, counter-battery radar, short-range cueing for man-portable air-defense systems, and fire control for medium range surface-to-air missiles.

Background

Radars were initially used for early warning against enemy aircraft and for rudimentary fire control of anti-aircraft guns. As radar technology progressed the Marine Corps also incorporated counter-battery radar and radars for ground-directed bombing. Radars were initially fielded to newly established Defense Battalions and Marine Aircraft Groups containing fighters. Beginning in 1943, Marine Corps aviation commissioned specialized command and control units responsible for training and deploying radars to provide Ground-controlled interception (GCI), for both day and night fighter operations. Ground based sensors are at the heart of the Marine Corps' current Force Design 2030 strategy because they augment sea-based air defense and command and control capabilities and enhance fleet interoperability.

Long Range Early Warning

A long range/early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defenses to be alerted as early as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving friendly forces the maximum time in which to operate. These radars typically operates at lower frequencies, and thus longer wavelengths, than other types. This greatly reduces their interaction with rain and snow in the air, and therefore improves their performance in the long-range role. Today these radars are also used for tracking the high-altitude, exo-atmospheric trajectory ballistic missiles.

Picture	Nomenclature	Fielded to FMF	End of Service	Notes	Ref
	SCR-270	1941	1945	The first operational early-warning radar utilized by the Marine Corps. It was built by Westinghouse and was the primary long-range radar used throughout World War II.
	AN/TPS-1	1944	1950s	Lightweight portable search radar developed by Bell Labs and the MIT Radiation Laboratory during World War II. It used a cut-down parabolic antenna of the "orange peel" design with an off-axis feed and transmitted in the L-band between 1220 and 1280 megahertz (MHz).
	AN/TPS-15	1944		The AN/TPS-15 was a TPS-1D upgraded with the IFF Mark X.
	AN/CPS-5			L-band early warning and GCI radar system that formed the backbone of US air defense network in the 1950s.
	AN/TPS-22
	AN/TPS-34	1963	Early 1970s	The first three-dimensional, dual channel, early-warning radar designed and utilized for the United States Marine Corps. Designed and built by the Sperry Corporation, the radar provided range, bearing, and altitude to the operator for aircraft in its assigned search area.
	AN/TPS-32	1969	1980s	A mobile, three-dimensional radar produced by ITT Gilfillan which was the primary sensor for the Marine Corps' Tactical Air Operations Center (TAOC). The AN/TPS-32 was optimized to work in concert with the Marine Tactical Data System and the MIM-23 Hawk Missile System.
	AN/TPS-59	1985	2020	A mobile, L-band, active electronically scanned array (AESA) 3-dimensional air search radar first produced by GE Aerospace. The system offered instrumented detection at ranges on the order of 200 to 250 nautical miles (370 to 460 km; 230 to 290 mi) and had a wide variety of interference and clutter rejection systems.
	AN/TPS-80	2016	TBD	The G/ATOR Block I is the next-generation Air Surveillance/Air Defense radar. The mobile, active electronically scanned array radar system is developed and produced by Northrop Grumman and is optimized to work in concert with the Common Aviation Command and Control System and the Composite Tracking Network.

Gap Fillers

Picture	Nomenclature	Fielded to FMF	End of Service	Notes	Ref
	SCR-268	1940	1945	The Marine Corps's first radar system. Introduced in 1940, it was developed to provide accurate aiming information for antiaircraft artillery and was also used for gun laying, directing searchlights against aircraft, and early warning during World War II.
	SCR-602	1943		Mobile, lightweight, medium-range, early-warning radar utilized during the initial phases of amphibious assaults during World War II.
	SCR-527			Medium-range radar used by the United States for early warning and ground-controlled interception (GCI) during World War II.
	SCR-588			The Marine Corps used the SCR-588 as a training radar during World War II. The radar was located on the airfield at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina and was utilized with the radar school taught by Marine Air Warning Group 1.
	SCR-584	1944		Aautomatic-tracking microwave radar developed by the MIT Radiation Laboratory during World War II. It was one of the most advanced ground-based radars of its era, becoming one of the primary gun laying radars used worldwide well into the 1950s.
	AN/MPS-11			Mobile version of the D-Band, AN/FPS-8 Medium Search Radar that was designed for aircraft control and early warning. Mainly used during the Korean War and into the early 1960s.
	AN/UPS-1
	AN/TPS-63	1978	2018	Medium range, Two-dimensional, L band radar system utilized by the United States Marine Corps from the early 1980s until finally retired in 2018. This mobile radar was developed by Northrop Grumman and complimented the AN/TPS-59 long range radar by providing 360 degree, gap-filling coverage of low altitude areas.

Heightfinders

A height finder radar is a type of 2-dimensional radar that measures altitude of a target.

Picture	Nomenclature	Fielded to FMF	End of Service	Notes	Ref
	AN/MPS-4			Vertically mounted X-Band radar first developed and produced near the end of World War II.
	AN/MPS-16
	AN/TPS-37

Air Traffic Control & Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) radars

Picture	Nomenclature	Fielded to FMF	End of Service	Notes	Ref
	AN/MPN-1	1947		Mobile Ground-controlled approach radar first used during World War II.
	AN/MPN-13
	AN/MPN-14
	AN/TPN-8
	AN/TPN-22			I band, three-dimensional, transportable phased array radar that provides tactical precision approach capabilities.
	AN/TPS-73			S-band, 2-dimensional surveillance radar w/ 60nm range up to 40k feet.
	AN/TPN-31			Expeditionary, highly mobile radar system that provided airspace surveillance and precision approach radar.

Counter-Battery radar

Picture	Nomenclature	Fielded to FMF	End of Service	Notes	Ref
	AN/MPQ-10
	AN/MPQ-4			Lightweight, counter-battery radar developed by General Electric, it was primarily used to find the location of enemy mortars and larger artillery.
	AN/TPQ-36
	AN/TPS-80	2016		The G/ATOR Block II radar is a mobile, active electronically scanned array counter-battery radar system developed by Northrop Grumman.

Course Directed Bombing radars

Picture	Nomenclature	Fielded to FMF	End of Service	Notes	Ref
	AN/TPQ-2			Post-World War II radar system for automatically tracking an aircraft and guiding it to a predetermined bomb release point. The system was the predecessor of the General Electric AN/MPQ-14 Course Directing Central deployed to the Korean War for ground-directed bombing.
	AN/MPQ-14
	AN/TPQ-10			Lightweight, two-unit, helicopter transportable, ground-based bombing system developed to provide highly accurate, day/night all weather close air support.

Ground Based Air Defense radars

Picture	Nomenclature	Fielded to FMF	End of Service	Notes	Ref
	AN/MPQ-33/39	1960
	AN/MPQ-34	1960
	AN/MPQ-35	1960		Pulse Acquisition Radar (PAR) utilized for high-altitude, long-range search by the MIM-23 Hawk Missile System.
	AN/MPQ-50			Improved PAR for the Improved-HAWK.
	AN/MPQ-55			Improved CWAR for the Improved-HAWK.
	AN/APQ-57			Improved High Power Illuminating Radar for the Improved-HAWK.
	AN/MPQ-62			Continuous wave acquisition radar (CWAR) provides close-in, low-altitude, two-dimensional radar coverage. The CWAR was typically used with ground-based data link (GBDL) to provide early cueing to LAAD.
	AN/UPS-3			Short range, 2-dimensional radar utilized for cueing FIM-92 Stinger missile teams and the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger. Also known as the Tactical Defense Alert Radar (TDAR).

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• Marine Air Command and Control System
• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support squadrons

References

Bibliography

• Farmer, Edward W. (1992). A Brief History of Marine Air Warning Squadron Eight. Self Published.
• Gordon, John. (2011). Fighting for MacArthur: The Navy and Marine Corps' Desperate Defense of the Philippines. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-61251-057-6.
• Quilter, Colonel Charles J. II; Chapin, Captain John C. (2001). A History of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 531 (PDF). PCN 19500319600. Washington D.C.: History and Museums Division, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.

Journal

• Murray, Bill (1946). "Eyes in the Night" (PDF). Marine Corps Gazette. 30 (5): 28–31, 44. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

Web

• Donovan, James A. (1992), Outpost in the North Atlantic: Marines in the Defense of Iceland, Darby, Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-7881-3524-8

VMD-154

Marine Photographic Squadron 154
VMD-154 Insignia
Active	Apr 1, 1942 – Sep 10, 1945
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Aerial Reconnaissance
Part of	N/A
Nickname(s)	"The Pathfinders"
Tail Code	WT
Aircraft flown
Reconnaissance	PB4Y-1 Liberator F6F-3P Hellcat

Marine Photographic Squadron 154 (VMD-154) was a United States Marine Corps photographic reconnaissance squadron originally commissioned during World War II. The squadron deployed overseas in late 1942 as the first Marine Corps photographic squadron in combat. During its time overseas, the squadron supported the final stages of the Guadalcanal campaign and flew extensive missions throughout the Solomon and Russell Islands until returning to the United States in December 1943. During the war, the squadron flew the PB4Y-1 Liberator during its combat deployment and later transitioned to the F6F-3P Hellcat. VMD-154 was decommissioned on September 10, 1945. Since that date, no other Marine Corps squadron has carried the lineage and honors of VMP-154.

History

Formation, training, and departure

Marine Photographic Squadron 2 (VMD-2) was commissioned on April 1, 1942, at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California. Squadron pilots originally trained on a mixture of Grumman F4F Wildcats and SNJ Texanss. In July 1942 the United States Navy was granted an allotment of B-24 Liberators to use for long range photo reconnaissance. Navy and Marine Corps B-24s carried the naval designation of PB4Y-1. The squadron was redesignated as VMD-254 on September 15, 1942, the same day it arrived at Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar. On October 19, 1942, it was determined that VMD-254 was in a higher state of readiness than its sister squadron VMP-154. Because of this, and the fact that when the unit deployed it would be in support of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in the Solomon Islands, the squadrons exchanged names and VMP-254 was redesignated again as VMP-154.

The squadron's main body departed San Diego on December 2, 1942 onboard the SS Bloemfontein and the SS Japara arriving at Expiritu Santo on Dec 23, 1942.

Overseas

At the end of November 1943, advanced echelon aircraft and personnel from VMD-254 began to arrive at Espiritu Santo. VMD-254 received all of its aircraft in the first week of December 1943 and immediately began flying reconnaissance missions. The squadron immediately began flying missions to map out the entire South Pacific area alongside local B-17s from the United States Army Air Forces. In November 1942, Australian Coastwatchers on the island of Munda reported that the Japanese were building an airstrip and camouflaging their work by keeping the tree tops in place with wires while they built the airstrip underneath. On December 5, 1942, VMD-154 aircraft were the first to confirm that the Japanese had completed the new airstrip on Munda.

By January 1944 the squadron had its full complement of 8 aircraft and 434 personnel on the island. On January 26. 1943, aircraft from VMD-154 were the first photo reconnaissance planes to take photos of the area around Truk Lagoon and the Poluwat Atool.

On February 7, 1943, the squadron suffered its only aircraft loss of the war when a PB4Y-1, BuNo 31958, crashed approximately 600 yards offshore at 0416, 30 seconds after takeoff from the airfield on Espiritu Santo. All onboard were killed including 2 pilots, 9 Marines, and a Lieutenant from the United States Army Air Corps. None of the bodies were ever recovered.

VMD-154 provided photo reconnaissance over Bougainville prior to the amphibious assault of the island in November 1943. VMD-154 rotated back to the United States in November 1943 having flown over 300 missions in support of Allied operations throughout the South Pacific.

MCAAF Kinston & decommissioning

On June 30, 1945, 9th MAW Wing Transfer Order #110A-1945 directed that all personnel be transferred to VMD-954, and the squadron placed in an inactive status with just a small cadre of personnel remaining to close out remaining administrative affairs.

The squadron was officially decommissioned on September 10, 1945 at MCAS Kinston.

Commanding Officers

• Maj Elliott E. Bard - April 1, 1942 - April 12, 1942
• LtCol William C. Lemly - April 13, 1942 - April 16, 1942
• LtCol Elliott E. Bard - April 17, 1942 - January 31, 1944
• Maj William G. Thrash - February 1, 1944 - June 1, 1945
• LtCol Michael Sampas - June 2, 1944 - January 12, 1945
• Maj William G. Thrash - January 13, 1945 - February 21, 1945
• Maj Albert L. Jones - February 22, 1945 - June 29, 1945
• 1stLt John E. Ward - June 30, 1945 - September 4, 1945
• 1stLt Richard M. Riddell - September 5, 1945 - September 10, 1945

Casualties

• Sgt Kenneth D. Antle - June 17, 1943 - He fell from a horse, hitting a coconut tree and rupturing his liver. Passed away in sick bay later that evening.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. VMD-154 was presented with the following awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	Presidential Unit Citation Streamer	1942	Guadalcanal
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer
	World War II Victory Streamer	1941–1945	Pacific War

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
• List of decommissioned United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Bibliography

• Bishop, John G. (1999). Cameras Over the Pacific - Marine Photographic Squadron 254. ISBN 0972635106.
• De Chant, John A. (1947). Devilbirds - The Story of United States Marine Aviation in World War II. New York: Harper & Brothers.
• Elliott, John M. (1989). The Official Monogram: US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide Vol 2 1940-1949. Sturbridge, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications. ISBN 0-914144-32-4.
• Feldt, Eric Augustus (1991) [1946]. The Coastwatchers. Victoria, Australia: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-014926-0.
• O'Brien, J.T. (2004). Top Secret: An Informal History of Electronic Warfare & Photographic Reconnaissance in Marine Corps Aviation 1940-2000. Anaheim, CA: Equidata Publishing Company. ISBN 0-9714185-3-5.
• Larkin, William T. (Schiffer Publishing). US Navy Aircraft 1921-1941 / US Marine Corps Aircraft 1914-1959. Atglen, PA: Crown. ISBN 0-88740-742-0. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle – Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 – 1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.
• Shettle, M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.

Web

External links

• VMD-154 page on the Marine Corps Aviation Reconnaissance Association’s website

Category:Military units and formations established in 1942 Category:Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps

List of Marine Air Base Squadrons

Marine Air Base Squadrons (MABS) existed in the United States Marine Corps from 1951 through 1986. The Marine Corps made the decision to split the larger Service Squadrons up into two smaller units. The MABS were responsible for providing the necessary personnel and facilities required for the operation of an airfield in support of their assigned Marine Aircraft Group. Among the services they provided were airfield communications, air traffic control, motor transport, aircraft refueling, and utility maintenance. MABS supported combat operations during the Korean and Vietnam Wars but were eventually decommissioned when the Marine Corps reallocated its combat service support units

MABS-12

MABS-12 was commissioned on December 1, 1951, at K-18 Airfield near Gangneung, South Korea.

MABS-13

See also: Marine Air Base Squadron 13

MABS-16

In March 1961, 300 Marines from MABS-16 deployed to Udorn, Thailand on 3-days' notice in order to establish an expeditionary air base in support of twenty HUS-1 helicopters. The helicopters were operated by Air America as part of Operation Millpond, the United States' intervention during the Laotian Civil War. The last MABS-16 Marines departed on 26 October 1961.

MABS-17

MABS-17 was commissioned on July 1, 1953 at Itami Air Base, Japan. In late 1954 the squadron moved to MCAS Iwakuni. MABS-17 deployed to South Vietnam in June 1966 establishing its headquarters at

MABS-26

MABS-26 was commissioned on June 16, 1952 at MCAS Cherry Point, NC. In 1954, the squadron relocated to MCAS New River. The squadron operated and trained in eastern North Carolina for the majority of its existing. In June 1970, Marines from MABS-26 deployed to Peru to support HMM-265 as it delivered relief supplies in the wake of the Ancash earthquake, the deadliest event of 1970 and the deadliest event in Peruvian history. MABS-26 was decommissioned on xxx xx, 1986.

MABS-26 has been awarded the following unit awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	National Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star.	1951–1954, 1961–1974	Korean War, Vietnam War

MABS-32

Marine Air Base Squadron 32 was commissioned on May 8, 1952, at Marine Corps Air Station Miami, Florida. The squadron relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina beginning in August 1957. The squadron remained in eastern North Carolina for the duration of its existence supporting Marine Aircraft Group 32.

MABS-32 has been awarded the following unit awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	National Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star.	1951–1954, 1961–1974	Korean War, Vietnam War

MAG-33

Marine Aircraft Group 33
Active	February 1, 1943 - December 15, 1970 2000 – 22 June 2016
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Role	Training
Part of	TECOM
Engagements	World War II * Battle of Okinawa Korean War * Battle of Pusan Perimeter * Attack on the Sui-ho Dam
Commanders
Notable commanders	Louis Robertshaw John P. Condon

Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) was a United States Marine Corps aviation training group that was originally established during World War II.. Fighter squadrons from MAG-33 fought most notably during the Battle of Okinawa and also as the first Marine aviation units to support the Korean War when they arrived as part of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. They helped stabilize the United Nations positions during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter and fought in Korea for the remainder of the war. The group was decommissioned in 1970 and since then no other group, to include MATSG-33, has carried the lineage and honors of MAG-33.

Mission

Provide administration and training support to all Marines aboard NAS Oceana. While the MATSG's mission is administrative in nature, the command monitors the flow of students through the Naval Air Training Command, provides Marine Corps discipline and Marine Corps peculiar training

History

World War II

Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) was commissioned on February 1, 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. They moved to Marine Corps Auxiliary Field Bogue on September 27, 1943. On April 6, 1944, the group again transferred, this time to Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas where they spent the remainder of the summer training. In August, they moved on to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California to prepare for their deployment to the South Pacific.

In September 1944, MAG-33 left California for the Marshall Islands. They eventually settled in Espiritu Santo on November 29, 1944 after travelling through Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Peleliu, Ulithi and Manus Island. On April 2, 1945, the group arrived off Okinawa and eventually based out of, what is today, Kadena Air Base. They served throughout the Battle of Okinawa, providing close air support for the Marines and Soldiers on the ground. The group remained on Okinawa for the remainder of the war. Under the command of Col. Ward E. Dickey, MAG-33 set the record for most air-to-air kills on Okinawa at 214.

In January 1946, the group returned to the United States and was based out of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.

MAG-33 F4U-4s in 1948 during a maneuver at Camp Pendelton

Korean War

On July 2, 1950 the Joint Chiefs of Staff voted to commit the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade to combat in Korea. At the outbreak of the war, MAG-33 was part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW) and located at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. The group was well below normal strength due to force cuts which came after World War II. Because it was a skeleton of itself, the majority of 1st MAW had to be stripped bare to reconstitute the MAG. Air group personnel and equipment boarded the transport USS General A. E. Anderson (AP-111) and the attack cargo ship USS Achernar (AKA-53) at Terminal Island; aircraft and aircrews were embarked on USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116). On 14 July, exactly twelve days after the receipt of the warning order to deploy, MAG-33 set sail for Korea.

MAG-33 insignia used during the Korean War.

MAG-33 had offloaded in Kobe, Japan and were composed of the F4U Corsair squadrons of VMF-323 and VMF-214, the Flying Nightmares of VMF(N)-513 flying the night-fighting versions of the Corsair and the F7F Tigercat and VMO-6 with its eight OY-2 observation aircraft and four HO3S1 helicopters. VMF-323 stationed itself on board the USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116), VMF-214 would fly off the USS Sicily (CVE-118), VMF(N)-513 would operate from Itazuke under Fifth Air Force control and VMO-6 would be based in Pusan. The first offensive action of the group came on August 3 when VMF-214 launched an eight plane strike package against the North Korean 6th Division in the vicinity of Jinju. MAG-33 would also deploy with the first helicopter ever to be employed by the United States in combat.

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft groups
• United States Marine Corps Aviation

Notes

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

References

Bibliography

• Chapin, John C. (2000). Fire Brigade: U.S. Marines in the Pusan Perimeter. Washington D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center.
• Fehrenbach, T. R. (1963). This Kind of War. Dulles, Virginia: Brassey's. ISBN 1-57488-259-7.
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.

• Shettle Jr., M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.
• Simmons, Edwin H. (2003). The United States Marines: A History, Fourth Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-790-5.

