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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Nearly 16,000 Marines, sailors and civilians work on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point almost every day, and through their efforts, MCAS Cherry Point and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing had a successful year full of firsts, changes and team work.
Some big things happened for the Marine Corps as a whole in the year 2011. Sgt. Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor in September, becoming the first living Marine to be decorated with the highest military honor for actions in Afghanistan.
Also in 2011, for the first time in U.S. military history, gays and lesbians were allowed to serve openly in the military. The nearly two-decade-old law, officially named Title 10 of the U.S. Code, Section 654, or more commonly known as the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, was repealed in September. Since its repeal it seems as though little has changed, which was Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos’ guidance and hope.
The F-35B Lightning II, the newest aircraft expected to enter the Marine Corps’ aircraft arsenal early in January, accomplished many firsts in 2011. Based out of Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, a newly reactivated one-year-old squadron under 2nd MAW, has accomplished a lot. The first Marine F-35B pilot to be Joint Strike Fighter certified was announced in July. Maj. Joseph Bachmann, of the 33rd Operations Group, trained with VMFAT-501.
In October, the first at-sea vertical landing was performed by an F-35B aboard the USS Wasp, and in the same month the MV-22 Osprey and the F-35B made history as it was the first time an Osprey and F-35B shared an amphibious assault ship flight deck.
There were changes and improvements to the air station itself as well. After the completion of the new, 80,000-square-foot headquarters building in March, the air station celebrated the life and service of Gen. Christian F. Schilt in a dedication ceremony Oct. 21. The state-of-the-art structure is the most prominent building on the air station and is home to 2nd MAW headquarters and MCAS Cherry Point headquarters.
In May, the air station broke ground on a new sports complex next to Marine Corps Community Services’ newest of three Child Development Centers, which opened in March to assist with high capacity daycare demands.
In the summer of 2011, Hurricane Irene pummeled the East Coast, and the Cherry Point community was right in her path. Some facilities and housing on MCAS Cherry Point were badly damaged by fallen trees and thousands were in the dark due to downed power lines. That’s when teamwork was seen with Marines, sailors and civilians who came together to help clear debris, open their homes to those temporarily displaced or just lend a helpful tool to their neighbor.
Even though Cherry Point is where 2nd MAW headquarters and some of its major elements, such as Marine Aircraft Group 14, Marine Wing Support Group 27 and Marine Air Control Group 28, call home there are other 2nd MAW elements that work out of different air stations along the East Coast. Squadrons, such as MAG-26 and MAG-29, which are based at MCAS New River; MAG-31, which is stationed out of MCAS Beaufort, S.C.; and VMFAT-501, based out of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., all support and are under the command of 2nd MAW.
At the beginning of 2011, 2nd MAW prepared for its stand-up as 2nd MAW (Fwd.) and its deployment to Afghanistan.
Elements of 2nd MAW (Fwd.) participated in the II Marine Expeditionary Force’s mission rehearsal exercise in late January and early February, to get ready for its responsibility as the aviation combat element for II MEF operations in Afghanistan.
The first wave of 2nd MAW (Fwd.) Marines departed MCAS Cherry Point Feb. 9, for a yearlong deployment to the deserts of Afghanistan, and throughout the month more than 250 more Marines deployed to replace 3rd MAW in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In the past, 2nd MAW units deployed to the West Coast to conduct large-scale training but the commanding general, Maj. Gen. Jon M. Davis, wanted to perform the same type of training locally to not only save money, but also to help units familiarize themselves with one another and hone their abilities to work together.
In June, 2nd MAW conducted Mailed Fist 1-11, the largest 2nd MAW training exercise in more than a decade. Mailed Fist took place up and down the East Coast and consisted of two weeks of field testing and operations between the 9,000 remaining 2nd MAW Marines and sailors not deployed to Afghanistan from the three main East Coast Marine Corps air stations: MCAS Cherry Point, MCAS New River and MCAS Beaufort, S.C., as well as Marine ground units, reserve units and U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force units.
2nd MAW Marines and sailors also supported multiple other exercises and operations. Beginning in March the 26th MEU took part in Operation Odyssey Dawn to help enforce the Libyan no-fly zone, and detachments from 2nd MAW squadrons were pulled to assist. In July a detachment from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 366 deployed to the Horn of Africa in support of humanitarian efforts.
Also in the summer of 2011, another detachment, this time from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 467, deployed to Okinawa, Japan, as part of the unit deployment program. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365, based out of MCAS New River, self-deployed to Belize in September to conduct training demonstrating the Osprey’s enhanced utility over conventional helicopters.
In February and later in November, MAG-26 units deployed to Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., for Enhanced Mojave Viper.
The multiple units under MAG-26 go to train in combat oriented situations that included live-fires, coalition level integration and urban operations. More training was conducted in March by Marine Attack Squadron 223 in Miamar, Calif., dubbed “Exercise Fightertown Fury.”
At the end of December, more than 700 Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen and Coast guardsmen returned from a three-month deployment aboard the USS Oak Hill to South and Central America and the Caribbean for Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012.
All the accomplishments of MCAS Cherry Point and 2nd MAW can’t be put into one article, but overall the Marines, sailors and civilians of Cherry Point and all elements of 2nd MAW worked hard in 2011 and made it possible for another successful year here.
| Date Taken: | 01.05.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 01.06.2012 12:51 |
| Story ID: | 82117 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 256 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Cherry Point, 2nd MAW carry momentum to 2012, by Sgt Lisa R. Strickland, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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