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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Marine Air Support Squadron 1 activated July 1, 1943, as Headquarters and Service Squadron, 1st Marine Air Warning Group, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., and has since been renamed several times.
“We have changed our name, but our mission is the same,” said Lt. Col. Androy D. Senegar, the commanding officer of MASS-1.
“MASS-1 can be described in a number of ways, but I think the easiest way to explain it would be saying we are the hyphen of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force,” said Senegar. “We were created to provide a link between the air and ground assets.”
The squadron’s mission is to provide critical air support planning and coordination for 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
One key component of MASS-1 is the direct air support center. The DASC is an essential component to accomplishing the squadron’s mission. The squadron regularly conducts DASC drills and field exercises to refine its abilities and enhance unit cohesion. The DASC is the main element in the Marine Air Command and Control System Agency and is responsible for direct support to forces on the ground and for directing aerial operations.
MASS-1, also known as the Chieftains, process all aviation support requests during training and while deployed. Additionally, they provide supplies and equipment for the MAGTF.
“We conduct a lot of field operations using different scenarios in order to be deployment ready,” said Senegar, a native of Dallas.
According to Sgt. Maj. Monroe C. Boykin, the squadron sergeant major, MASS-1 participates in a variety of training exercises to ensure deployment readiness. They set up operational cells to simulate real-world operations. During the training, the Marines use the least amount of heavy equipment assets, like the 7-ton truck, as possible. The use of fewer heavy assets ensures MASS-1 Marines do not become wholly reliant upon gear that might not be available while deployed.
“Even though it is hard to conduct a full-scale exercise simulating a deployed environment, it does not stop us from training as much as possible” said Boykin.
According to Boykin, a complete large-scale training scenario would involve an infantry battalion and an aviation squadron. The squadron takes part in the large-scale exercises whenever possible.
“It’s all about having a unit that is ready to deploy at any time and having the most up-to-date training in order to maintain standards,” said Boykin, a native of Dayton, Ohio.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2014 15:39 |
| Story ID: | 150781 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US |
| Hometown: | DALLAS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | DAYTON, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Chieftains link air-to-ground, by SGT Neysa Huertas Quinones, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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