Web

• James A. Field Jr. "History of United States Naval Operations: Korea". Retrieved 23 January 2007.

Tr *Category:Military units and formations in Virginia AG0033

MABS-32

Marine Air Base Squadron 32
Active	May 8, 1952 – Jun 6, 1986
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	Marine Corps
Type	Aviation ground support squadron
Role	Engineering/Logistics
Part of	N/A

Marine Air Base Squadron 32 (MABS-32) was a unit of the United States Marine Corps that provided airfield services and base operations in support of Marine Aircraft Group 32. Originally commissioned in 1952, MABS-32 never deployed overseas during all of the time that it was active. The squadron was last based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina and was decommissioned June 6, 1986 when the Marine Corps reorganized all of its aviation ground support units into combat formations that trained and operated the same in both peacetime and combat. Since that date, no other Marine Corps squadron has carried the lineage and honors of MABS-32.

Mission

Provide necessary air base facilities and services (except airfield construction) for Marine Aircraft Group 32 when on an advanced base and supplement base facilities and services provided by a supporting air station or facility when based thereon.

Subordinate sections

• Base Services
• Communications
• Launch and recovery
• Motor Transport
• Tactical Airfield Fuel Dispensing
• Utilities

History

Commissioning through the 1960s

Marine Air Base Squadron 32 was commissioned on May 8, 1952, at Marine Corps Air Station Miami, Florida. The squadron relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina beginning in August 1957.

Unit awards

Since the beginning of World War II, the United States military has honored various units for extraordinary heroism or outstanding non-combat service. This information is compiled by the United States Marine Corps History Division and is certified by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. MABS-32 has been awarded the following unit awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	National Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star.	1951–1954, 1961–1974	Korean War, Vietnam War

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• Organization of the United States Marine Corps
• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support units

References

Sources

• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939–1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.

External links

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

• MABS32

Composite Tracking Network

The Composite Tracking Network (CTN) is stand-alone, self-transportable system that enables the United States Marine Corps to take part in the United States Navy's Cooperative Engagement Capability. Participation in this tactical sensor network allows Marine Corps radar units to share fire control quality data on airborne tracks from its AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar. The Marine Corps can also receive Joint and Coalition data on ground, surface, and airborne tracks via this network.

Fielding

Marine Requirements Oversight Council (MROC) Decision Memorandum 09-2002 authorized the Marine Corps to purchase 27 systems between FY10 & FY-13. CTNs were fielded to all active and reserve Marine Air Control Squadrons.

See also

• Marine Tactical Data System

References

Bibliography

Common Aviation Command and Control System

The Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) is the primary aviation command and control system utilized by the United States Marine Corps' Marine Air Command and Control System (MACCS). The software in CAC2S fuses inputs from both Marine Corps, joint, and coalition sensors and data sources to provide increased real-time situational awareness for the integration of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) aviation and ground operations. CAC2S' suite of tactical shelters, common hardware, and software are scalable to provide different levels of support and mobility options for different echelons of command.

CAC2S experienced significant delays and cost overruns during its development. A 2016 Government Accounting Office report stated that the programs initial fielding was delayed by 13 years and 9 months, with a total life-cycle cost increase of $1.6 billion dollars which is 477% over initial estimates. Despite cost overruns, scope growth, and restructuring, the Marine Corps maintained support for the program and eventually fielded a system that met all major requirements and now is one of the key technologies enabling key concepts in the service's Force Design 2030 restructure.

Background

CAC2S is not the first ground-breaking aviation command and control software fielded by the Marine Corps that has experienced development issues. From 1956 to 1966, the Marine Corps developed the Marine Tactical Data System which was the first command and control system that fused aviation data from multiple services. At the time, MTDS was the largest research and development project undertaken by the Marine Corps.

Development

Raytheon Technologies was awarded the first contract to develop CAC2S in 2001. Raytheon leveraged its Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) software utilized by non-AEGIS surface combatants to help develop its original system architecture for CAC2S.

On September 10, 2007, the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) approved the Key Performance Parameters and Capability Production Document for CAC2S in JROC Memo 212-07. In December 2007 the program was upgraded to being classified as a Major Automated Information System.

In 2008, after numerous development issues, delays, and assessment failures Raytheon was removed as the prime vendor. In April 2009, after a Critical Change Report to Congress, the CAC2S program was restructured and divided into two phases. Increment I focused on the development of the Process and Display Subsystem (PDS) and Communication Subsystem (CS) to support the Direct Air Support Center (DASC) while providing limited capability to the Tactical Air Operations Center (TAOC). Increment II's focus was on the fusion engine of CAC2S known as the Sensor Data Subsystem (SDS).

Four companies were given $5 million-dollar developmental contracts to prototype solutions for the second iteration of CAC2S. Boeing, General Dynamics C4 Systems, Northrup Grumman and a joint venture from Thales/Raytheon all competed in operational testing with the contract being awarded to General Dynamics C4 Systems at the end of 2012.

In September 2013, Increment I, Phase I of CAC2S achieved Full Operational Capability.

On February 28, 2015, CAC2S Phase I, Increment II achieved Milestone C approval allowing the program to move to low-rate initial production (LRIP) and full operational assessment.

Increment II of CAC2S was fully fielded by July 2021

https://www.dote.osd.mil/Portals/97/pub/reports/FY2015/navy/2015cac2s.pdf?ver=2019-08-22-105640-897

Fielding

The first engineering Design Model was delivered to the Fleet Marine Force

https://defenseinnovationmarketplace.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/PEO_LS_CompleteSection_12-2.pdf

https://www.alsa.mil/News/Article/2601056/the-future-direct-air-support-center-implementing-tactical-data-links-to-enhanc/

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/digital-battlespace/general-dynamics-secures-cac2s-full-rate-productio/

https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/common-aviation-command-and-control-system/

Variants

• V1 -
• V2 -
• V3 -
• V4 -
• Small Form Factor -

See also

• Marine Tactical Data System

References

Bibliography

• Shulimson, Jack; Blasiol, Leonard A.; Smith, Charles R.; Dawson, David A. (1997). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Defining Year, 1968. Washington D.C.: History and Museums Division, U.S. Marine Corps. ISBN 0-16-049125-8.

MAG-35

Marine Aircraft Group 35
Active	April 1, 1943-May 1946 April 1952 - June 1959
Country	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Fixed-Wing Aircraft Group
Role	Cargo
Part of	2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Engagements	World War II Korean War

Marine Aircraft Group 35 (MAG-35) was a United States Marine Corps cargo aircraft group last based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Formed during World War II, the group supported combat operations throughout the Pacific Theater until being decommissioned after the war. The group was reactivated during the Korean War and again supported operations throughout the Pacific Theater until decommissioning in June 1959. Since then, no other Marine Corps group has carried the lineage and honors of MAG-35.

Subordinate units

• H&MS-35
• MAMS-35
• VMR-153
• VMR-252
• VMR-253

History

World War II

Marine Aircraft Group 35 was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, on April 1, 1943, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Wehle. The group departed MCAS Cherry Point on April 20, 1944, originally destined for Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar, California. On April 24, the United States Army transferred control of it newly constructed airfield in Corvallis, Oregon over to the Navy. This led to MAG-35's orders being changed while they were enroute to Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Corvallis. The first elements of the group began to arrive on April 27, 1944. During this time the Group's mission was to train pilots, mechanics, and aircrew on transport aircraft operations. These trained personnel were sent as replacements for forward deployed cargo squadrons while also helping to ferry new aircraft into theater.

On June 28, 1944, an aircraft from VMR-953 dropped fire fighters from the United States Forest Service supporting efforts to extinguish nearby forest fires. On October 20, 1944, the group began movement to its new home at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro, California. All aircraft and personnel were moved by November 19, 1944. Beginning in December 1944, the group also maintained a detachment at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Camp Kearny with the mission of ferrying personnel returning from overseas to airfields closer to their homes.

Reactivation and the 1950s

In October 1955, 18 R4Qs from MAG-35 supported relief operations throughout the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico after Hurricane Janet made landfall on September 28, 1955. By mid-October, MAG-35 was delivering more than 130 tons of relief supplies each day including dropping supplies by parachute to isolated areas.

MAG-35 was decommissioned in a ceremony at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina in June 1959.

Commanding Officers

The following is an incomplete list of Commanding Officers for MAG-35:

• LtCol John Wehle - April 1, 1943 - June 30, 1943
• LtCol Hamilton D. South - July 1, 1943 - December 8, 1943
• Col Frank M. June - December 9, 1943 - May 17, 1944
• Col Wyman F. Marshall - May 18, 1944 - August 31, 1944
• LtCol John P. Coursey - September 1, 1944 - September 7, 1944
• LtCol Neil R. MacIntyre - September 8, 1944 - November 26, 1944
• LtCol Harry H. Bullock - November 27, 1944 - April 1945
• Col Allen C. Koonce - April 1945 -

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft groups
• List of decommissioned United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Bibliography

• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle – Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 – 1945. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press. OCLC 1261876.
• Shettle, M. L., Jr. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

M7 Gun Director

Members of Battery A, 168th Antiaircraft Artillery, operate an M7 gun director for five 90mm antiaircraft guns on an airstrip on Tacloban, Leyte Island.

The M7 Gun Director was an analog director developed by ???? during World War II. This computer continuously calculated trigonometric firing solutions for anti-aircraft weapons against enemy aircraft. When cued by the SCR-584 centimetric gun-laying radar and used in concert with anti-aircraft guns firing shells with proximity fuzes, it helped form the most effective anti-aircraft weapon system utilized by the Allies during the war.

See also

• Operation Diver

References

Bibliography

• Buderi, Robert (1996). The Invention that Changed the World: How a Small Group of Radar Pioneers Won the Second World War and Launched a Technological Revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0684835290.
• Stout, Robert (1946). The Great Detective. Detroit, MI: Chrysler Corporation.
• Thompson, George Raynor; Harris, Dixie R. (1966). The Signal Corps: The Outcome (mid-1943 Through 1945). Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army.

Web

• Mindell, David A. (2000). "Automation's Finest Hour: Radar and System Integration in World War II" (PDF). Massachusett's Institute of Technology. MIT Press. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

Category:Analog computers Category:Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944 Category:Applications of control engineering Category:Artillery components Category:Ballistics * Category:Anti-aircraft guns of the United States Category:Artillery operation

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Jack R. Cram

Jack Randolph Cram
Born	(1906-02-25)February 25, 1906 Berkeley, California
Died	June 27, 1997(1997-06-27) (aged 91) Oak Harbor, Washington
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1930–1959
Rank	Brigadier general
Commands	VMB-612 Marine Air Control Group 2 Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of Guadalcanal

Jack Randolph Cram (February 25, 1906 – June 27, 1997) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps, and a naval aviator.

Biography

Early years and beginning of military career

Jack Cram was born February 25, 1906 in Berkeley, California. His family later moved to Washington where he attended the University of Washington graduating in 1929. In 1930 he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve training as a naval aviator. He flew with VMO-8 which was based out of Naval Air Station Sand Point. During this time he was also hired as the first pilot for the Washing State Highway Department. In October 1935, Cram Flying Services leased 3.2 acres of property adjacent to the Olympia Regional Airport in Olympia, Washington building a hangar and running a flying school and charter services in and out of the city. In 1939, Cram turned over his lease to a colleague after he began devoting more time to the Marine Corps with World War II looming.

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation

References

Public Domain

• National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis MO 63132-5100

Bibliography

• Banks, Herbert C., ed. (1999). Marine Night Fighter Association. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 1-56311-512-3.
• Doll, Thomas E. (2000). Night Wings, USMC Night Fighters 1942-1953. Squadron/Series Publications. ISBN 0897474198.
• Magruder, Mark A. (2012). Nightfighter: Radar Intercept Killer. Pelican Publishing. ISBN 978-1455615315.
• Mersky, Peter (1983). U.S. Marine Corps Aviation 1912 to the Present. Annapolis, MD: Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America.
• Moskin, J. Robert (1977). The U.S. Marine Corps Story. McGraw-Hil. ISBN 0070434530.
• Sheridan, Eddie (2004). Air War College Commemorative History. Turner Publishing.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press. ISBN 0-89201-048-7.

• Tillman, Barrett (2012). Hellcat:The F6F in World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
• Tillman, Barrett (2014). Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II. OspreyPublishing. ISBN 978-1782004103.

Journal

• "Black Mac: A Night Fighters Diary". Naval Aviation News. 72 (5): 28–31. 1990. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
• De Chant, John (1946). "Marine Aviation Observers in Africa and Europe". Marine Corps Gazette. 30 (7): 21–24.
• De Chant, John (1947). "Devilbirds". Marine Corps Gazette. 31 (10): 46–56.

Web

• Marine Night Fighting Squadron 533 'Black Mac's Killers'

External links

• Nightfighter: Radar Intercept Killer, by Mark A. Magruder, Pelican Publishing 2012

Category:1906 births Category:1997 deaths Category:United States Marine Corps brigadier generals Category:United States Marine Corps aviation Category:United States Naval Aviators Category:United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:Recipients of the Air Medal

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AN/TPS-34

AN/TPS-34

Country of origin	United States
Type	Portable Long Range Search Radar
Frequency	L-band, 1220 to 1350 MHz
Beamwidth	2.2 ° (horizontal)
Pulsewidth	6 µs
RPM	6
Range	250 nautical miles (460 km)
Azimuth	360º

Army/Navy Transportable Pulse-Radar Search-34 (AN/TPS-34) was the first three-dimensional, dual channel, early-warning radar designed and utilized for the United States Marine Corps. The radar provided range, bearing, and altitude to the operator for aircraft in its assigned search area. Developed in the early 1960s by the Sperry Corporation, the radar was the primary air surveillance sensor for the Marine Corps' beginning in the mid-1960s. The radar was replaced in the late 1970s by the AN/TPS-32. It was also utilized by the Royal Air Force.

Background and Description

The entire system consisted of three groups of equipment: primary power source, radome, and operations shelter. The Marine Corps purchased the first two radars in 1962 at a cost of $3,575,000. In 1963 the service purchased 10 more systems at a cost of $15 milion dollars.

Operational history

The first operational use of the AN/TPS-34 was in 1965 with Marine Air Control Squadron 7 in South Vietnam. The TPS-34 was also the first radar used in conjunction with the Marine Tactical Data System when it was brought into Vietnam by Marine Air Control Squadron 4 in July 1967.

Units That Utilized the AN/TPS-34

• United States Marine Corps
  • MACS-1
  • MACS-2
  • MACS-4
  • MACS-5
  • MACS-6
  • MACS-7
  • MACS-8
  • MACS-9
  • MCCES
  • MCTSSA
• Royal Air Force
  • No. 1 Air Control Centre RAF

See also

• List of radars
• List of military electronics of the United States

References

Web

• Morris, Dan R. (April 1965). "New Tactical Radar at MCAS Beaufort". Naval Aviation News. p. 29. Retrieved 25 May 2022.

External links

• AN/TPS-34 page at Radarpages.co.uk
• AN/TPS-34 page at radartutorial.eu
• AN/TPS-34 Page at Militaryperiscope.com
• AN/TPS-34 page at Mobileradar.com
• AN/TPS-34 advertisement at adspast.com

Category:Ground radars Category:Military radars of the United States TPS34 Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1960s Category:United States Marine Corps equipment

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Howard G. Kirgis

Howard Gale Kirgis
Born	(1912-03-15)March 15, 1912 Mitchell, Kansas
Died	April 14, 1997(1997-04-14) (aged 85) San Jose, California
Buried	San Francisco National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1936 - TBD
Rank	Brigadier general
Service number	0-755
Battles / wars	World War II Attack on Pearl Harbor Battle of Tulagi Battle for Henderson Field Battle of Guadalcanal Battle of Cape Gloucester Korean War
Awards	Legion of Merit Navy Commendation Medal

Harold Gale Kirgis (March 15, 1912 - April 14, 1997) was a brigadier general in the United States Marine Corps who is most noted for his work in the

Early career

Howard G. Kirgis was born in Mitchell, Kansas on March 15, 1912. He was commissioned as an officer

World War II

Japanese Imperial Army Captain Sakee Oba surrenders his Samurai sword to Lieutenant Colonel Howard G. Kurgis, USMC, at Saipan, Mariana Islands on Saturday morning, December 1, 1945.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Lieutenant General Robert H. Pepper:

1st Row	Legion of Merit with Combat "V"					Navy Commendation Medal						Navy Presidential Unit Citation with one star
2nd Row	Navy Unit Commendation				Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal with two stars				World War I Victory Medal with West Indies clasp				Haitian Campaign Medal
3rd Row	Yangtze Service Medal				American Defense Service Medal with Base Clasp				Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three 3/16 inch service stars				American Campaign Medal
4th Row	World War II Victory Medal				National Defense Service Medal with one star				Korean Service Medal				United Nations Korea Medal

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Category:1912 births Category:1997 deaths Category:People from Kansas Category:Attack on Pearl Harbor Category:United States Marine Corps generals Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit

MHTG-40

Marine Helicopter Training Group 40
Active	Jun 30, 1969 - May 1, 1972
Country	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Helicopter Training Group
Role	Training
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Air Station New River
Engagements	'
Commanders
Commanding Officer	N/A

Marine Helicopter Training Group 40 (MHTG-40) was a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina that is was....

Subordinate units

• H&MS-40
• HMHT-401
• HMMT-402

History

Marine Helicopter Training Group 40 was commissioned on June 30, 1969 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. The Group immediately moved into a brand new $10 million dollar training facility complete with new hangars, warehouses, administrative space for each unit. The group was responsible for post-graduate flight and maintenance training for new pilots and aircrew and also provided transition instruction for jet pilots that converted to helicopters. MHTG-40 was decommissioned on May 1, 1972.

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft groups
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

References

Bibliography

• Fails, William R. (1978). Marines and Helicopters 1962-1973 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps.

Web

Category:United States Marine Corps aircraft groups Category:Military units and formations in North Carolina

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MCCRTG-20

Marine Helicopter Training Group 40
Active	Unk - May 1, 1972
Country	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Fixed Wing Training Group
Role	Training
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
Engagements	'
Commanders
Commanding Officer	N/A

Marine Corps Crew Readiness Training Group 40 (MCCRTG-40) was a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona that was....

Subordinate units

• H&MS-20
• VMFAT-201
• VMAT(AW)-202
• VMAT-203

History

MCCRTG-20 was decommissioned on May 1, 1972.

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft groups
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

References

Bibliography

Web

Category:United States Marine Corps aircraft groups Category:Military units and formations in Arizona

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History of the Marine Air Command and Control System

Marine Air Command and Control System
Active	January 1, 1943 - present
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Aviation command and control
Garrison/HQ	N/A
Anniversaries	75th Anniversary on January 1, 2018
Engagements	World War II Korean War Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope War on Terror Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Inherent Resolve

The Marine Air Command and Control System (MACCS) is a term that describes the aviation command and control agencies of the United States Marine Corps that provide Marine Corps Aviation with the means to monitor, supervise, and influence aviation operations in support of the Marine Air-Ground Team. The first elements that comprise today's MACCS were formed just prior to the United States' entry into World War II. The Marine Corps' earliest dedicated ground based air defense units were formed in 1939 and, as the war progressed and the service expanded, it commissioned additional units to provide early-warning radar, ground-controlled interception and to coordinate and control close air support.

These units continued to refines tactics, techniques and procedures after the war and were among the first Marine Corps units into South Korea at the outset of the Korean War. The 1950s & 60s saw the Marine Corps grow capabilities in ground directed bombing, Air traffic control, Surface-to-air missiles, three-dimensional radars and Man-portable air-defense system. The term Marine Air Command and Control System came into being in the early 1960s as the Marine Corps fielded numerous advanced systems that transformed air control within the service. These advanced systems required greater professionalization so beginning in 1962, the Marine Corps opened up the Air Control military occupational specialty (MOS) to regular, unrestricted officers. A year later, due to the commonality of systems and skillsets, the anti-aircraft artillery and air control MOSs were merged into a singular aviation command and control occupational field - MOS 67XX.

The Vietnam War saw a large deployment of Marine Corps air control and air defense assets throughout the I Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. Because of the number of squadrons and battalions deployed, additional units were commissioned in CONUS to fill the training void created by deploying units. Following the withdrawal from Vietnam, the MACCS downsized and began to further increase professionalization throughout the community. The Marine Corps stood up its own Air Control Training school as part of Marine Corps Communication Electronics School in 1971 having previously trained air controllers via a combination of the Navy's Fleet Anti-Air Warfare Training Center {FAAWTC) and on-the-job training. Also during this time, training and readiness standards were implemented and units began participation in the Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation System to ensure tactical proficiency. By the mid 1970s, the air control field's home-grown officers started to attain higher rank and supplant aviators as commanding officers of MACCS units.

The 1980s saw smaller scale MACCS deployments around the world to support myriad missions. MACCS detachments supported Marine contributions to the Multinational Force in Lebanon, protection of Kuwaiti-owned oil tankers and the invasion of Grenada. Radar detachments were sent to Central America in support of the war on drugs and Marine Air Control Group detachments, as part of the aviation combat element, began providing support to Marine Expeditionary Units

Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait precipitated another large deployment of MACCS units in support of Operation Desert Shield. Units from both the east and west coast Marine Air Control Groups with some reserve support deployed to Saudi Arabia and eventually took part in the liberation of Kuwait. The 1990s saw smaller deployments of MACCS capabilities in support of Operation Restore Hope and with the Marine expeditionary units. The September 11 attacks and the wars that followed saw MACCS units continuously deployed for the next fifteen years in support of the War on terror. An Air Support Element and Mobile Air Traffic Control Team were with the first waves of Marines into Camp Rhino in November 2001. Almost all CONUS based MACCS units to include the reserves deployed in support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In mid-April 2003, a Direct Air Support Center was attached to Task Force Tripoli which marked the furthest inland advance in Marine Corps history. East and West Coast MACCS units then spent the next eleven years rotating deployments to support combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2014, aviation C2 Marines were the last Marines to leave the Camp Bastion/Camp Leatherneck complex thus ending the Marine Corps' large presence in Helmand Province.

Background

The incredible growth of the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Aviation during World War II also made necessary the development of an aviation command and control system to coordinate the employment of large numbers of Marine and Joint aircraft during amphibious operations. At the outset of the war, the Marine Corps had no dedicated plan to construct such a system. There was institutional recognition that the Marine Corps needed to embrace emerging technologies such as radar and night fighters however these new technologies were initially viewed as stand-alone capability sets and not part of a larger, integrated command and control system. The agencies and units that eventually provided aviation command and control functionality were formed out of tactical necessity based on hard lessons learned during each successive battle in the Pacific. As a service, the Marine Corps displayed a high degree of organizational flexibility by rapidly incorporating lessons learned and reorganizing units to meet new requirements or quickly standing up or standing down units based on the latest tactical realities. During the course of the war, in a span of less than four years, the Marine Corps progressed from issuing a few brand new radar sets to its newly formed defense battalions before the war to providing a fully formed aviation command and control system that deployed for the Battle of Okinawa, the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater.

Today's Marine Air Command and Control System includes the Marine Corps' ground based air defense units however air defense did not originally arise as part of Marine Aviation. The first defense battalions were commissioned in 1939 and their assigned tasks included both coastal defense and air defense of advanced naval bases. These battalions found their earliest advocates in the Marine Corps' artillery community. During World War II, these battalions worked hand-in-hand with local Marine Aviation flying and early warning units to identify threats and deconflict their fires from friendly aircraft operating in the same airspace. By 1945 almost all of the defense battalions had been converted to antiaircraft artillery battalions and after the war the Marine Corps drastically cut its air defense capabilities. In 1962, the confluence of networked technology and command authority pushed Marine Corps leadership to move its air defense units under the command of Marine Aviation. It is because of this later dynamic that the history of Marine air defense is included in this narrative.

World War II

Early Air Defense and the growth of the Defense Battalions

On December 7, 1933, Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson issued General Order 241 establishing the Fleet Marine Force. This change was enacted because the Marine Corps had recently adopted the concept of amphibious warfare in order to seize and defend advanced naval bases in conjunction with the fleet. Defending advanced naval bases brought with it the need for an air defense capability. In the fall of 1933 the Marine Corps assigned four students to the Coast Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Then 1stLt James P. S. Devereaux, of later Battle of Wake Island fame, was one of these four men. These men graduated in the summer of 1934 and were assigned to the two new batteries of coastal artillery that were commissioned at Marine Corps Base Quantico. One of these new batteries was a .50cal antiaircraft machine gun battery. Concurrent to this in 1934, the Marine Corps also started a nine month long Base Defense Weapons Course at MCB Quantico. This course instructed Marines on both coastal defense and antiaircraft weapons. This remained the sole antiaircraft battery in the Marine Corps until July 20, 1937 when the 1st and 2d Antiaircraft Battalions were formed at MCB Quantico.

By 1937 the Marine Corps began formulating plans to defend United States outposts in the Pacific as part of War Plan Orange. Then Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC), Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, saw the creation of "Defense Battalions", responsible for providing coastal and air defense for advanced naval bases, as a means of increasing the Marine Corps' end strength prior to the war in a way that did not conflict with isolationist tendencies that still existed in the United States Congress. In 1938, the Navy's Hepburn Board determined that Wake, Midway, Johnston and Palmyra needed to be developed to support naval aircraft and a garrison of Marines to defend. The task of designing these newly envisaged "Defense Battalions" fell to two artillery officers at Headquarters Marine Corps, Colonel Charles D. Barrett and Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Pepper. Their vision and hard work enabled the first two defense battalions to commission in 1939.

In July 1940 the 5th Defense Battalion was sent to Iceland as part of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in order to defend the island against possible German attack. Three SCR-268 fire control radars were part of the 5th Defense Battalion's Table of Organization for this deployment. This marked the first ever operational use of radar in the United States Marine Corps.

3rd Defense Battalion with a 90 mm antiaircraft gun at Guadalcanal

By December 1941, the Marine Corps’ six Defense Battalions consisted of 5,000 Marines and constituted 20 percent of the total Fleet Marine Force. These six battalions were given sole responsibility for defending Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, and Midway Atoll, and represented the Allies’ first line of defense against any Japanese aggression in the Pacific. Defense Battalions were among the first to embrace the “detachment concept” and task organize as required for the unique mission of defending individual islands. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, where defenders shot down three planes, the defense battalions expanded rapidly. On December 8, 1941 the Japanese began an assault on Wake Island, and the defenders, including 399 Marines of the 1st Defense Battalion were able to repel the first Japanese attempt at an amphibious landing sinking two destroyers in the process. The second Japanese landing on December 23 was successful and the garrison surrendered after a pitched battle.

In November 1941, an SCR-270B long range radar was provided to the Air Warning Detachment, 1st Special Defense Battalion at Cavite Philippines. After the initial air raids against the Philippines on December 8, 1941 and the destruction of the Naval Station Sangley Point on December 10, the Marine's SCR-270 was the only operational early warning radar still in service for the upcoming Battle of Bataan. The radar detachment, nicknamed the "Rogues of Bataan," kept the radar operational until the American surrender on April 8, 1942.

In December 1941, Major Walter L. J. Bayler became the "Last Man off Wake Island" because it was imperative that the Marine Corps remove him before the fall of Wake because he was one of the few Marine Corps officers that had experience establishing air-ground communications networks and he also had knowledge of the United States' still top secret radar program. Bayler was next sent to Midway and Guadalcanal to establish radar posts and fighter direction networks.. Marines from the 6th Defense Battalion defended the atoll against the bombardment of two Japanese destroyers on December 7. During the engagement, First Lieutenant George H. Cannon was killed by shrapnel becoming the first Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for combat operations during World War II. At 0555 on June 4, 1942, the 6th Defense Battalion's SCR-270 radar picked up a large force of Japanese aircraft approximately ninety miles out and approaching from 320 degrees. Thirty-six Japanese bombers eventually made it to Midway in two waves and were engaged by the guns of the reinforced 6th Defense Battalion. Japanese after action reports detail losing three aircraft to antiaircraft fire that morning.

Our job is to hold Midway....Keep cool, calm, and collected; make your bullets count.

-LtCol Harold D. Shannon, Commanding Officer, 6th Defense Battalion.

LtCol Walter Bayler controlling fighters from his communications station on Guadalcanal.

On August 7, 1942, the 3d Defense Battalion, landed in support of the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal. The battalion participated in the defense of the island against numerous Japanese counterattacks over the ensuing months. The battalion's machine gun and antiaircraft artillery units were able to get ashore almost immediately however the seacoast artillery units were not able to establish themselves until the end of August. During these early stages of the battle, 3d Defense Battalion was tasked with providing air and coastal defense for the nascent Marine Corps beachhead surrounding Henderson Field. Soon after coming ashore, an SCR-270 was established for early warning and SCR-268s were utilized for target tracking and cueing anti-aircraft guns. These radar's along with reports from the coastwatchers, helped provide early warning of incoming Japanese warplanes. The close proximity of friendly fighter aircraft and friendly antiaircraft artillery over Guadalcanal then necessitated the need to develop tactics and control measures to help prevent fratricide.

Early warning at the beginning of the war

The Marine Corps' first steps towards developing aviation command and control capabilities involved educating young officers on numerous new technologies prior to American involvement in World War II. Marine Aviators such as Edward C. Dyer, Frank Schwable and many others travelled to Great Britain to learn about the fundamentals of radar, conducting ground-controlled interception, and the tactics and techniques necessary to successfully operate night fighters. New technologies such as radar, improved Air-to-ground communications and Radio navigation aids were initially fielded as individual capability sets to be used by specialized units. As there utilization became more common, it became necessary to design a standardized command and control apparatus capable of integrating these new technologies in support of the general purpose force.

Edward Dyer while working at Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation during World War II.

Upon his return from England, Capt Dyer was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation and tasked to develop an air warning program for the Marine Corps. He knew that the essential element for any day/night air defense capability was a robust system of ground-based radars. One of his first official tasks was to brief LtGen Holcomb on what he had seen in England and what he recommended going forward. When he informed CMC that the current purchase of 12 x SCR-268 radars for the defense battalions was not sufficient and that the service needed a mix of 50 radars at a minimum, the Commandant replied, “Gee whiz, thats an awful lot.” Dyer left that meeting having not been told no, so newly promoted Major Dyer immediately piggy-backed onto an existing US Army purchase and placed an order, sight unseen, for $23 million dollars’ worth of VHF radios, VHF direction finding equipment, IFF equipment and GCI radars. Dyer was also responsible for the Marine Corps establishing a radar school at MCB Quantico in the summer of 1942. In December 1942, an SCR-588 was also set-up at MCAS Cherry Point to assist with the instruction of GCI to new fighter controllers.

Initially ground based radars were issued to the defense battalions, the headquarters squadrons in each of the fixed wing Marine Aircraft Groups (MAG) and as part of the newly formed night fighter squadrons. Defense battalions used the SCR-270 long range radar for early warning and the SCR-268 radar to provide fire control data for its 90mm antiaircraft artillery. For the fixed wing MAGs, the table of organization was increased to account for a small radar detachment to provide rudimentary control of assigned aircraft.

This need for greater air-ground integration during the defense of Guadalcanal necessitated the addition of an early warning detachment belonging to Marine Aircraft Group 23 (MAG-23). This additional radar arrived on August 28 along with its crew of ten Marines. These were the first 10 Marines to graduate from the new radar school that Maj Dyer had recently established at MCB Quantico. Under the leadership of Master Technical Sergeant Dermott MacDonnell, these Marines worked tirelessly to keep this radar operational 24 hours a day for the next six months. This radar, along with fighter coordination provided by LtCol Walter Baylor and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing team, allowed the Cactus Air Force to husband its critically short fighter planes instead of maintaining a permanent combat air patrol overhead. The Marine Corps was beginning to transform its command and control based on real-time lessons learned in combat.

Master Technical Sergeant Dermott H. MacDonnell (second from left) receiving the Silver Star in early 1943 from MajGen Roy Geiger for his actions keeping the SCR-270 up and running during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

The Marine radar detachment on Guadalcanal was relieved by a radar crew from the Royal New Zealand Air Force in March 1943. At the time there was a shortage of AMerican radars available for the Pacific so Admiral William Halsey asked the New Zealand government if they could assist. The Marine Corps attached three officers and a senior NCO to this detachment, led by Major Ethridge C. Best, to assist with training and to provide liaison with American fighter units.

Rise of the night fighters

The Marine Corps' first foray into utilizing ground based radars for fighter control originated with the development of the night fighter program. US Navy Captain Ralph E. Davison set the Marine Corps down this path in January 1942 when he wrote, "The job of the Marines is to seize a beachhead and hold it until replaced by the Army. To do this, night fighters will be an absolute necessity." On July 25, 1942, LtGen Holcomb authorized the formation of the Marine Corps' first night fighter squadron beginning in 1943 based on after action reports from air operations in Europe. LtCol Frank Schwable, recently returned from England, was designated as the first commanding officer of Marine Night Fighting Squadron 531 (VMF(N)-531) which was commissioned on November 16, 1942 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The squadron was organized with both a flying echelon and a ground based radar detachment which was necessary to provide GCI for the night fighters. The twin-engine, medium bomber PV-1 Ventura was selected as the Marine Corps' first night fighter and was to be kitted out with the an SCR-540 airborne intercept radar, an IFF transponder and VHF radios for communication with GCI controllers.

The development of the Marine Corps' night fighter program was further hastened by reports from the Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal that enemy night raids were having debilitating effects on the Marines on the ground. VMF(N)-531's formation was hampered by slow aircraft delivery, poor VHF radios, uncalibrated radars and an inconsistent electrical system on the aircraft. Good news arrived on December 19, 1942 when Lt William D. Felder arrived from the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics at Camp Murphy, Florida as the squadron's first schoolhouse trained GCI controller. In February 1943, the squadron sent nine pilots, including Marion M. Magruder, to England to learn night fighting from the Royal Air Force. At the same time, Marines from the squadron's GCI detachment, led by Major Robert O. Bisson, were sent to the General Electric plant in Schenectady, New York to get instruction on operating the newly developed SCR-527 mobile radar. Although the squadron was experiencing numerous growing pains, there was also intense pressure from Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation to get this capability overseas as quickly as possible.

Maj Bisson and the GCI detachment departed for California on May 15, 1943. After a short period of additional training on the SCR-527 at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro, the detachment boarded the USS Hammondsport (AKV-2) in San Diego and set sail for Vella Lavella. Early in the deployment, while at Espiritu Santo, Maj Bisson set up the squadron's radar equipment near the coast to test the reflective effects of water on the radar's performance. What his team discovered is that siting the radar near water actually improved the radar's accuracy. This was contrary to what they had been instructed. The detachment developed a simple correction formula of "100 feet per mile per foot of tide" to account for the changing tides. This ingenious, yet simple solution, for such a complex problem was a real breakthrough that enabled extremely accurate altitude information from land based radars in a littoral environment. VMF(N)-531 GCI controllers were not able to operate with the squadron's planes until October 18. The first successful night interception in the Pacific was conducted by VF(N)-75 while being controlled by VMF(N)-531 GCI equipment and controllers.

Marine Night Fighting Group 53 (MAG(N)-53) was formed on April 1, 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. It was the first night fighter group in the Marine Corps and was responsible for the training of all night fighter squadrons.

Development of the night fighter program was a critical to establishing a Marine Corps air command and control system. VMF(N)-531's successful operations confirmed the need to land air warning equipment early during an amphibious operations in order to provide early warning and fighter direction for night fighters.

Organizing, training and equipping this new capability

Insignia of the 1st Marine Air Warning Group from World War II.

In February 1943 the Commandant of the Marine Corps convened a "Radar Policy Board" headed by LtCol Bayler after his return from Guadalcanal. The board was tasked with making recommendations regarding the establishment of a program for radar early warning, radar fire control and radar fighter direction for Marine Corps units during amphibious operations. Board recommendations included the organization of air warning squadrons and groups requiring nearly 12,000 officers and Marines, placing organic fighter direction with night fighter squadrons and the creation of an Air Defense Section within the Division of Aviation at Headquarters Marine Corps. The report, "Standard Operating Procedures for Radar Air and Surface Warning and Radar Fire Control in the Marine Corps," was published on March 17, 1943 and later endorsed by the Commandant of the Marine Corps on May 4, 1943.

The initial concept for the air warning program detailed by the report called for the establishment of Air Warning Groups composed of a Headquarters & Service Squadron, four Air Warning Squadrons and one Air-Transportable Air Warning Squadron. Each Marine Aircraft Wing had its own Air Warning Group and the Air-Transportable squadrons were to be utilized during the assault phase of amphibious operations. 1st Marine Air Warning Group was established at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina on July 1, 1943. 1st MAWG's mission was to form and train Air Warning Squadrons capable of providing expeditionary air defense during amphibious operations. The group maintained its training gear at Marine Corps Outlying Field Oak Grove in Pollocksville, North Carolina where newly commissioned air warning squadrons rotated through for their initial training. During World War II, 1st MAWG oversaw the formation and training of eighteen air warning squadrons. Once these squadrons were formed and had conducted initial training they were shipped to the west coast for follow on training as part of Marine Air Warning Group 2 at Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar. MAWG-2 was commissioned in October 1943 for the purpose of overseeing the training of these squadrons throughout the Southeastern United States then deploying them to the Pacific. Eleven squadrons were trained by MAWG-2 prior to deploying overseas.

AWS Overseas Deployments

• AWS-1 - Engebi, Okinawa
• AWS-2 - Guam, Ulithi, Peleliu
• AWS-3 - Espiritu Santo, Bougainville, Philippines
• AWS-4 - Los Negros, Philippines
• AWS(AT)-5 - Saipan
• AWS-6 - Okinawa
• AWS-7 - Okinawa, China
• AWS-8 - Okinawa
• AWS-9 - Japan (Occupation Duty)
• AWS-11 - Okinawa, China

As originally envisioned, the air warning squadrons were to be solely responsible for early warning while the headquarters of the MAGs retained responsibility for GCI. Marine Corps leaders learned early on that this arrangement was not ideal for the employment of either capability. Attaching GCI gear to the flying squadrons limited the squadron's tactical mobility while at the same time possibly restricting the best tactical employment of the radar detachment because flying squadron needs were different and usually of greater importance. On August 13, 1943, Col E. A. Montgomery, commanding officer of MAG(N)-53, recommended to the Commandant that all controllers, fighter directors and radar maintenance personnel be transferred to the newly established air warning program. Headquarters Marine Corps agreed with this recommendation and on October 1, 1943 all ground radar personnel were transferred to AWG-1.

The original table of organization for the first Air Warning Squadrons showed 14 officers, 185 enlisted and 6 Navy Corpsman. The squadrons were organized with an H&S section, two long-range air warning sections, three short range air warning sections, and a control division. These numbers were increased in March 1944 to show 20 officers, 259 enlisted men and 6 Corpsman. The additional personnel were a result of the need to man an Air Defense Control Center and the addition of a direction finding and wire sections. Japanese tactics of using massed raids, simultaneously attacking from multiple vectors and the increased need to control combat air patrols meant that a larger command center was needed for increased crew size and necessary coordination.

The first squadron in the new air warning program to commission was Air Warning Squadron 1 on September 1, 1943. By the end of 1943, five squadrons had been commissioned. On November 4, 1943 the Director of Aviation signed off on a plan to expand the air warning program from twenty to thirty-four squadrons. This necessitated the creation of two squadrons per month beginning in January 1944. The Marine Corps was able to keep pace with this increased throughput until June 1944 when severe personnel shortages required a pause in creating new squadrons.

The first air warning squadron to participate in combat in the Pacific was AWS-1 which went ashore at Engebi on February 20, 1944. It was commanded by Captain William D. Felder who had also served with VMF(N)-531 as its first GCI controller. The squadron established its radars and an Air Defense Control Center and assumed primary responsibility for local air defense on March 1. The first combat casualty from the new air warning program was Staff Sergeant Jacob E. Marty who was killed by shrapnel from a Japanese air raid against Engebi on March 8, 1944.

Electronics Training Program

In order to meet the demand for tens of thousands of new Marines trained on radar and radios to fill out this new air warning program, the Marine Corps piggybacked onto the US Navy's Electronics Training Program (ETP). The ETP combined college-level classroom instruction with laboratories in order to train Sailors and Marines on highly complex electronic systems that were classified Secret. This resulted in a level of training reported to have been the most intense and difficult ever given to enlisted servicemen. Colleges and universities with electrical engineering programs were invited to submit full proposals. After very speedy evaluations and visits to the campuses, contracts were awarded to six schools: Bliss Electrical School, Grove City College, Oklahoma A&M College, the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas, Utah State College of Agriculture, and the University of Houston.

A basic list of topics to be covered was prescribed, but it was up to the schools to develop this into a three-month instructional program. Mandatory topics included the following: advanced d-c and a-c circuit theory, electrical motors and generators, vacuum-tube characteristics, power supplies, amplifiers, oscillators, modulation techniques, filters and wave-shaping, receiver circuits, transmitter circuits, transmission lines and antennas, and basic electromagnetic propagation theory. Mathematical topics (mainly trigonometry and elementary calculus) were taken up when necessary for developing theoretical equations. Each student built a superheterodyne receiver, and fault-finding was taught using systematic signal-tracing.

Eight hours per weekday were devoted to lectures and laboratories, and there were at least four hours of homework or supervised study in the evenings; athletics and some drill were fitted in wherever possible. Saturday mornings were devoted to examinations on the topics of the previous week. The repeat of a week was not allowed except under extenuating circumstances. By 1943, collectively, the primary schools were graduating about 1,000 men per month.

First all-black units and reorganizing the defense battalions

Defense Battalion Overseas Deployments

• 1st - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Wake Island, Johnston Island, Palmyra Island, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands, Guam
• 2d - Hawaii, American Samoa, Tarawa, Guam, Okinawa
• 3d - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Midway Island, Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Bougainville
• 4th - Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Midway Island, New Hebrides Islands, New Zealand, Guadalcanal, Vella Lavella, Peleliu, Okinawa
• 5th - Iceland, New Caledonia, Tulagi, Ellice Islands, Hawaii, Okinawa
• 6th - Hawaii, Midway Island
• 7th - American Samoa, Upolu, Ellice Islands, Peleliu
• 8th - American Samoa, Wallis Islands, Gilbert Islands, Okinawa
• 9th - Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Arundel Island, Guam
• 10th - Russell Islands, New Georgia, Arundel Island, Marshall Islands
• 11th - New Hebrides, Guadalcanal, Russell Islands, New Georgia, Arundel Island, Guadalcanal
• 12th - Woodlark Island, New Britain, Russell Islands, Peleliu
• 13th - Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Hawaii
• 14th - Tulagi, St. Matthias Islands, Guadalcanal, Guam
• 15th - Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands
• 16th - Johnston Island, Hawaii, Tinian, Okinawa
• 17th - Saipan, Tinian
• 18th - Saipan, Tinian
• 51st - Ellice Islands, Marshall Islands
• 52d - Mariana Islands, Guam

On June 25, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802; the elimination of racial discrimination from federal departments, agencies, the military, and from private defense contractors. US Navy Secretary Frank Knox was then directed by the President to accept black recruits in the Navy and Marine Corps. In February 1942, the Marine Corps agreed to accept African American recruits for the first time since the Revolutionary War. In order to comply with the Presidential directive yet still maintain strict racial segregation, Lieutenant General Holcomb proposed the establishment of an all black defense battalion. A defense battalion was preferred because in most cases these units deployed to semi-isolated locations which helped Marine leadership maintain [[Racial segregation in the United States |segregation]]. To initially make these battalions self-supporting so they could train in isolation and deploy independently, Holcomb determined that a rifle company, special weapons platoons, and light tank platoon were added. In August 1942, the 51st Defense Battalion was formed at Montford Point Camp near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune as the first African American unit in the Marine Corps. Another all-black battalion, the 52d Defense Battalion, was commissioned in December 1943 and was the last defense battalion commissioned in the Marine Corps.

The dramatic growth in the number of personnel required for the defense battalions during the war necessitated the need to move the Base Defense Course from MCB Quantico to MCB Camp Lejeune in 1943. MCB Lejeune was a better location because it possessed larger facilities and 20mm and 40mm ranges on-site. Between 1941 and 1943, Marine defense battalions "engaged, sank, or damaged more enemy ships than the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps throughout its entire history. By the end of 1943, defense battalion strength had peaked at 26,685 Marines in nineteen battalions.

As the war progressed into 1944, the Marine Corps removed coastal artillery from the defense battalions in order to form additional heavy artillery units for the Fleet Marine Force. Because of the divestiture of the coastal defense mission, most of the defense battalions were re-designated as anti-aircraft artillery battalions during 1944.

Supporting Marines on the ground

As World War II progressed, the Marine Corps gained hard fought experience in the application of close air support during amphibious landings. Marine Aviation's primary role was supposed to be supporting the Marines on the ground however by mid-1944 this had not been the case because of earlier decisions made by Marine Aviation leadership in the Pacific. In late 1942, then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King convinced Major General Ross E. Rowell, Commanding General of Marine Air Wings, Pacific, that there was no longer a need for Marines to get carrier qualifications since all of their aircraft were currently utilizing land based airfields. This lack of foresight led to Marine pilots not being able to fly from escort carriers which provided close air support during amphibious landings later in the war. This returned to haunt the Marine Corps during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign in which it was generally felt that close air support provided by Navy pilots left much to be desired.

This lack of adequate close air support was coupled with the feeling amongst other senior Marine leaders such as Roy Geiger and then Commandant Alexander Vandegrift that Marine aviation was not paying attention to its primary purpose of providing close air support. It had become too concerned with shooting down enemy aircraft. The final straw for Marine Corps leadership was the difficulties encountered in coordinating close air support during the Battle of Saipan. Inadequate command and control agencies and procedures led to long delays in the furnishing of timely air support. In August 1944, General Vandegrift flew to Hawaii to meet with Admiral Nimitz and his staff to propose a solution. The plan they devised assigned Marine squadrons to serve on escort carriers in order to provide the necessary planes for ships the Navy was unable support. For this, Marine aviation was granted permission to control aircraft directly supporting ground troops during amphibious operations. Also Marine Air Wing Pacific was renamed Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific to reemphasize its role in supporting Marine on the ground.

Because of this grand bargain, Colonel Vernon E. Megee was tasked with creating the Provisional Air Support Command (PASC). The unit was officially formed on October 21, 1944 at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii. This new unit was tasked with supporting the landing force commander by allowing them to exercise full control of supporting aircraft during amphibious operations. The PASC was composed of a headquarters element and four, 87 man Landing Force Air Support Control Units (LFASCU) with leadership being provided by some of the best and brightest Marine Aviators as they rotated back to the Pacific from supporting establishment billets. By the end of November 1944 the personnel and equipment for LFASCU-1 were appropriately formed and commenced training in air support problems on Oahu. By early January 1945, LFASCU-1 reported to the V Amphibious Corps in preparation for the assault on Iwo Jima. LFASCU-1 went ashore at Iwo Jima on February 24, 1944 establishing its control center a half a mile from the base of Mount Suribachi. On March 1, 1945 at 1000, LFASCU-1 assumed control of close air support missions on Iwo Jima. This marked the first time that the United States Navy had officially delegated this authority ashore during an amphibious operation. LFASCU-1 operated on Iwo Jima until March 11, 1945 when it was ordered to pack up and begin preparations for follow on operations.

LFASCU-2 & 3 also departed Hawaii in February 1945 heading west. All three of these units were tasked with providing support for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa which was scheduled for April 1, 1945.

Battle of Okinawa: A long way in a few short years

The Battle of Okinawa served as the culmination of the Marine Corps' efforts to build an aviation command and control capability supporting all aspects of large amphibious operations. For the upcoming battle, Marine Aviation took the lead as the headquarters for the Tactical Air Force, Tenth Army (TAF). The TAF was a joint aviation command of the Tenth United States Army responsible for commanding all land-based aviation and aviation command and control units during the battle. The TAF's headquarters was provided by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2d MAW) and it was the largest joint aviation unit under Marine Corps command during World War II.

MAG-43 Marines manage the vertical plotting board inside the Air Defense Control Center during the Battle of Okinawa.

The TAF was activated at Schofield Barracks, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii on November 21, 1944 under the command of Major General Francis P. Mulcahy, then commander of 2d MAW. Expecting a very large number of kamikaze attacks, MajGen Mulcahy selected his Chief of Staff, Brigadier General William J. Wallace, to serve as the head of TAF's most important task unit, the Air Defense Command. The ADC was responsible for overseeing the day and night fighter squadrons from three Marine Aircraft Groups and the four ground based early warning squadrons. BGen Wallace was a seasoned veteran who had previous combat experience as a Marine Air Group commander during the Guadalcanal Campaign. Marine Aircraft Group 43 (MAG-43), under the command of one of the most experienced radar officers in the Marine Corps, now Colonel Robert O. Bisson, was also brought from Marine Corps Air Station El Centro, California to Hawaii to serve as the administrative headquarters for the TAF. The Marine Corps also formed the 1st Provisional Antiaircraft Artillery Group in November 1944 to serve as the antiaircraft headquarters for the III Amphibious Corps during the battle. The Group had tactical control of the 2d, 5th, 8th, and 16th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalions.

Kadena and Yontan Airfields were seized by 1230 on L-Day, April 1, 1945. MAG-43's Air Defense Control Center (ADCC), callsign "Handyman", established itself in a position between Yontan Airfield and Kadena Airfield and took control of the air defense fight ashore on April 7, 1945. The ADCC was initially operated from the back of two LVTs. On April 16th, MAG-43 established its full ADCC in a farmer's house about a half mile southeast of Yontan Airfield in the village of Yomitan. Initially Air Warning Squadron 7 and Air Warning Squadron 8 were the only two ground based early warning units detailed to land during the first few days after D-Day. AWS-7 moved north with the Marine Divisions and established itself at Hedo Point once it was secured. AWS-8 landed with the 77th Infantry Division before D-Day to secure Zamami Shima on March 27, 1945. Air Warning Squadrons 1 and Air Warning Squadron 6 were scheduled to land later in April. These units were tasked to work in conjunction with the Navy's radar picket ships off the coast. Because of the kamikaze threat, it was quickly determined that the initial two air warning squadrons were insufficient for the task. One of the Navy's great lesson's learned from the Battle of Okinawa was that failure to secure outlying islands and install adequate ground based radar coverage was partially responsible for the devastating losses that the radar picket ships suffered. By June 30, MAG-43 consisted of 1,926 Marines with another 505 attached US Army personnel.

All three LFASCUs came ashore on the first day of the invasion and immediately established their control centers. LFASCU 1 supported the V Amphibious Corps, while LFASCU-2 supported the Army's XXIV Corps and LFASCU-3 coordinated close air support for the higher headquarters of the Tenth United States Army. During the course of the battle the three LFASCUs controlled 10,506 close air support [[Sortie |sorties]].

During its existence TAF squadrons flew a total of 38,192 sorties and claimed shooting down 625 enemy aircraft as well as engaging Japanese shipping and providing close air support. During three months of combat over the skies of Okinawa, Marine squadrons assigned to the TAF accounted for 484½ planes shot down helping to create 21 new Marine Corps aces.

Post-war draw down, reorganization and training

After the surrender of Japan, Marine aviation command and control units began to flow back to the United States as was the rest of the service. Some units were required to remain overseas to support operations. Air Warning Squadron 7 went with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to China to support operations in the vicinity of Tsingtao and Peiping until departing in January 1949.

All four of the LFASCUs were disbanded by November 1945. The mission of coordinating close air support remained with an Air Support Section that was part of the Headquarters Squadron of the Marine Air Control Group until July 1, 1947 when Marine Tactical Air Control Squadrons 1 and 2 were formed. The original mission of the Marine Tactical Air Control Squadrons was to provide the facilities required for centralized control of air operations in support of Fleet Marine Force operations. This meant the squadron supported the establishment of the Tactical Air Control Center which oversaw ground control intercept operations as Air Support Section which coordinated close air support for the ground combat element.

Another major effort undertaken by Marine Corps leadership after the war was a concerted effort to improve the service's air to ground coordination. Wartime demands to increase personnel throughput had broken apart the way the Marine Corps traditionally trained its officers at The Basic School. This in turn had led Marine Aviation to move its focus away from supporting Marines on the ground for the majority of World War II. Marine leadership reinvigorated teaching air-ground tactics at all of its professional military education, designed exercises to refine these tactics, and then took the lessons learned and codified the changes in doctrine.

In March 1947, 2 officers and 10 enlisted men at MCAS El Toro formed the Marine Corps first ground-controlled approach detachment. This detachment, known as GCA-37M, was responsible for guiding aircraft to safe landings during inclement weather using specialized radar and radio equipment within the AN/MPN-1. Personnel from this detachment were trained in US Navy Schools at Naval Air Station Banana River, Florida and Naval Air Station Olathe, Kansas. The Marine Corps eventually established five GCA detachments which were located at its major air stations.

The Korean War

Photo showing MTACS-2's Air Support Section at Hagaru-ri during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

Inside the Tactical Air Control Center (TACC) run by MASS-2 in March 1954. This agency was responsible for coordinating the air defense of South Eastern Korea.

The hard work spent trying to better integrate the Marine Corps air-ground team paid-off enormously during the Korean War when the Marines expertly used CAS to devastating effect; especially in the first year of the conflict. Following North Korea's invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950, Marine Tactical Air Control Squadron 2 (MTACS-2) and Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron 1 (MGCIS-1) were immediately alerted to deploy as part of the Marine Aircraft Group 33 with the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. Upon landing in South Korea, MTACS-2 immediately began supporting the 1st Marine Division during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. MGCIS-1 joined the fight in September 1950 when it came ashore with MTACS-2 during the Inchon landings and supported operations during the recapture of Seoul. The Inchon Landing also marked the first ever combat deployment of a Marine Air Traffic Control detachment when GCA Unit 37M came ashore September 18 and established Ground-controlled approach (GCA) services at Kimpo Airfield.

MTACS-2 and MGCIS-1 departed Seoul and landed at Wonsan in October 1950 to take part in the drive towards the Yalu River. MGCIS-1 and the Air Defense Section of MTACS-2 eventually set up operations at Yonpo Airfield while the Air Support Section of MTACS-2 moved north with the 1st Marine Division to Hagaru-ri at the south end of the Changjin Reservoir. MTACS-2's Air Support Section coordinated close air support operations in support of the division's fighting withdrawal from the reservoir to devastating effect. MGCIS-1 controllers assisted their US Navy counterparts controlling hundreds of aircraft daily during the Hungnam evacuation. Following the withdrawal of United Nations forces from Hungnam, MGCIS-1 and the Air Defense Section of MTACS-2 reestablished at Pusan West AB (K-1) while MTACS-2's Air Support Section relocated to Masan.

During 1950, Major Marion C. Dalby, led a team of fourteen Marines at the Naval Air Missile Test Center at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. Originally tasked with trying to guide submarine launched Loon Missiles during the early phases of an amphibious landing, his team ended up creating a new radar directed bombing device that allowed for accurate delivery of aerial fires both day and night and in all weather conditions. This new system was designated as the AN\TPQ-2 Close Air Support System and made ready for deployment to Korea in July 1951. The AN/MPQ-14, operated by the 1st Marine Air Support Radar Team (1st MASRT), was nicknamed "Devastate Charlie" and was attached to MTACS-2. MASRT-1 operated in support of the 1st Marine Division and controlled close air support sorties in Korea from August 1951 until the cessation of hostilities in July 1953. The

Beginning in 1952 the Marine Corps took existing air traffic control services at each major Marine Corps air station or facility and placed them in tactical units known as Marine Air Traffic Control Units (MATCU). The MATCUs supported real-world operations by providing deployable surveillance radars, ground-controlled approach, TACANs, radio direction finding, control towers, and communications equipment. In most instances, the MATCUs fell under the command of the local Marine Air Base Squadrons (MABS). Each Marine Aircraft Group had an assigned MABS which was responsible for providing airfield services. In cases where a MABS was not present, the MATCUs reported to the air station's Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron or a resident Marine Air Control Squadron.

A major reorganization took place within Marine Aviation in February 1954 based on lessons learned from the Korean War. For aviation command and control units this meant separating the task of providing the Wing headquarters from the newly renamed Marine Air Support Squadrons and placing the task with the Marine Air Control Group headquarters.

Interwar period and the advent of the MACCS

MGCIS-1 radar site located at Yonpo Airfield, Korea in December 1950.

Based on the hard lessons learned from the Korean War, the Marine Corps held numerous boards to evaluate and make recommended changes to the organization of Marine Corps Aviation.

With the advent of Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems the Marine Corps began to re-evaluate its current force posture. 3d Defense Battalion, which was decommissioned in December 1944, was reactivated as 1st Provisional Marine Guided Missile Battalion on October 11, 1951 at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, CA. Four years later, on February 7, 1955, the 1st Provisional Marine Guided Missile Battalion was re-designated the 1st Terrier Surface-To-Air Missile Battalion after its newly adopted primary weapon system, the Convair RIM-2 Terrier. The USMC had two Terrier battalions equipped with specially modified twin sea launchers for land use that fired the SAM-N-7 version of the missile. The Terrier was the first surface-to-air missile operational with the USMC. On June 1, 1956 the battalion's designation was changed again to the 1st Medium Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion (1st MAAM Battalion). Even as the Terrier Missile System was being fielded the Marine Corps was aware that the system did not meet the expeditionary needs of the service. To that end, the Marine Corps was already pursuing another medium-range SAM that was being developed by the Army , the MIM-23 Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK). The HAWK missile was favored by the Marine Corps because it was able to be transported by helicopters and was able to engage targets at a much lower altitude than the Terrier.

A Redeye surface-to-air missile being fired

By the mid-1950s, medium and high-altitude anti-aircraft missiles were becoming so effective that an increasing proportion of attack aircraft were expected to enter the battle space at low altitudes. The ever-increasing speed and maneuverability of low-flying jet aircraft decreased warning time and increased the need for effective low-altitude air defense weapons. The existing fire control methods were inadequate to meet the challenges that advanced high-performance aircraft presented. Drawing upon its years of experience as a Navy missile development contractor, Convair began feasibility studies of a very lightweight, man-portable, low altitude missile system in 1951. Designed to be carried and shoulder-launched by individual field personnel using a bazooka-type launcher, the original missile, designated the Redeye, was advertised with a Probability of Kill (PK) of 35 to 40 percent and a maximum effective range of about two nautical miles.

Beginning in 1952, Marine Air Traffic Control Units (MATCU) were created by taking existing air traffic control services at each major Marine Corps air station or facility and placing them in a tactical unit capable of deploying in support of real-world operations. These new units provided deployable surveillance radars, ground-controlled approach, TACANs, radio direction finding, control towers, and communications equipment. In most instances, the MATCUs fell under the command of the local Marine Air Base Squadrons (MABS). Each Marine Aircraft Group had an assigned MABS which was responsible for providing airfield services. In cases where a MABS was not present, the MATCUs reported to the air station's Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron or a resident Marine Air Control Squadron.

A major change in organization came at the end of 1956 when the Marine Air Control Groups were decommissioned and all MACS and MASS units were placed under the command of the newly formed Marine Wing Headquarters Groups (MWHG). The Wing's Headquarters and Headquarters Squadrons (H&HS) also fell under the MWHG. The MWHGs were an attempt to consolidate each wing's command, air control, administration and facilities under a single flag.

The term MACCS did not come into being until the early 1960s when the Marine Corps fielded numerous new, advanced systems that demanded increased integration among the various air control agencies. This new gear included the Marine Tactical Data System (MTDS), the MIM-23 HAWK Missile and the AN/TPQ-10 Air Support Radar Team (ASRT). MTDS was a mobile, ground based, aviation command and control system developed by the Marine Corps for the execution of anti-air warfare in support of the Fleet Marine Force (FMF). It was the Marine Corps' first semi-automated system capable of collecting, processing, computing and displaying aircraft surveillance data while also sharing that information with other participating units via tactical data link. The Raytheon MIM-23 Hawk was an American medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was originally intended to attack aircraft, especially those flying at medium and low altitudes. It entered service with the Marine Corps in 1960. The AN/TPQ-10 was a light-weight, two-unit, helicopter transportable, ground based bombing system developed for use by the United States Marine Corps to provide highly accurate, day/night all weather close air support. This self-contained system was designed to guide an aircraft, equipped with the proper control equipment, to a release point for accurate all-weather delivery of ordnance and supplies to a preselected target. The AN/TPQ-10 and its operators were known as an ‘’Air Support Radar Team’’ (ASRT).

The early 1960s also saw the 6700 occupational field (Aviation Command and Control) opened to unrestricted officers and on January 30, 1962 all HAWK missile battalions were transferred from Force Troops to under the control of Marine Aviation.

The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War saw a large deployment of MACCS units to support the III Marine Amphibious Force throughout the entirety of the I Corps region of South Vietnam. In February 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (9th MEB) into Da Nang in order to protect Da Nang Air Base from enemy incursion. The HAWK missiles of the 1st LAAM Battalion began arriving in Da Nang on February 9, 1965 as one of the first regular force American units to arrive in Vietnam. The entire battalion was airlifted over from Kadena Air Base and was fully operational by February 19. With the 9th MEB ashore, the need to provide close air support led to the deployment of Marine Air Support Squadron 2 from Okinawa, Japan. The squadron arrived on April 16, 1965 and set up its DASC (callsign Landshark) 250 yards west of the runway at Da Nang. The squadron also set up an AN/TPQ-10 Air Support Radar Team. The DASC took control of their assigned airspace at 08:30 on April 22. The first ASRT mission took place on April 30 when they controlled a flare dispensing mission in the vicinity of Da Nang.

Marine Aviation was commanded from the Wing Command General's tactical command post known as the Tactical Air Direction Center (TADC). It was co-located with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing's command post on DaNang. The Marines did not use the doctrinal term Tactical Air Command Center because the Seventh Air Force in Saigon was the senior agency for all aviation forces in theater. Marine Air Control Squadron 9 (MACS-9) arrived in Vietnam in early July 1965 having sailed from Yokosuka, Japan aboard the USS Terrell County (LST-1157). The squadron arrived at Chu Lai on July 9, 1965 however its stay was to be short and by the latter part of August 1965 it began moving to Okinawa. MACS-9 was relieved by MACS-7 who assumed responsibility for radar control over I Corps on September 15, 1965. The squadron remained in Vietnam providing early warning and air surveillance until July 1967.

MACS-7 radar site at Chu Lai in 1965. To the right of the large radome are two AN/TPS-37 Height finder radars and the larger radar in the distance is an AN/MPS-11A.

The first MTDS system fielded to the Fleet Marine Force was given to Marine Air Control Squadron 4 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California in September 1966. Shortly thereafter the squadron was informed that they were deploying to South Vietnam to replace MACS-7. Monkey Mountain Facility near Danang was chosen as the site for MACS-4's Tactical Air Operations Center (TAOC) because it was co-located with the HAWK Missile Batteries of the 1st LAAM Battalion and the United States Air Force's Panama Air Control Faility. The site also provided excellent line of sight to United States Seventh Fleet ships operating in Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin.

MACS-4 arrived in Vietnam in June 1967 and was established and operating on top of Monkey Mountain beginning July 6, 1967. On 13 January 1971 at 0001, MACS-4 made its last tactical transmission in support of operations during the Vietnam War. During its time in Vietnam utilizing MTDS, MACS-4 controlled or assisted 472,146 aircraft. Even though MACS-4 departed Vietnam on 31 January 1971 it maintained a small detachment of twenty Marines on top of Monkey Mountain to man the AN/TYQ-3 - Tactical Data Communications Central (TDCC). The AN/TYQ-3 facilitated critical data exchange between the USAF and USN during the later stages of the Vietnam War. This detachment remained in support of operations until February 14, 1973.

Immediately after MACS-4 and MTDS began operating in Vietnam the Marine Corps instituted another large organizational change for air control within the service. On September 1, 1967 all air direction, air control, and air defense capabilities were consolidated under the newly reestablished Marine Air Control Groups. This change was instituted in order to emphasize the functional arrangement and tactical orientation of the MACCS. Separating the MACCS units from the Marine Wing Headquarters Groups also served to optimize training, command supervision and logistical support required for these complex systems.

During the course of the war, numerous MATCUs served throughout the I Corps Tactical region of South Vietnam supporting the III Marine Amphibious Force.

In 1969, the Marine Corps fielded the AN/TPS-32 radar which was the service's first three dimensional radar and was optimized for operations with MTDS.

The 1970s & 1980s: Professionaliztion

Whereas 1960s saw the MACCS field a great deal of new equipment followed by years of supporting combat operations throughout South Vietnam, during the 1970s the community focused on the professionalization of the air command and control community. At the heart of this professionalization was the establishment of a new schoolhouse for the air control community. "Air Schools" was the name given to Communication-Electronics School Battalion's Charlie Company and it was the first portion of the battalion to relocate from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego to Marine Corps Base 29 Palms in 1968. Charlie Company oversaw instruction of courses that were very specific to the MACCS community - radar maintenance, tactical data systems, and tactical air control. In February 1971, Communications-Electronics School Battalion was redesignated to its current name - Marine Corps Communications-Electronics School (MCCES). LAAM Marines continued to Train at Fort Bliss while air traffic controller training remained with the US Navy at Naval Air Station Glynco until that schoolhouse moved to Naval Air Technical Training Center Millington, Tennessee.

During the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps fielded the FIM-43 Redeye to ground combat element units however in 1969 these platoons were migrated to the Marine Air Support Squadrons in order to consolidate the control of all aircraft and missiles underneath the aviation combat element.

On February 17, 1971 the United States Army's Missile Command evaluated the Redeye II missile against six other missiles. The review recommended full-rate production of the Redeye II along with ancillary IFF gear and Night-vision device. On March 10, 1972 the Redeye II was re-designated as the FIM-92 Stinger.

Beginning in 1976 the Marine Corps began consolidating regionally aligned MATCUs into single squadrons assigned to each Marine Air Control Group. The last MATCU was decommissioned in the reserves in 1980.

On March 8, 1982, 3d Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) Battery (-) was detached from MASS-3 and officially commissioned under the command of Maj Ralph Marchewka. 3d FAAD continued to grow until January 22, 1987 when it was re-designated as 3d Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion.

3d LAAD Battalion experienced its first real-world test when it sent Bravo Battery aboard the USS Okinawa on October 8, 1987, as part of Contingency Marine Air Ground Task Force (CMAGTF) 1-88. In response to Iranian aggression during the Tanker Wars, these Marines provided critical air defense against Iranian aircraft and guaranteed the safety of countless merchant vessels transiting between the Straits of Hormuz and Kuwait.

The Gulf War and the 1990s

Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait set off hostilities throughout Southwest Asia because of this on 21 August 1990 the first elements of MASS-3 began arriving into Saudi Arabia. The squadron commenced operations coordinating joint and coalition air support on 28 August at the Jubail Naval Airfield. MASS-3 provided a Corps-level DASC co-located with the I Marine Expeditionary Force and two Air Support Elements (ASE) to support the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions. During the course of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, MASS-3's DASC and ASE were operational for 4450 hours controlling 7359 fixed wing and 3065 rotary wing missions. They also processed 995 tactical air requests, 141 assault support requests and 180 MEDEVACs.

In August 1990, 2d LAAM Battalion flew in four firing units in two missile batteries to cover the large Marine Corps Area of Operations during Operation Desert Shield. Initially Battery A/2, was established in firing positions north of Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain while Battery B/2 established a firing unit north of King Abdul Aziz Naval Base near Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The command and control of these HAWK batteries ran through the Tactical Air Operations Center run by Marine Air Control Squadron 2 (MACS-2) which was integrated into the Saudi Arabian Royal Air Force Easter Sector Command Center in Dhahran. In early September 1990, these Marine Corps HAWK units were the only Medium Altitude Air Defense in Saudi Arabia.

MACS-2 arrived in Saudi Arabia and established a TAOC in the vicinity of King Abdul Aziz Naval Base (KAANB). On December 29, 1990, MACS-2 relocated its TAOC eight miles west of Ras Mishab. From this location it supported I Marine Expeditionary Force. At the beginning of the ground invasion, the squadron sent an Early Warning and Control (EW/C) site north to Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in the Kingdom of Kuwait.

MWCS-38 sent its Command Element and Detachment A as part of MAG-70 for Operation Desert Shield. Over the next four months, this initial echelon grew when augmented by an MWCS-18 Detachment from Hawaii and Detachment B, MWCS-28 from New River, North Carolina, while Marine aviation forces grew to almost two wings. At the peak of Operation Desert Storm, MWCS-38 supported four fully functional Marine Air Bases, a Tactical Air Command Center (TACC), a Tactical Air Operations Center (TAOC), an Early Warning Control (EWC) center, an Aviation Logistics Ship, two Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARP), and two relay sites.

Advance elements of 3d LAAD Battalion arrived on AUgust 14, 1990 with a contingent from 7th Marines. The remainder of the battalion, augmented by Marines from 4th LAAD Battalion, reached Saudi Arabia on August 17-20 as part of 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. At the time of embarkation, only 45 Stinger Teams and necessary support personnel were authorized to make the trip. Once ashore, A Battery (−) defended Jubayl Airport, Jubayl Port Complex, King Abdul Aziz Naval Base, and Shiek Isa Airfield, Bahrain against air threats. B Battery (-) was in direct support of the 7th Marine Regiment.

Global War on Terror

Operations Enduring Freedom

After the September 11 attacks, an ASE from MASS-3, deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was with the first units that went into Camp Rhino, Afghanistan in late November 2001.

From 2009 through November 2, 2013, the TAOC located at Camp Leatherneck controlled more than 320,000 fixed wing operations, 80,000 aerial refueling operations and 7,000 rotary wing operations in support of coalition operations in southern Afghanistan. The last Marines to depart Camp Leatherneck were air traffic controllers from MACS-1.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

2003 Invasion of Iraq

In the summer of 2002, planning for the possible invasion of Iraq began in earnest for west coast MACCS units under the I Marine Expeditionary Force (IMEF). I MEF had the lead for planning the 2003 invasion of Iraq however the scope and scale of the operation eventually required not only all of MACG-38 but also all of MACG-28 and a significant number of augments including reservists from MACG-48 and all available personnel at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1). The first MACG-38 units began arriving in Kuwait in October 2002 as part of Exercise Internal Look.

For the invasion, MASS-3's DASC was divided into a main echelon (DASC Main) and a forward echelon (DASC Fwd). The DASC Main supported the Headquarters of the 1st Marine Division while the DASC Fwd was attached to the Division's "Jump Command Post (CP)." The DASC Main ended the war in Baghdad after it was taken while the DASC (Fwd) went north with Task Force Tripoli to support the drive to secure Tikrit. Air Support Marines from MASS-1 provided a DASC for Task Force Tarawa and also staffed an airborne DASC element (DASC(A)) out of Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. An additional ASE from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit supported British Forces on the Al Faw Peninsula. Air Support Liaison Teams (ASLTs) were provided to all of the regiments within the 1st Marine Division to affect greater coordination with the DASC and Marine Liaison Officers were placed aboard the Air Force AWACS to affect real time coordination of airborne assets with the Air Force.

The Marine Corps' concept for air support control proved to be very successful during OIF 1. DASC crews were able to clear targets much quicker than the USAF's Air Support Operations Center providing support for V Corps. The DASC had four unique traits that streamlined the processing of air support requests for I MEF: they controlled both fixed wing and rotary wing air which provided additional aircraft for assignment and easier deconfliction; they had organic Marine Aviation in direct support; they were crewed by professional aviation command and control Marines whose primary job is the coordination of close air support; and they were assigned at the division level vice corps level

LAAD Marines provided air defense for numerous Marine Wing Support Squadrons and served as a gap filler for a battalion from the Army's 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Their mission was to defend logistics convoys loaded with aviation fuel and ordnance that were staged at Forward arming and refuelling points (FARPs) along I MEF's path into Northern Iraq.

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support squadrons

References

Bibliography

• Alexander, Joseph, ed. (1996). The Final Campaign: Marines in the Victory on Okinawa. Washington D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center.
• Astor, Gerald (2005). Semper Fi in the Sky – The Marine Air Battles of World War II. New York City: Random House. ISBN 0-89141-877-6.
• Banks, Herbert C., ed. (1999). Marine Night Fighter Association. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 1-56311-512-3.
• Bayler, LtCol Walter L.J.; Carnes, Cecil (1943). Last Man Off Wake Island. Cornwall, NY: The Cornwall Press.
• Condon, John P. (1998). Corsairs and Flattops: Marine Carrier Air Warfare, 1944-1945. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557501270.
• DeChant, John A. (1947). Devilbirds. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers.
• Farmer, Edward W. (1992). A Brief History of Marine Air Warning Squadron Eight. Self Published.
• Frank, Benis M.; Shaw, Henry I. (1968). Victory and Occupation. Washington D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center.
• Frank, Richard B. (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the landmark Battle. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
• Genochio, Frank Albert (1949), "The Training of Navy Electronics Technicians", Master’s Thesis, School of Education, Stanford University
• Hammes, T. X. (2010). Forgotten Warriors: The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, The Corps Ethos, And The Korean War. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
• Heinl, Robert D. (1962). Soldiers of the Sea. Annapolis, MD: US Naval Institute Press.
• Krulak, Victor (1984). First to Fight: View of the U.S. Marines. Annapolis, MD: US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-671-73012-6.
• Lundstrom, John B. (2005). The First Team And the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 (New ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-472-8.
• Megee, Vernon (2011). Memoirs of a Marine: Old Corps - New Corps 1919 to 1959. Atriad Press. ISBN 1933177284.
• Melson, Charles D. (1989). The Ninth Marine Defense and AAA Battalions. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 0-938021-85-0. LCCN 90070003.
• Morrison, Samuel Eliot (1963). The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War. Atlantic Monthly Press.
• Porter, R. Bruce; Hammel, Eric (1985). Ace! - A Marine Night-Fighter Pilot in World War II. Pacifica, California: Pacifica Press.
• Quilter, Col Charles J.; Chapin, Col John C (2001). History of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 531. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.
• Rielly, Robin L. (2008). Kamikazes, Corsairs, and Picket Ships - Okinawa, 1945. Drexel Hill, PA: Casemate Publishers.
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939–1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2004). US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operationss 1944-45. Osprey Press. ISBN 1841766593.
• Shettle, M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.
• Shulimson, Jack; Johnson, Charles M. (1978). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Landing and the Buildup, 1965. Washington D.C.: History and Museums Division, U.S. Marine Corps.
• Simmons, Edwin H. (1998). The United States Marines: A History. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
• Watson, Raymond C., Jr. (2007), Solving the Naval Radar Crisis, Trafford Publishing{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Wolf, William (1999). Death Rattlers: Marine Squadron VMF-323 Over Okinawa. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 0764309536.

Interview

• Dyer, Edward C. (1968). "Oral History Transcript Brigadier General Edward C. Dyer U.S. Marine Corps (retired)" (Interview). Interviewed by Benis M. Frank. Washington D.C.: Marine Corp Historical Division.

Journal

• Murray, Bill (1946). "Eyes in the Night" (PDF). Marine Corps Gazette. 30 (5): 28–31, 44. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
• Paige, H. R. (1943). "Marine Corps Antiaircraft". Coast Artillery Journal. LXXXVI (6): 6–10.

Web

• Chapin, John C. (1997). "...And A Few Marines: Marines in the Liberation of the Philippines". Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• Heinl, Lieutenant Colonel R.D., Jr. (1947). Marines in World War II Historical Monograph: The Defense of Wake (PDF). Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. LCCN 47046490. OCLC 2944549. Retrieved 8 October 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Donovan, James A. (1992), Outpost in the North Atlantic: Marines in the Defense of Iceland, Darby, Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-7881-3524-8
• Edwards, Harry W. (1994). A Different War: Marines in North Africa and Europe (PDF). Washington D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center.
• Heinl, Robert D., Jr. (1948). Marines At Widway (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center. Retrieved 23 May 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Hoffman, Carl W. (1950). "Saipan: The Beginning of the End" (PDF). www.usmcu.edu. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
• MacGregor, Morris J. (1981). Center of Military History, U.S. Army (ed.). Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940–1965. Government Printing Office. pp. 100–102. ISBN 0-16-001925-7.
• Melson, Major Charles D. (1996a). Condition Red: Marine Defense Battalions in World War II. Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. Washington, D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center. LCCN 96174419. OCLC 34920984. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
• Miller, J. Michael (1997). "From Shanghai to Corregidor: Marines in Defense of the Philippines" (PDF). www.marines.mil. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
• Nalty, Bernard C. (1995). The Right to Fight: African American Marines in World War II (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
• Telfer, Gary L.; Rogers, Lane; Fleming, V. Keith (1984). "From U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967" (PDF). www.marines.mil. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• Shaw, Henry I. (1991). Opening Moves: Marine Gear Up for War (PDF). Washington D.C.: Marine Corps Historical Center.

Category:United States Marine Corps aviation

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1st 90mm AAA Gun Battalion

1st 90mm AAA Gun Battalion
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Air Defense
Part of	Inactive
Engagements	Korean War
Commanders
Current commander	N/A

1st 90mm AntiAircraft Artillery Gun Battalion (1st 90mm AAA Gun Bn) was a reserve United States Marine Corps air defense unit equipped with the M1 90mm anti-aircraft gun. Activated during the Korean War, they deployed in August 1951 and were responsible for providing air defense in the vicinity of Pusan, South Korea for the remainder of the war.

Locations

• Headquarters, A, B, & C Batteries - Chicago, Illinois
• D Battery - Augusta, Maine

History

On 8 August 1951, the battalion boarded three trains bound for San Diego, California. On 10 August, just outside of Lettsworth, Louisiana, one of the passenger trains collided head-on with the Southern Belle of the Kansas City Southern Railway. Two Marines were killed in the incident and another twenty were wounded. A few days later, the battalion departed San Diego on board the USS General M. C. Meigs bound for Pusan, South Korea.

References

Bibliography

• Cheely, Walter H. (2009). A Brief History of the 1st 90MM AAA Gun Battalion USMC. ISBN 978-0-557-38795-3.

References

Cheely, Walter H. (2009). A Brief History of the 1st 90MM AAA Gun Battalion USMC. ISBN 978-0-557-38795-3.

AA90mm Category:Military units and formations established in 1942 AAA Category:United States Marine Corps units and formations in the Korean War

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Marine Air Traffic Control and Landing System

The Marine Air Traffic Control and Landing System more commonly known as MATCALS was a fully automated, rapidly deployable, air traffic control (ATC) system developed for the United States Marine Corps by the Sperry Corporation. MATCALS enabled Marine Corps air traffic control detachments to rapidly establish communications, take-off, landing, and other ATC services required for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules control of aircraft at remote area landing sites. The system consisted of a primary surveillance radar, a Precision approach radar, and mobile operations center. The system was first fielded in April 1986 and remained in service until August 2014.

System

Major Components & Subcomponents

• AN/TPS-72 Surveillance Radar, produced by Paramax - two dimensional, S band surveillance radar that was accurate out to 60NM and up to 40,000ft.
• (AN/TPN-22) Precision Approach Radar (PAR) - produced by xxxx - helicopter transportable, three dimensional, pencil beam, track while scan precision approach radar that provided precision approach and landing recovery of tactical aircraft.
• (AN-TSQ-131) Command and Control Subsystem - transportable facility consisting of two identical shelters that housed the system's communications equipment, data processing, operator consoles, and display functions.

Operations

In October 2004, the Marine Corps cancelled the AN/TPY-1 Air Surveillance Precision Approach Radar (ASPARCS) which was intended to replace all three subsystems of MATCALS. The AN]TPY-1 suffered from unstaisfactory performance, schedule delays, and funding issues. Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation quickly endorsed the United States Army's requirements document for the AN/TPN-31 Air Traffic Navigation, Integration, and Coordination System {ATNAVICS). ATNAVICS reached initial operating capability in 2007 and full operating capability in 2014. Marine Air Control Squadron 1 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona was the last squadron to divest of the system in September 2014.

MCAS Parris Island

MCAS Parris Island
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	United States Marine Corps
Location	Port Royal, South Carolina
Built	1934
In use	1941–1947
Elevation AMSL	23f ft /
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Marine Corps Air Station Parris Island (ICAO: KNZJ, FAA LID: NZJ) was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.

History

The original airfield on MCRD Parris Island was constructed in 1919 and was used to train Marine and Navy Aviators to fly DH-4 bombers until 1921. Beginning in 1933, the Works Project Administration (WPA) began clearing the land for a new airfield at Parris island. Most of this work was accomplished utilizing mule teams and hand tools without the aid of heavy machinery.On September 19, 1938, the airfield was officially named in honor of Captain Arthur Hallet Page. Captain Page died on September 1, 1930, in a plane crash at the Thompson Trophy Race in Chicago, Illinois after being overcome by carbon monoxide fumes. The primary purpose for the airfield was to provide an airfield to support operational training such as night operations and gunnery and bombing practice. The field was re-designated as Marine Corps Air Station Parris Island in December 1941. During World War II, MCAS Parris Island was home to the Marine Corps' only glider group, barrage balloon squadrons, and also served as a home for a Marine Bombing Squadron as it prepared for deployment overseas.

Accidents and incidents

• December 2, 1942 - LtCol Harold I. Larson, the Commanding Officer of MCAS Parris Island, and two other officers were killed when their aircraft crashed outside of Indian Head, Maryland

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps air stations

References

Books

• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.
• Shettle Jr., M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.

External links

Media related to Looper5920/sandbox at Wikimedia Commons

Category:Defunct airports in South Carolina Parris Island Category:World War II airfields in the United States

2d Landing Support Battalion

The origins of 2d Transportation Support Battalion can be traced back to the histories of two battalions: 2d Landing Support Battalion and 8th Motor Transport Battalion. 2d Landing Support Battalion was originally activated in the 1941 as 2d Service Battalion located in San Diego, California. That unit deployed to Wellington, New Zealand and participated in the World War II Campaigns of Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa.-In July 1946, 2d Service Battalion relocated to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In 1949, the unit was reactivated and re-designated as 2d Force Service Battalion. In the 1950s, the unit trained throughout the Caribbean and in 1958, was once again re-designated as 2d Service Battalion. Elements of the unit participated in our nation's response to the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.

In May 1976, the unit was renamed 2d Landing Support Battalion. 2d Landing Support Battalion participated in a variety of deployments and commitments to include Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and Humanitarian Relief Efforts in Central America.

4th Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion

4th Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion
Active	1 Dec 1961 – 1 Oct 1997
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Surface-to-air missile
Part of	Inactive
Commanders
Current commander	N/A

4th Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion (4th LAAM Bn) was a reserve United States Marine Corps Surface-to-air missile unit equipped with the medium range MIM-23 HAWK Missile System. 4th LAAM was commissioned at Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, California in 1961. The battalion later transferred to the reserves with headquarters in Fresno, California. At the time it was decommissioned the battalion was under the command of Marine Air Control Group 48 and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.

Organization

• Headquarters and Services Battery - Fresno, California
• Alpha Battery - Pasadena, California
• Bravo Battery - San Jose, California
• Charlie Battery - Fresno, California

History

4th LAAM Battalion was originally planned to be activated in the 1st Quarter of fiscal year 1963. Due to early equipment deliveries and availability of personnel, Headquarters and Service Battery, 4th LAAM Battalion was commissioned on December 1, 1961 at Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, California. On August 1, 1965 the battalion was re-designated as the Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment and transferred from under the command of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing to the Marine Air Reserve Training Command.

4th LAAM Battalion was decommissioned on October 1, 1997.

Unit awards

Since the beginning of World War II, the United States military has honored various units for extraordinary heroism or outstanding non-combat service. This information is compiled by the United States Marine Corps History Division and is certified by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. 4th LAAM Battalion has been presented with the following unit awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer	1994-95
	National Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star	1961–1974, 1990–1995	Vietnam War, Gulf War

4th Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion MUC 2Aug90-15Oct91 SU 4th MAW MUC 1Jul93-30Jun95 See Individual Unit Listing 4th LAAM - Hayward MUC 1Jun94-31Dec95 SU 4th MAW

4th LAAM Detachment A - Fresno MUC 1Jun94-31Dec95 SU 4th MAW
4th LAAM Detachment C - Hayward MUC 1Jun94-31Dec95 SU 4th MAW

H &S 4th LAAM - Fresno MUC 1Jun94-31Dec95 SU 4th MAW

H&S Detachment LAAM - Hayward MUC 1Jun94-31Dec95 SU 4th MAW
Detachment B MUC 1Jul88-28Feb90

https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/webcenter/content/conn/WebCenterSpaces-ucm/path/Enterprise Libraries/MMMA/NAVMC 2922_Signed 26NOV2019.pdf

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support units
• History of ground based air defense in the United States Marine Corps

References

Bibliography

Web

External links

Category:United States Marine Corps aviation support squadrons AAA

MATCS-28

Marine Air Traffic Control Squadron 28
Active	Apr 23, 1976 - Jul 22, 1994
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Air traffic control
Part of	Inactive
Nickname(s)	Intrepid Sentinels
Commanders
Current commander	N/A

Marine Air Traffic Control Squadron 28 (MATCS-28) was a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control squadron responsible for providing continuous, all-weather air traffic control services for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing throughout the East Coast of the United States. MATCS-28 was formed by consolidating four, regionally aligned Marine Air Traffic Control Units under one flag to better integrate them with the Marine Air Command and Control System. The squadron was headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina and fell under the command of Marine Air Control Group 28. MATCS-28 was decommissioned in July 1994 and the air traffic control function was moved to the Marine Air Control Squadrons. Since its decommissioning, no other squadron has carried the lineage and honors of MATCS-28.

Organization

Apr 1976 - Oct 1978

• Headquarters - Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC
• MATCU-21 - Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, SC
• MATCU-22 - Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC
• MATCU-23 - Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue, NC
• MATCU-24 - Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, VA

Oct 1978 - July 1994

• Headquarters - MCAS New River, NC
• Detachment A - MCAS Beaufort, SC
• Detachment B - MCALF Bogue, NC
• Detachment C - MCAF Quantico, VA (deactivated in July 1987)

Mission

Provide all-weather air traffic control service at four expeditionary airfields and eight remote landing sites in support of the Fleet Marine Force. In additional to supporting 2d MAW, the squadron was additionally tasked with providing air traffic control personnel to MCAS Beaufort, MCAS New River, and MCAS Cherry Point in support of the Fleet Assistance Program on a permanent basis. During combat operations, the squadron was designed to be able to provide full IFR services at four main airbases while also providing four mobile teams to support four smaller air sites.

History

MATCS-28 was commissioned on April 23, 1976 at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. The squadron was formed as the Marine Corps unified regional air traffic control services that existed as part of each Marine Air Wing. Up to that point, each Marine Aircraft Group was assigned its own Marine Air Traffic Control Unit (MATCU). MATCUs 61, 63, 64, 68, and 69 were decommissioned the same day that MATCS-28 was stood up. On June 1, 1976 the squadron's headquarters moved to Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC. From July 10, 1977 through July 19, 1978, Detachment A, MATCU-24 from MCAF Quantico provided radar, NAVAID, and tower services at Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine while the stations air traffic control facilities were being refurbished. During that time, the detachment controlled 24,179 accident free aircraft operations.

On October 1, 1978, MATCS-28 was reorganized in accordance with a directive from Headquarters Marine Corps. Each sub-MATCU at the outlying airfields was redesignated as lettered detachments under the command of MATCS-28.

In 1986, MATCS-28 became the first Marine Corps squadron to field the new Marine Air Traffic Control and Landing System (MATCALS).

During the Gulf War, Detachment "H" from MATCS-28 was afloat with the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade amphibious assault contingency force.

As part of the post-Cold War downsizing of the United States Military, MATCS-28 was designated to be decommissioned with its personnel, equipment, and functions dispersed between Marine Air Control Squadron 2 and Marine Air Control Squadron 6. MATCS-28 was officially decommissioned on July 22, 1994, at MCAS New River, North Carolina.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. The 4th Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion has been presented with the following awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	National Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star	1966-69, 1990-91	Vietnam War, Gulf War

Marine Air Traffic Control Squadron 28 MUC 1Jun86-30Jun87

Detachment NUC 14Aug90-16Apr91 SU I MEF

https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/webcenter/content/conn/WebCenterSpaces-ucm/path/Enterprise Libraries/MMMA/NAVMC 2922_Signed 26NOV2019.pdf

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support units
• History of ground based air defense in the United States Marine Corps

References

Bibliography

Web

External links

Category:United States Marine Corps aviation support squadrons Category:Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps

List of United States Marine Corps World War II flying aces

Photo	Name	Victories	Squadron	Notes
	Donald N. Aldrich	20.0	VMF-215
	Stuart C. Alley Jr.	5.0	VMF-323
	George C. Axtell	6.0	VMF-323
	Robert Baird	6.0	VMF(N)-533
	Robert M. Baker	7.0	VMF-121
	Frank B. Baldwin	5.0	VMF-221
	Harold W. Bauer	11.0	VMF-212
	John F. Bolt	6.0	VMF-214
	Pappy Boyington	28.0	VMF-214
	Richard L. Braun	5.0	VMF-215
	William Perry Brown Jr.	7.0	VMF-311
	Marion E. Carl	18.5	VMF-221/VMF-223
	William A. Carlton	5.0	VMF-212
	William N. Case	8.0	VMF-214
	Dean Caswell	7.0	VMF-221
	Creighton Chandler	6.0	VMF-215
	Arthur R. Conant	6.0	VMF-215
	Jack E. Conger	10	VMF-212/VMF-223
	William E. Crowe	7.0	VMF-124
	James N. Cupp	13.0	VMF-213
	Leonard K. Davis	5.0	VMF-121
	Phillip C. DeLong	11.2	VMF-212
	Jefferson J. DeBlanc	9.0	VMF-112
Joseph V. Dillard	6.3	VMF-323
Eugene Dillow	6.0	VMF-121
John F. Dobbin	8.0	VMF-224
Robert M. Baker	7	VMF-121
Archie G. Donahue	14.0	VMF-112/VMF-451
Jefferson D. Dorroh	6.0	VMF-323
Cecil J. Doyle	5.0	VMF-121
Charles W. Drake	5.0	VMF-323
Frank C. Drury	6.0	VMF-212/VMF-223
Dewey F. Durnford	6.3	VMF-323
Hugh M. Elwood	5.2	VMF-212
Loren D. Everton	12.0	VMF-212/VMF-223
William Ferrell	5.0	VMF-312
Howard J. Finn	6.0	VMF-124
Don H. Fisher	6	VMF-214
Paul J. Fontana	5.0	VMF-112
Kenneth M. Ford	5.0	VMF-121
Joseph J. Foss	26.0	VMF-121
'Robert B. Fraser	6.0	VMF-112
Kenneth D. Frazier	12.0	VMF-223
William B. Freeman	6.0	VMF-121
Robert E. Galer	13.0	VMF-224
Fred E. Gutt	8.0	VMF-223
Roger A Haberman	7.0	VMF-121
Albert C. Hacking	5.0	VMF-221
Sheldon O. Hall	6.0	VMF-213
Henry B Hamilton	7.0	VMF-223/VMF-212
Herman Hansen Jr.	5.0	VMF-122
Robert M. Hanson	25.0	VMF-214/VMF-215
Edwin J Hernan Jr.	8.0	VMF-215
George L. Hallowell	8.0	VMF-224
William L. Hood	5.5	VMF-323
John C. Hundley	6.0	VMF-211
Julius W. Ireland	5.3	VMF-211
Alvin J. Jensen	7.0	VMF-214
Charles D. Jones	6.0	VMF-222
Charles Kendrick	5.0	VMF-223
Floyd C. Kirkpatrick	5.5	VMF-441
FrCharles M. Kunzed E. Gutt	8.0	VMF-224
Wayne W. Laird	5.0	VMF-112
Gregory. K. Loesch	8.5	VMF-121
Herbert H. Long	10.0	VMF-121
Joseph P. Lynch	5.5	VMF-112/VMF-155/VMF-224
John B. Maas Jr.	5.5	VMF-112/VMF-322
Christopher L. Magee	9.0	VMF-214
Thomas H. Mann Jr.	10.0	VMF-224
William P. Marontate	13.0	VMF-121
H. Allen McCartney Jr.	5.0	VMF-251/VMF-121/VMF-214
Robert W. McClurg	7.0	VMF-214
Selva E. McGinty	5.0	VMF-441
John McManus	6.0	VMF-212
John L. Morgan Jr.	8.5	VMF-213
Paul A. Mullen	6.5	VMF-122/VMF-214
Joseph l. Narr	8.0	VMF-121
Jeremiah J. O'Keefe	7.0	VMF-323
Edwin L. Olander	5.0	VMF-214
Edmund F. Overend	8.3	VMF-321
Donald C. Owen	5.0	VMF-212/VMF-112
Robert G. Owens Jr.	7.0	VMF-215
Frederick R. Payne	7.5	VMF-212
James Gilbert Percy	6.0	VMF-112
Hyde Phillips	5.0	VMF-223
Francis E. Pierce Jr.	6.0	VMF-212
Jack Pittman Jr.	7.0	VMF-221
Zenneth A. Pond	6.0	VMF-223
Robert Bruce Porter	5.0	VMF-121/VMF(N)-542
George H. Poske	5.0	VMF-212/VMF-215
Nathan T. Post	8.0	VMF-221
Ernest A. Powell	5.0	VMF-122
Frank H. Presley	6.0	VMF-121
Orvin H. Ramio	5.0	VMF-223
J. Hunter Reinburg	7.0	VMF-121
John W. Ruhsam	7.0	VMF-323
Donald H. Sapp	11.0	VMF-222
Hartwell V. Scarborough	5.0	VMF-214
Robert Byron See	5.0	VMF-321
Harold E. Segal	12.0	VMF-221
Edward O. Shaw	13.0	VMF-213
Perry L. Shuman	6.0	VMF-121
Wallace E. Sigler	5.3	VMF-112/VMF-124
John L. Smith	19.0	VMF-223
William N. Snider	11.5	VMF-221
Harold L. Spears	15.0	VMF-215
Robert F. Stout	6.0	VMF-212
James E. Swett	15.5	VMF-221
Stanley T. Synar	5.0	VMF-112/VMF-214
Francis A. Terrill	6.1	VMF-323
Franklin C. Thomas Jr.	9.0	VMF-112
Wilbur J. Thomas	18.5	VMF-213
Eugene A. Trowbridge	12.0	VMF-223
Herbert J. Valentine	6.0	VMF-312
Milton N. Vedder	6.0	VMF-213
Robert Wade	7.0	VMF-323
Kenneth A. Walsh	21.0	VMF-124
Arthur T. Warner	8.0	VMF-215
Gregory J. Weissenberger	5.0	VMF-213
Albert P. Wells	5.0	VMF-323
Gerard M.H. Williams	7.0	VMF-215
Donald K. Yost	8.0	VMF-121/VMF-351
Michael R. Yunck	5.0	VMF-311

Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Pacific

Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Pacific
Active	Mar 10, 1952 - Unknown
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Part of	Inactive
Commanders
Current commander	N/A

Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Pacific was a

Commanding Officers

• Col R.F. Crist

Unit awards

Since the beginning of World War II, the United States military has honored various units for extraordinary heroism or outstanding non-combat service. This information is compiled by the United States Marine Corps History Division and is certified by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Pacific has been presented with the following awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	National Defense Service Streamer	1951–1954	Korean War

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support squadrons
• History of ground based air defense in the United States Marine Corps

References

Bibliography

Category:Military units and formations established in 1952

2nd Medium Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion

2nd Medium Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion
Active	June 30,1958 - Jun 1959
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Air Defense
Size	750 Personnel
Part of	Inactive
Commanders
Current commander	N/A

The 2nd Medium Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion (2nd MAAM) was a short lived United States Marine Corps air defense unit that was only in existence for approximately one year. The battalion was based at Marine Corps Base 29 Palms, California and was responsible for employing the RIM-2 Terrier surface-to-air missile. When the Marine Corps' began fielding the MIM-23 HAWK Missile in 1959, the much bulkier and less mobile Terrier Missile system quickly became obsolete. 2nd MAAM Battalion was decommissioned in June 1959. Since then, no other Marine Corps battalion has carried the lineage and honors of the 2nd MAAM Battalion.

History

2nd Medium Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion was commissioned on June 30, 1958 at Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, CA. At the time of its activation it was the Marine Corps' second guided missile battalion. Two years earlier on June 1, 1956 the 1st Medium Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion arrived at MCB Twentynine Palms as the first unit in the Marine Corps tasked to employ the Terrier surface to air missile.

From October to early November 1958, 2nd MAAM deployed to the Pacific Missile Firing Range at Point Arguello, CA for its annual field firing exercise. Marines from 2nd MAAAM Battalion brought two Terrier missiles with launcher and carrier to the 2nd Western Space Age Conference and Exhibit in Los Angeles, CA in early March 1959.

Commanding Officers

• Maj John J. Filippo - June 30, 1958 - December 27, 1958
• LtCol Bertram S. Ryder - December 28, 1958 - unknown
• Capt E. L. Eyer -

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support squadrons
• History of ground based air defense in the United States Marine Corps

References

Bibliography

Category:Battalions of the United States Marine Corps Category:Military units and formations established in 1958 AAA

1st Armored Amphibian Battalion

1st Armored Amphibian Battalion
1st AABn's Insignia
Active	August 20, 1943 – November 30, 1945
Country	United States
Branch	USMC
Type	Armored Assault Battalion
Role	Amphibious assault
Size	850 Marines
Part of	Inactive
Engagements	World War II *Battle of Kwajalein *Battle of Guam *Battle of Okinawa Korean War *Battle of Inchon

1st Armored Amphibian Battalion was an armored amphibian battalion in the United States Marine Corps originally formed during World War II. Thier role was to provide amphibious fire support during the final approach to the beach during amphibious assaults. Their primary weapon system was the Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Armored or LVTA which was an 18-ton armored vehicle whose later versions were armed with a 75mm main tank gun.

The battalion was formed on August 20, 1943 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fell under the command of the III Amphibious Corps for the duration of the war. They participated in the Battle of Kwajalein, Battle of Guam and Battle of Okinawa before being deactivated on November 30, 1945 following the surrender of Japan. The battalion was reactivated during the Korean War and saw action during the Battle of Inchon and subsequent fighting during the course of the war.

Subordinate Units

The 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion was composed of 5 companies:

• Headquarters & Services Company
• Alpha Company
• Bravo Company
• Charlie Company
• Delta Company

History

World War II

The 1st Armored Amphibian Tractor Battalion was activated at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, on August 20, 1943. They were originally equipped with LVT(A)1s that were armed with the 37mm gun turret from an M3 light tank, one .50 caliber maching gune and 3 or 4 .30 caliber machine guns. On January 6, 1944 the battalion left San Diego heading for it's first combat mission. On January 31, they took part in the Battle of Kwajalein where they landed on Roi-Namur supporting Marines of the 4th Marine Division. During the landings they encountered very heavy surf and would end up losing more men to drowning then combat.

Following the battle the battalion was ferried first to Funafuti and then to Guadalcanal for rest and refitting. On May 31, 1944 the battalion again embarked onboard amphibious shipping heading for their next objective. After numerous delays and a brief stop in Eniwetok the battalion took part in the assault to retake Guam on July 21. Their amphibious tanks would lead the assault on Asan and Agat beaches. The battalion would fight on Guam for three weeks until they were relieved and boarded LSTs for a return trip to Guadalcanal.

After large-scale naval and troop maneuvers in Guadalcanal waters, 1st AAB departed on March 12, 1945 heading for Okinawa where they would support the 6th Marine Division. The Battle of Okinawa began was on April 1, 1945 with unopposed amphibious landings because the Japanese had decided to create their defensive line on the southern portion of the island vice defend at the beaches. At first The First Armored engaged primarily in artillery and beach defense, swept north through the Motobu Peninsula and help secure a number of small islands off the coast. The battalion would shift it's focus to the southern portion of the island shortly after where they would take part in savage fighting that would last through July 4, 1945.

After the Battle of Okinawa the battalion was transported to Saipan until August where they were training for the invasion of Japan later that year. After the surrender of Japan the battalion was returned by troop transport to the United States in November. The First Armored Amphibian Battalion was deactivated at MCB Camp Pendleton, California, on November 30, 1945.

Korean War

18 LVT(A)-5 amphibian tanks from the battalion landed at Blue Beach supporting the 1st Marine Regiment during the amphibious assault on Inchon After the landings at Inchon, the battalion was semi-permanently attached to the Korean Marine Corps using their vehicles to patrol, cross and defend the waterline on the Han and Imjin Rivers. In 1952 the battalion would be assigned to the Kimpo Provisional Regiment. This regiment was made up of U.S. Army, Navy and Marine forces along with Marines from the Korean Marine Corps. They were tasked with defending the approaches to the vital United Nations command facilities on the Kimpo Peninsula.

See also

• WWII/Korea LVT Museum
• History of the United States Marine Corps
• List of United States Marine Corps battalions

Bibliography

• Ballenger, Lee (2000). The Outpost War - U.S. Marines in Korea, Vol.1:1952. Washington D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-373-9.
• Gilbert, Oscar (2003). Marine Corps Tank Battles in Korea. Havertown, PA: Casemate. ISBN 1-93203-313-0.
• Hitting the Beaches:The First Armored Amphibian Battalion In World War II 1943 - 1945.
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2004). U.S. Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations, 1943 - 1944. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-84176-651-8. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)

External links

• Official website of the 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion
• USMC Amtrac Association Website

MAWTS-1

Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1
Active	Date XX, 198? - present
Country	United States
Branch	USMC
Type	Training
Part of	TECOM
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Marine Aviation Weapons and Training Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1) is the premier training squadron for United States Marine Corps aviators. Located at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, the squadron is responsible for instructing the bi-annual Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course which is a graduate level course for the the best aviators and aviation support personnel from around the Marine Corps. The squadron also provides Mobile Training Teams for the instruction and evaluation of Marine Corps aviation units worldwide. The squadron is also the lead for developing new aviation tactics and doctrine for the Marine Corps and in times of war sends its personnel to augment Fleet Marine Force units as necessary.

Mission

The mission of MAWTS-1 is to provide standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications that support Marine Aviation training and readiness and to provide assistance in the development and employment of aviation weapons and tactics.

History

Precursors and development

After World War II, a number of Marine Corps pilots were assigned to List_of_inactive_United_States_Navy_aircraft_squadrons#VC:_Disestablished_Composite_squadronsNavy Composite Squadrons (VCs) tasked with the special weapons delivery mission. During the 1950s, Special Weapons Training Units (SWTUs) were formed to provide special weapons delivery training to both Navy and Marine Corps Attack Squadrons.

In response to their growing mission, the size of the SWTUs was increased, and they were redesignated as Marine Air Weapons Training Units, MAWTULant at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, and MAWTUPac at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. In 1975, a study group was formed at Headquarters Marine Corps to determine requirements for the enhancement and standardization of aviation training. A series of recommendations was the establishment of the Weapons and Tactics Training Program (WTTP) for all of Marine orps Aviation. The cornerstone of the WTTP was the development of a graduate level Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course and the placement of WTI graduates in training billets in every tactical unit. In late 1976 and early 1977, separate WTI Courses were conducted by MAWTUPac and MAWTULant. Consolidated WTI Courses were subsequently conducted at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, by a combined MAWTU staff in May 1977 and February 1978.

Due to the overwhelming success of the consolidated WTI Courses, the Commandant of the Marine Corps commissioned Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, on June 1, 1978.

Since its commissioning in 1978, MAWTS-1 has conducted two WTI Courses per year, now producing over 300 WTI graduates each year. A separate Aviation Development, Tactics and Evaluation Department (ADT&E) was established in June 1983 to coordinate the MAWTS effort of developing and evaluating tactics and hardware in all functional areas of Marine Corps aviation. In 1988, a Ground Combat Department was established at MAWTS-1 to encourage increased participation during the WTI course by infantry and artillery officers. MAWTS-1 conducts several other embedded courses during WTI to include the Intelligence Officers Course, Aviation Ground Support and Logistic Officers Course, the Rotary Wing Crew Chief and KC-130 Navigator, Loadmaster, Flight Engineer Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, and the MACCS Enlisted Weapons and Tactics Courses. The advanced curriculum includes the Tactical Air Commanders Course, MEU/SPMAGTF ACE Commanders Course, and the MAWTS-1 Commanders Course. MAWTS-1 personnel conduct a Mobile Training curriculum consisting of the MEU ACE Training Course, the MAGTF Aviation Integration Course, and the Marine Division Tactics Course. MAWTS-1 also maintains close, mutually beneficial liaison with the aviation and tactics schools of the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and several allied nations.

Weapons and Tactics Instructor course

WTI is a six week course that attempts to draw at least one student from every aviation unit in the Marine Corps. The first 2 1/2 weeks are dedicated to classroom instruction while the final 3 1/2 weeks consist of flight training that reinforces the academic instruction. Upon graduation form the course students are designated Weapons & Tactics Instructors (WTIs) and return to their parent squadrons to serve as the lead instructors and planners in the squadron operations shop.

The WTI Course is a fully integrated course of instruction for highly experienced and fully qualified Marine from all aviation communities and other military occupational specialties from across the service. The course's academic curriculum builds on intense classroom work with then culminates in numerous live-fly events. Briefing and debriefing techniques and airborne instructional skills are reviewed and tactics and weapons systems employment are evaluated. The course culminates in a fully integrated combined arms exercise showcasing all six functions of Marine Corps aviation in support of a notional Marine Air Ground Task Force.

See also

• VMFT-401
• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• United States Navy Fighter Weapons School
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

References

Bibliography

Web

• VMA-241 MAWTS-1 on globalsecurity.com

Joseph Patrick Donovan

Jospeh Patrick Donovan
Nickname(s)	"Pat"
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1966 - 1986
Rank	Major
Unit	HMM-364
Battles / wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Navy Cross x 2 Silver Star Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (Strike/Flight) (35)
Other work	Lawyer Federal Judge

Joseph Patrick "Pat" Donovan is a former United States Marine Corps aviator who became one of the most decorated Marine combat pilots of the Vietnam War. He is the recipient of two Navy Crosses, a Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 35 Strike/Flight Air Medals all earned while flying the CH-46 Sea Knight as a member of HMM-364. After Vietnam he remained a pilot in the Marine Corps Reserve and retired as a major in 1986. In civilian life he became a lawyer specializing in aviation matters, then served as the Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel, Department of Law for the City of Chicago from 1998 until 2005 and is currently a Federal Administrative Law Judge in Chicago, Illinois overseeing disability cases brought before the Social Security Administration.

• Link to look at
• Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Article

Biography

Early life

Donovan was born in Waxahachie, Texas in 1942 to Joseph B. Donovan, a Marine verteran of World War I and Ursula Ratchford Donovan, a teacher.

Graduated from the University of Dallas in May 1966 with a degree in English literature.

Military Service

Donovan entered the Marine Corps on June 5, 1966 when he checked into Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Upon graduation of flight school he joined

He arrived in Vietnam in August 1968 as a fully qualified UH-1 Huey pilot but upon checking into Marine Aircraft Group 36 (MAG-36) at Phu Bai was sent to transition to the CH-46 Sea Knight due to a shortage of "Phrog" pilots in the MAG. After transitioning, he was sent to Marble Mountain Air Facility where he became a member of HMM-364, also known as the "Purple Foxes", whose main missions included aerial resupply, insertion and extraction of reconnaissance teams and Medevac. During his time in Vietnam he flew over 700 combat missions totaling 1200 hours of flight time.

Upon his return from Vietnam he was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California until he was discharged.

In On July 24, 1970 Donovan was presented with the Frederick L. Feinberg Award by Kaman Aircraft. The award is given annually by the American Helicopter Society to the pilot/pilots of a vertical flight aircraft who accomplished the most outstanding achievement in the preceding year.

Navy Cross citations

February 22, 1969

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to

FIRST LIEUTENANT JOSEPH P. DONOVAN
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR (HMM-364), Marine Aircraft Group SIXTEEN, First Marine Aircraft Wing, in the Republic of Vietnam on 22 February 1969. First Lieutenant Donovan launched as Wingman in a flight of two CH-46 transport helicopters assigned the emergency medical evacuation of a seriously wounded Marine from an area north of the Nam O Bridge in Quang Nam Province. When the section leader's aircraft experienced mechanical difficulties and returned to its base, First Lieutenant Donovan resolutely elected to continue the mission. Approaching the designated area, he observed a hostile rocket launching site and dispatched his gunships to destroy the emplacement. When informed that the injured Marine was in a critical condition, First Lieutenant Donovan, undaunted by the extremely heavy volume of enemy fire and lacking gunship support, fearlessly maneuvered to a landing on the fire-swept area and embarked the casualty. Wounded by fragments from hostile grenades and mortar rounds which also severely damaged his helicopter and caused it to vibrate violently as it lifted out of the zone, he ignored his painful injuries as he fought to regain control of the CH-46 and then skillfully maneuvered it to the nearest medical facility. After receiving medical attention and ascertaining that his aircraft was operable, he boldly launched on a second emergency medical evacuation mission and again entered an extremely hazardous area, without gunship support, to take the wounded to a medical facility. Informed that eight seriously injured Marines in another area required immediate evacuation, First Lieutenant Donovan unhesitatingly proceeded to the site, coordinated his approach with gunship fire, and landed in the perilous zone. He resolutely remained in his dangerously exposed position until all the casualties were embarked, and then lifted out of the area. As he began to depart, he learned that additional casualties had been brought to the landing zone, two of whom were in critical condition. With complete disregard for his own safety, he again braved the heavy volume of enemy fire and landed in the fire-swept area, embarked the wounded Marines, and departed to the nearest medical facility. By his courage, superior airmanship and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of great personal danger, First Lieutenant Donovan was instrumental in the accomplishment of the hazardous mission and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

For the President

/S/ John H. Chaffee

Secretary of the Navy

April 21, 1969

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to

FIRST LIEUTENANT JOSEPH P. DONOVAN
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For extraordinary heroism while serving with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR (HMM-364), Marine Aircraft Group SIXTEEN, First Marine Aircraft Wing during combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 21 April 1969, First Lieutenant Donovan, launched as pilot of a transport helicopter assigned the mission of medically evacuating seriously wounded Marines from an open rice paddy northwest of Liberty Bridge in Quang Nam Province. Arriving over the designated area, he commenced a high-speed, low-altitude approach toward a tree line north of the site, and immediately came under machine-gun fire which damaged the forward section of his transport. Undaunted by the hostile fire, he maneuvered the helicopter to the area where the casualties lay, maintaining his helicopter in a hover while the wounded men were embarked. Still taking a heavy volume of enemy fire, First Lieutenant Donovan departed the area and delivered his patients to the hospital at DaNang. After an inspection of the battle damage revealed that the helicopter was no longer airworthy, he took command of a second aircraft and immediately received a request for another medical evacuation mission from the same area. Proceeding at once to the site, he commenced his second approach into the hazardous zone, again flying through intense enemy fire. As he awaited the embarkation of the casualties, additional enemy fire erupted which prevented the Marines on the ground from embarking the remainder of the casualties. When informed that his starboard gunner had been wounded, First Lieutenant Donovan lifted from the zone to evaluate the man's wound and to appraise the damage to his aircraft. Determining that the aircraft was still capable of accomplishing the evacuation and that his gunner was not seriously wounded, he advised the ground unit that he was again ready to enter the hazardous zone, but was informed that another helicopter had been designated to complete the mission. By his courage, superior aeronautical ability, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, First Lieutenant Donovan was directly instrumental in saving the lives of several fellow Marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.

For the President

/S/ John H. Chaffee

Secretary of the Navy

Later life

Upon leaving active duty, Donovan attended the University of San Diego School of Law where he graduated in 1976. His first job as a lawyer was as an associate with Kralovec, Marquard, Sweeney & Doyle from 1976–78, he next became an associate at McKenna, Storer, Rowe, White and Farrug from 1978 through 1986. From 1986 through 1995 he was a sole practitioner and principal with Donovan & Olsen where he specialized in defending avaition clients in state and local courts nationwide. From 1999 until 2005 he served as the Cheif Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Regulatory and Aviation Litigation Division for the City of Chicago's Department of Law. In this postion he dealt manly with legal issues involving Midway and O'Hare International Airports. In 2005 he was appointed to his current position as a Federal Administrative Law Judge where he oversees disability claims brought before the Social Security Administration. He initially worked out of a courtroom in Orland Park, Illinois however since 2006 he has presided over a virtual courtroom where he conducts proceedings for cases from all over the country.

He and his wife Eileen have five children and seven grandchildren. In September 2003 he was appointed to the Illinois Veterans Advisory Council.. On June 12, 2005, he was appointed a Federal Administrative Law Judge where he conducts hearings brought before the Social Security Administration in Orland Park, Illinois. In April 2009 Donovan was inducted into the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association giving him the title of "Golden Eagle."

Awards and Decorations

His decorations and medals include:

Naval Aviator Badge
Navy Cross			Silver Star			Distinguished Flying Cross			Air Medal
Navy Unit Commendation			Navy Presidential Unit Citation			National Defense Service Medal			Vietnam Service Medal
Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon			Vietnam Gallantry Cross unit citation			Vietnam Civil Actions unit citation			Vietnam Campaign Medal

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Bibliography

Web

• Swifty Medevac Team Mission 5-Mike 9 May 1969

Further reading

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Jospeh P.}} [[:Category:1942 births]] [[:Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War]] [[:Category:Navy Cross recipients]] [[:Category:People from Illinois]] [[:Category:People from Texas]] [[:Category:United States federal judges]] [[:Category:United States Marine Corps officers]] [[:Category:United States naval aviators]]

MCAS Rose Garden

While MAG-15 and MAG-12 conducted operations from Da Nang and Bien Hoa, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing completed efforts to relocate a portion of these units outside of South Vietnam. Initial relocation sites included Udorn, Ubon, and Utapao in Thailand. These bases were operating at maximum capacity with Air Force units, and the search also considered other locations. Fifteen miles northeast of the town of Khon Kaen, Thailand, was a 10,000-foot (3,000 m) concrete runway built by the United States Air Force in 1967. Used as an emergency landing field and little else, it was situated centrally 340 miles (550 km) west of Da Nang and 300 miles (480 km) southeast of Hanoi.

1st MAW Commander, Major General Leslie E. Brown recalled:

“…when we started gluing this thing together, there were just three or four guys who were in it from the beginning. Brigadier General [Andrew W.] Andy O’Donnell, who was my assistant wing commander at the time, and a couple of other guys asking each other where the hell is Nam Phong? So we spread out the maps on the floor of my office and got down on our hands and knees and finally located the place.”

Maps and old intelligence reports indicated to General Brown that “there just wasn’t anything there”. There was no power, little water, fuel would have to come from the ports in Utapao and Sattahip by truck, and it was barely within flying range of Military Region 1 (MR-1) for MAG-15’s fighters. From General Browns perspective “…All the place had really was a runway and nothing else except a lot of rain, a lot of heat, and a lot of logistical problems to be resolved”. The location did have a greater degree of physical security than Da Nang, was large enough to accommodate the entire MAG, and it was usable for the operations if aircraft were refueled in the air or on the ground in MR 1.

On 11 May, Admiral Thomas H. Moorer and the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved the plan to move MAG-15 to Thailand, specifying that the opening of Nam Phong would be on an “austere” basis – which was “a gross understatement”, according to General Brown. On 14 May, a planning conference was held on Okinawa by Lt.General Louis Metzger with 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, 3rd Marine Division, and 3rd Force Service Regiment to consider the task. The immediate result was to send a survey team headed by Brigadier General O’Donnell, the assistant wing commander, to Thailand to determine existing facilities and to coordinate with the U.S. Embassy, Military Advisory Command, Thailand (MACThai), Seventh Air Force, and other supporting agencies.

General O’Donnell and a Marine and Navy staff arrived in Thailand on 18 May, went to Bangkok, and then on to Nam Phong. There they found a runway, taxiway, parking apron, six butler buildings and an 8,000-square-foot (740 m²) hangar.

/investigate: RTAF pilot training with T-21 piston aircraft operated out of Nam Phong during the period. Question exists whether RTAF training operations predated Task Force Delta arrival or commenced afterwards./ T28's, the base was a RTAB before the Marines got there, this story is from one of the Marine Air Controlers, Seventeen Words of English.

As General Brown had expected, the main challenges to operations was logistical. Nam Phong was (/hosted/) a U.S. Special Forces camp for the training of Laotian irregulars, who occupied the existing buildings and had constructed six other structures and training facilities. The 50 or so U.S. Army “Green Berets” and other advisors present found their pastoral surroundings altered by the arrival of the Marines. General O’Donnell concluded from his inspection that Nam Phong had potential for MAG-15 operations, but would require extensive development for the 60 – 90 day deployment envisioned by Admirals John S. McCain and Moorer. While in Thailand, O’Donnell negotiated terms of occupancy as a “Royal Thai Air Base” and arranged support agreements with the U.S. Army Support Activity, Thailand, for a logistical base through the port of Sattahip. General O’Donnell then returned to Japan and briefed General Brown on what was needed to support MAG-15.

A special organization designated Task Force Delta (TF Delta) was formed at Iwakuni, Japan on 24 May 1972 and it remained in existence until way after the end of the American involvement in Vietnam. General O’Donnell commanded the task force with a mission of opening the base at Nam Phong and assuming control of MAG-15. His initial task was to make the airfield ready to support tactical flight operations. This was undertaken by U.S. Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 5, Marine Air Base Squadron 15, (MABS-15), and Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 15 (H&MS-15). General O’Donnell also maintained liaison with the 7th Air Force, the Royal Thai Air Force, and Military Advisory Command Thailand (MACThai).

A KC-130 tanker from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron (VMGR) 152 arrived at Nam Phong on 24 May with 39 Marines, beginning the buildup of forces to over 3,200 men. The establishment of a U.S. Air Force aerial port detachment triggered the airlift of the advance party of 377 Marines, 94 U.S. Navy “Seabees”, 3 civilians, and 1,399 tons of material by MAC C-141’s and C-5 transports. (The combined movement of MAG-15, MCB-5, Logistics Support Group Delta (LSG-Delta) and supporting detachments to Nam Phong required 278 aircraft loads to move 6,259 tons of material and 2,064 passengers to make the field operational).

Construction began at once on 310 strong-back huts, 128 administrative and maintenance structures, a bomb dump, a 200,000 gallon Tactical Aviation Fuel Dispensing System (TAFDS) and storage for 360,000 gallons of Bulk Fuel. General’s Brown and O’Donnell developed a deep respect for the “Seabees”, the majority of whom arrived by ship and trucked inland to Nam Phong. Brown recalled “they worked hard and fast and never quit” on the base construction.

The movement of MAG-15 aircraft began on 16 June when 11 F4B’s of VMFA-115 “Silver Eagles” launched from Da Nang, completed air strikes enroute and landed at Nam Phong. They began flying sorties from Nam Phong on 17 June. By 20 June, VMFA-232 “Red Devils” and Marine All-Weather Attack Squadron 533 also arrived at Nam Phong. The A6A’s, “Hawks” of VMA(AW)-533 provided MAG-15 with an all-weather and night capability of 12 aircraft. Additional aircraft came from VMGR-152, Detachment Delta’s four KC-130’s for aerial refueling and an H&MS-36 Detachment of four CH-46’s for search and rescue. By 30 June Task Force Delta consisted of 17 F4’s, 12 A6’s, 4 KC-130’s and 4 CH-46’s. In view of JCS directed “austere” nature of this deployment, General Jones at FMFPac and General Brown at 1st MAW were personally involved with the “somewhat overwhelming” logistics support required, particularly for the A6’s.

As it turned out, the A-6A proved it’s worth during this deployment with “full-systems” readiness. Lt. Colonel James C. Brown, the A-6 squadron Commander, believed the deployment of MAG-15 reinforced the expeditionary capability of the U.S. Marines in an age of sophisticated aircraft and “especially sophisticated” ground support equipment with all of it’s specific power and environmental requirements. “The A-6 aircraft required a higher degree of ground support facilities than either the F-4 or A-4. These requirements were met at Nam Phong after a difficult start-up period.” Colonel Brown credits this accomplishment to the innovation, perseverance and hard work of individual Marines.

                                           Task Force Delta
                                      Command relationships

Seventh Air Force --------------- 1st Marine Air Wing

                            >>>                                
                                   >>>                         
                                         . >>>>>Task Force Delta ------------------MAC Thailand
                                                                   
                                                                   
               ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                             
  Headquarters               7th Counter              Detachment         Detachment     Logistics

Task Force Delta Intelligence Team 152 36 Spt.Grp.

                                                                    
                                                                    
                                                               MAG-15
                                                                    
                                                                    
        ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                 

H&MS-15 MABS-15 VMFA-115 VMFA-232 VMA(AW)-533

                                
                                
        ---------------------------------------
                                                          

MATCU-62 Security (3/9) AMPAC

                                             (Civilian Contractor)

The deployment and activation of TF Delta accomplished, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Robert E. Cushman, Jr., noted:

“…such an achievement was made possible only through the teamwork of dedicated professionals and numerous personal sacrifices. This matter is of considerable pride to me and should be a source of great individual self-satisfaction”.

While the activation of Nam Phong stands as an accomplishment in it’s own right, ultimately it’s significance rests on the purpose for which it was constructed, the destruction of Communist forces. General John W. Vogt, USAF, tasked General O’Donnell with conducting air operations over North and South Vietnam. For General O’Donnell this meant finding out what the Air Force wanted, as well as ensuring that General Vogt understood the capabilities of MAG-15’s pilots and planes. What resulted from this interaction with the 7th Air Force was a variety of new tasks and missions for Marine aircrews. General O’Donnell personally flew F-4 combat missions which earned him great credibility with the pilots of the task force and when discussing operational matters with the Air Force.

The distance from MR1 required airborne refueling and landing at Da Nang. The average flight time increased from one to two hours and the ordinance load reduced by 500 pounds to compensate for extra fuel. Support of operations from Nam Phong required three H&MS-15 detachments to “turn around” aircraft: Detachment Alpha at Da Nang to re-arm and re-fuel, Detachment Bravo at Cubi Point, Philippines for maintenance work and Detachment Charlie at Iwakuni for administrative and logistical liaison with 1st MAW. Detachment Alpha started at Da Nang on 3 July, increasing mission and sortie rate.

/Investigate: H&MS-15 Det A ("Turn Around" crew) operated out of Da Nang until the end of January, 1973, with the cessation of Viet Nam operations. H&MS-15 Det C would fold into H&MS-17 at Iwakuni in May 1973. H&MS-15 Det B would return to Iwakuni in November 1973 along with a H&MS-15 Detachment that would be sent TAD to VMFA-232 on 1 September 73 from Nam Phong to Subic Bay PI for Operation Pegasa II (missile shoot) at the conclusion of Task Force Delta operations./

On 8 July 1972, TFD aircraft intercepted two Communist MiG-19 “Farmers” over North Vietnam, the task force’s first air-to-air encounter with the enemy in it’s new area of operations.

Ground security considerations for the task force were different from those at Da Nang and Bien Hoa. Although Companies L & M, 9th Marines, moved into Thailand with MAG-15, Nam Phong’s location removed the immediate threat of ground attack that had existed in South Vietnam. The infantry Marines were formed into the TF Delta security element and designated “Sub Unit 1” (SU1) of MABS-15. The commanding officer was Major John M. Camanelli, an experienced infantry officer assisted by Captain Philip F. Reynolds as Executive officer and Captain Thomas D. Martin as Operations officer.

/Investigate: Captain Reynolds was replaced at the end of his tour by Captain Peter Pace as 3/9 XO. Captain Pace would eventually become the first Marine Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff./

The Sub Unit consisted of 11 officers and 363 Marines organized along the lines of a small infantry battalion---rifle companies with headquarters and service company support, including communications, 81 mm mortars, motor transport and medical sections. It’s mission was to provide base security and military police support to the task force. The Marines were armed with the full range of small arms and support weapons. With no known external threat, Major Camanelli concentrated his efforts on interior guard and security of vital areas: the fuel and ordnance dumps, the flight line and maintenance facilities. Guard towers, bunkers, barbed wire and chain-link security fences were built to control the perimeter and vital areas. The size of the base required more men for guards than SU 1 could provide and was augmented by MABS-15 and the flying squadrons. After the initial 90-day TAD period passed for the “Grunts”, Headquarters Marine Corps assigned infantry replacements directly to 1st MAW. Major Campanelli hired 100 Thai auxiliary security guards from the Special Forces Camp to augment the Marines and on 30 July guard dogs arrived.

                                   The Rose Garden Grows

Task Force Delta air operations were of three distinct types: day fighter-cover, day ground-attack and night ground-attack. These missions in turn were associated with specific geographic areas and targets. Most numerous were daytime flights supporting MACV and the South Vietnamese in MR 1, MR 2 and Route Package 1 during the combat to regain Quang Tri Province. These tasks were conducted with F-4’s and A-6’s using bombs, rockets and cannon fire. Sorties normally consisted of two to three aircraft each. Daily the aircraft lined up on Nam Phong’s single runway with engines screaming at 100 percent power as the pilots checked engine instruments. Each aircraft then took off in turn and quickly rendezvoused on its climb out to the target area. Many of the Marine flights hit a target, flew to Da Nang to refuel and rearm and then flew another mission on the return to Nam Phong.

Fighter cover was in support of the ongoing strikes by 7th Air Force against the North Vietnamese political and economic infrastructure. The strikes, which had begun on May 8, were part of an extensive naval and air campaign to pressure the North Vietnamese into a negotiated settlement. The campaign included the mining of harbors, attacks against economic targets, the use of precision guided munitions (smart bombs) and a massive increase in the size and duration of strikes with the aim of reducing the flow of supplies into North Vietnam and support to their operations in South Vietnam. In contrast to the previous, graduated campaigns, commanders took all necessary steps to ensure target destruction.

Marine F-4’s conducted combat air patrols to protect aircraft from North Vietnamese reaction. This required them to fly a specified orbit point from which to cover tanker, command and control, electronic warfare and rescue aircraft over Route Packages 4,5 and 6. From orbit points they could track and engage North Vietnamese interceptors and air defense positions. The Marine KC-130’s refueled the fighters going in and coming out. The missions witnessed Marine air integrated with the Air Force in air-to-air and deep penetration flight profiles.

The interdiction of roads and trails in the Barrel Roll and Steel Tiger areas of Laos were the missions assigned to VMA(AW)-533 crews with their night armed reconnaissance abilities. LtCol. Brown wrote, his squadron “…began interdicting convoys on Route Package 1 on 12 August and, like our entire effort, it was relentless. To the enemy, this increased bludgeoning was crippling…”

1st Lt. Gary W. Dolgin described the aircraft and men engaged in these night flights in 1972:

Aircraft 155707….has a long shadow cast behind her indicating a time late in the afternoon. She sits quietly, fueled, armed and with power unit attached. In a few hours a crew of one pilot and one bombardier-navigator will walk out to her, the sun will have since set. The crew will do a pre-flight inspection, strap in, fire up, check out the entire aircraft system and take off. An hour or so later they will be inside North Vietnam terrain following at 420 knots (780 km/h) over mountains and down in valleys headed for a target regardless of weather.

General O’Donnell passed command of Task Force Delta to Brigadier General Robert W. Taylor on 23 August. Three days later, VMFA-232 lost an aircraft to a MiG-21 ‘Fishbed’ over Laos. Both crewmembers ejected – the intercept officer was recovered and the pilot was missing in action. Colonel Aubrey W. “Tal” Talbert, Jr. commanding MAG-15, reported that to support the continued effort, the “…maintenance and supply effort to provide full system aircraft needed in the hostile skies of North Vietnam has been substantial.” For maintenance crews, the beginning and end of all efforts was to get their pilots and planes in the air on time, “the primary objective to achieve a Marine aerial victory over enemy aircraft.” Life in Nam Phong or the “Rose Garden, as it was now properly known by its Marine occupants, revolved around the cycle of fragging, scheduling, briefing, arming, fueling, launch and recovery activities that always appeared to be at odds with the normal routine of living. The routines of day, night, sleep, meals and the calendar had relatively little meaning in the operational and maintenance cycles of air units at war.

The need for adequate ground security was highlighted by terrorist attacks on Ubon and Udorn Air Bases in October. Concern for base security was at its peak at Nam Phong, recalled 1st Lt. George R. “Ross” Dunham of VMGR-152 Detachment Delta when the sound of an explosion from the flight line brought cries of “Incoming, hit the bunkers” from the billeting area. When the smoke had cleared, investigation determined that the accidental discharge of an air-to-ground rocket had occurred in the arming area. The ground threats to the safety of TF Delta remained self-induced or those from the burgeoning local “Black Market” and economic enterprises outside the base. Major Kent C. Bateman, the VMA(AW)-533 executive officer believed that this situation precluded a real sense of involvement by the enlisted Marines. As only the aircrews experienced combat, “there was little sense of urgency by the ground and support personnel.”

When Major Kenneth N. Zike took command of MABS-15’s Sub Unit 1 on 26 November, it had expanded to include 200 Thai auxiliaries. Patrolling outside of the perimeter, out to 16 kilometers from the base, was now the responsibility of Thai military forces because of the reluctance of the Thai Supreme Command to allow the U.S. Marines a ground combat role in Thailand. General Taylor and Royal Thai Air Force Special Colonel Supot, the base commander, signed a joint base defensive plan at the year’s end, alleviating the remaining security concerns. This plan tasked SU 1 with manning 27 bunkers and towers of the internal defensive position. The Thai’s manned the remaining 53 positions. Lighting and fencing continued to be installed and improved by the Marines. Two mobile reaction platoons were formed: one established near the combat operations center and the other at the bomb storage area. MABS-15 provided an additional civil disturbance platoon for riot duty.

With the arrival of the fall monsoon weather, conditions for visual delivery of ordinance declined. For the F-4’s this meant level bombing using release points obtained by TACAN cuts, LORAN-equipped aircraft and the USAF Combat Skyspot control stations. The A-6’s continued to operate day and night over the roads and trails of Route Package 1. By now, at the political level, Linebacker operations and successful South Vietnamese resistance brought the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table. Operations continued through the 23 October halt of bombing North Vietnam above the 20th parallel. The 7th Air Force noted in November that VMFA-115 and VMFA-232 had the highest sortie rate of any land-based F-4 units in Southeast Asia. The offensive operations resumed with all-out air attacks against the North (Linebacker II) beginning on 18 December and continued until combat flights against the north in Vietnam ceased at year’s end (Hanoi returning to the Paris Peace Talks).

Statistics can only indicate the magnitude of the effort of TF Delta and MAG-15. Figures only implied the human costs and achievements of the aircrews and men who kept them operating; the personnel of Task Force Delta contributed toward the South Vietnamese defense and the U.S. air offensive of 1972. The North Vietnamese Army’s transition to mobile warfare made it dependent on fuel, ammunition and other supplies that were vulnerable to destruction from the air. In the resulting battle of attrition, airpower had a crushing effect on the enemy. Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN, as a prisoner of war and an eyewitness to American airpower from the North Vietnamese capital in 1972, stated that, “If I learned nothing else during eight years in wartime Hanoi, it was that Clausewitz is as right today as he was during the Napoleonic Wars: the name of the game in war is to break the enemy’s will.” This was the stated purpose of airpower. The North Vietnamese relied, however, on Ho Chi Minh’s rejoinder to the air effort: Hanoi, Haiphong and the other cities and certain enterprises may be destroyed, but the Vietnamese people will not be intimidated! Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom!”

                         Task Force Delta, The Tigers Depart

As Operations Homecoming and End Sweep were completed, some Marines were still at war. Task Force Delta combat sorties continued in Cambodia, just when “…it appeared that MAG-15 would not be involved in combat air operations” (FMFPac MarOpsSEA,pp. 6–6 to 6-8; MAG-5 ComdC, Jun73, P.10)

The March 1973 dry season saw the Khmer Rouge trying to take Phnom Penh, and closing all major highways into the Cambodian capital. The situation for the Lon Nol government was critical with the interdiction of the Mekong River, the Major supply artery from South Vietnam. The defense of the capital and the reopening of the river required direct American air support to the Cambodian Army. Marine Aircraft Group 15 continued operations until April, flying missions assigned by the 7th Air Force for daytime bombing and strafing controlled by airborne controllers. This involved the F-4’s of Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons VMFA-115 and VMFA-232, flying 12-20 sorties per day. “Moderate to heavy” anti-aircraft fire by the communist’s was received from 23-mm, 37 mm and SA-7 weapons in positions set up along major communication routes. Previously, the Khmer Rouge had used small arms and 12.7 mm machine guns. Beginning 11 May 1973, the Marine All-weather Attack Squadron VMA(AW)-533 conducted strikes using airborne moving target indicator and ground radar beacons to carry out armed road reconnaissance at a rate of five sorties per night. The distances flown to the targets required in-flight refueling by Marine Aerial Refueling Squadron 152 Detachment Delta before and after the target areas were hit. By June, the beginning of the annual monsoon, the ground crisis had passed with the help of MAG-15. By not authorizing continued funding, Congress brought to an end to this support that summer. By then, Task Force Delta had flown 10,215 combat sorties involving a total of 30,998 flight hours and 24,584 tons of ordnance. Three A-6’s and two F-4’s were lost in Combat.

/Investigate: VMFA-232, VMFA-115, and VMA(AW)-533 continued interdiction operations in Cambodia and Laos up until August 14th, 1973. Marine replacement personnel were still being deployed to Nam Phong in early August of 73. While the August 15th deadline was known to many in the upper ranks, it was apparently uncertain if it too would be just a transient stand-down./

The “on again, off again” nature of Task Force Delta’s deployment, its isolation and the proximity of Thai civilians and available “recreational” drugs, increased the importance of law enforcement as the duration of the stay in Thailand extended beyond the ceasefire. As the unifying effect of combat was removed (/challenge: combat operations continued through 14 August 73/), the social tensions that had been suppressed manifested themselves in unrest, drink and drug related incidents and violations of military law. A serious incident of racial unrest occurred in July 1973 with a series of confrontations among black and white Marines that escalated into a mess-hall riot and resultant bitterness. In the subsequent investigations and court cases, it developed that a mixture of air and ground Marines was a factor in this turmoil, compounded by the short-term rotational nature of personnel assignments. Major John T. “Jack” Dyer, Jr., a combat artist from headquarters Marine Corps, assigned to Nam Phong that summer, recorded the scene in words and pictures in 1973:

…The Rose Garden experience will soon be history, remembered most vividly by those who were there. With the passage of time the unpleasant heat, dust, mud, long hours of hard work, nightmarish combat flights, tepid showers when available, four holers and Montezuma’s revenge will fade slowly from memory. Until the next time, “The Marines don’t promise you a Rose Garden, just one good deal after another.”

This was the situation faced by Colonel Darrel E. Bjorkland who assumed command of MAG-15 from Colonel Talbert on 26 July 1973. Increased concerns for internal security brought increased emphasis on SU 1 defense forces, which now included a “K-9” dog section, a criminal investigation detachment, customs inspectors and a military police platoon. Their functions included manning roadblocks, running patrols and maintaining a temporary detention facility. Marine commanders also employed more positive solutions in providing adequate recreation, education and personal-services support to meet the wing commanders goals of “racial harmony and the elimination of drug/alcohol abuse.” Some of the more innovative “human relations” methods conflicted with the more traditional ones. These were grounded in obedience to orders as opposed to sensitive treatment of social minorities. As in other Marine Corps units, the answer to leadership problems was found in pride and purpose. Whether innovative programs or traditional leadership values resolved the social issues found in American society remains a matter of conjecture.

All the while, planning continued and was completed to withdraw the Marines and to return Nam Phong to the Thai government. Task Force Delta’s Operation Plan (Op Plan) 1-73 (Operation Sunset) was used as a basis for the 10 August 1973 program directive from the Military Assistance Command, Thailand (MACThai), that standardized the anticipated base closure. Brigadier General Manning T. Jannell replaced General Taylor as commanding general on 14 August 1973. Jannell arrived from Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., where he had been the Assistant Quartermaster General. The withdrawal of the Marines seemed imminent, but no date was set. After 15 August, efforts were made to ready Task Force Delta for departure while maintaining a high level of operational readiness. Marine Corps units by their expeditionary nature are prepared to deploy with standing embarkation plans and special containers and packing material for all items of equipment. Inspections by MAG-15 embarkation officer, Major Frederick J. Schober, uncovered a major problem in the disintegration of “embarkation boxes” from exposure to the elements in the tropical conditions of the Rose Garden.

General Jannell was directed to carry out OpPlan 1-73 on August 27, 1973 when the Joint Chiefs of Staff had approved the shut down of Nam Phong with a target date of 30 August. Task Force Delta’s command chronology recorded, “received execute order for retrograde. Today is designated as “R” day. After U.S. notification of the Thai and Japanese governments of the move, General Jannell proceeded to relocate all tactical aircraft, 4.5 million pounds of cargo and 2,147 men. This had to be carried out as to ensure the least disruption of combat readiness of the units involved. The movement itself consisted of the fly-away of tactical aircraft, air transport for the people, and sealift for the equipment. The airlift required 106 MAC C-141’s and C-5’s; in addition, VGMR-152 and the Pacific Air Traffic Management Agency used their C-130’s throughout the 11-day movement. At 0600, 30 August, the A-6’s of VMA(AW)-533 launched down the runway at Nam Phong for the last time. They were followed by on the next day by VMFA-115 and on 1 September by VMFA-232.

/Investigate: H&MS-15 was split in two - 1/2 of their support facilities and the administrative units returned, with VMFA-115, to Iwakuni, Japan. The other half of H&MS-15 support facilities and personnel were attached TAD to VMFA-232 and on 1 September deployed to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. On 11 November 1973 VMFA-232, the TAD segment of H&MS-15 and H&MS-15 Det B. returned to Iwakuni, Japan, and H&MS-15 was finally completely reunited. Also of note: those attached to VMFA-232 at this time have the distinction of being the last Maine Aviation Combat squadron to leave the Viet Nam war theater./

Because of the previous planning and anticipation of the move, the final withdrawal from Thailand took on its own momentum. Some delay occurred to obtain commercial trucks to move the sea echelon 400 miles (640 km) to Sattahip. Once at the port of embarkation, the officer-in-charge of the movement unit found that expected U.S. Navy amphibious ships were not available and that Military Sealift Command’s SS Green Forrest and Puerto Rico would provide the lift for some 7 million pounds of cargo, which was mainly the vehicles of the task force.

General Jannell completed the turnover of facilities and remaining equipment to a representative of the Thai Supreme Command. After calls on the U.S. Embassy and MACThai, General Jannell supervised the final color detail at Royal Thai Air Force Base Nam Phong at 0800, 21 September 1973, as the “American Flag was lowered…signifying the departure of the final increment of the 2,100 U.S. Marines stationed at the facility in support of Cambodia air operations.” Present were the Thai Minister of Defense and the commanding General of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. “Approximately 50 members of the press flew in from Bangkok to observe the final departure,” recalled Jannell, who met them, along with MAG-15’s Colonel Bjorkland. The story of the “Rose Garden” was closed with this last official act. By now most Marines were gone; on 23 September both commercial ships were on their way to Japan and on 2 November 1973, the task force was dissolved.

Footnote: On 24 September 1973, the Marine Corps Historical Division noted that “we should accept this time and date as being the official end of the U.S. Marine Corps participation in the Southeast Asian War.” (HQMC[HD], Director of Marine Corps History memo dated 2ept73)