Marine Aircraft Group 24
Encyclopedia
Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) is a United States Marine Corps
aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay
that is currently composed of three CH-53D Sea Stallion squadrons, a personnel support detachment and a maintenance and logistics squadron. They fall under the command of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
and the III Marine Expeditionary Force
.
Activated on 1 March 1942 at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa
, Oahu
, Hawaii. During World War II, MAG-24 saw extensive action throughout the Pacific theater, and in particular in the campaigns to liberate the Philippines. Following the war, MAG-24 was deployed as part of the III Amphibious Corps to Peiping in Northern China
to take part in the occupation that lasted from October 1945 until April 1947. In April 1947 they were relocated to Guam
. In 1949, MAG-24 moved to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
, North Carolina
and remained there for the next twenty years.
where it became the Marine Corps’ largest and only permanent composite Marine Aircraft Group. Starting in 1978, the MAG provided both fixed and rotary wing squadrons for six-month unit deployments to the Western Pacific. From 1 October 1986 to 30 September 1994, MAG-24 served as the Aviation Combat Element for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. From August to December 1990, squadrons and personnel from MAG-24 deployed to Southwest Asia to support Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The last MAG-24 squadrons to return participated in Operation Sea Angel, the Bangladesh
relief operation. During recent years all three tactical squadrons have deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
, Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) program and have provided aircraft to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit
. The three squadrons have traveled the Pacific participating in exercises in Japan, Korea
, and Thailand
. In September 2004 a small detachment of CH-53Ds from HMH-463 joined HMM-265
as the Heavy lift portion of the 31st MEU Aviation Combat Element. This MEU detachment became the first CH-53Ds to participate in combat operations since Desert Storm, operating out of Al Asad
Airbase, Al Anbar Province, Iraq
. In early 2006, HMH-362
supported a Presidential visit to India
by providing 5 aircraft to support the mission. Currently HMH-362
is operating in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay
Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay
Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay or MCAS Kaneohe Bay is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within the Marine Corps Base Hawaii complex, formerly known as Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay or Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay...
that is currently composed of three CH-53D Sea Stallion squadrons, a personnel support detachment and a maintenance and logistics squadron. They fall under the command of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
1st Marine Aircraft Wing
The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan...
and the III Marine Expeditionary Force
III Marine Expeditionary Force
The III Marine Expeditionary Force is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps that is forward-deployed and able to deploy rapidly and conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to amphibious assault and high intensity combat. III...
.
Mission
Provide combat-ready, expeditionary aviation forces capable of short-notice, worldwide employment to a Marine Air Ground Task Force.Subordinate units
- HMH-362HMH-362Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of ten CH-53D Sea Stallion assault support helicopters and 220 Marines and Sailors...
– Ugly Angels - HMH-363HMH-363Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-53D Sea Stallion transport helicopters. The squadron, known as the "Lucky Red Lions", is based at Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft...
– Red Lions - HMH-463HMH-463Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-53D Sea Stallion transport helicopters. The squadron, also known as "Pegasus", is based at Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group...
– Pegasus - MALS-24 – Warriors
World War II
Marine Corps Air Station Ewa
Marine Corps Air Station Ewa was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later served as the hub for all Marine aviation units heading into combat in the Pacific Theater...
, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii. During World War II, MAG-24 saw extensive action throughout the Pacific theater, and in particular in the campaigns to liberate the Philippines. Following the war, MAG-24 was deployed as part of the III Amphibious Corps to Peiping in Northern China
Northern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
to take part in the occupation that lasted from October 1945 until April 1947. In April 1947 they were relocated to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. In 1949, MAG-24 moved to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, USA, in the eastern part of the state...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and remained there for the next twenty years.
1960s through today
In April 1968, MAG-24 moved back to the Pacific and Kaneohe, HawaiiMarine Corps Base Hawaii
Marine Corps Base Hawaii , formerly Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps base facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County of Honolulu. As of the 2000 Census, the base had a...
where it became the Marine Corps’ largest and only permanent composite Marine Aircraft Group. Starting in 1978, the MAG provided both fixed and rotary wing squadrons for six-month unit deployments to the Western Pacific. From 1 October 1986 to 30 September 1994, MAG-24 served as the Aviation Combat Element for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. From August to December 1990, squadrons and personnel from MAG-24 deployed to Southwest Asia to support Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The last MAG-24 squadrons to return participated in Operation Sea Angel, the Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
relief operation. During recent years all three tactical squadrons have deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni or MCAS Iwakuni is a United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of the Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi in Japan.-Tenant commands:...
, Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) program and have provided aircraft to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit
31st Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel...
. The three squadrons have traveled the Pacific participating in exercises in Japan, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. In September 2004 a small detachment of CH-53Ds from HMH-463 joined HMM-265
HMM-265
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-46E Sea Knight transport helicopters...
as the Heavy lift portion of the 31st MEU Aviation Combat Element. This MEU detachment became the first CH-53Ds to participate in combat operations since Desert Storm, operating out of Al Asad
Al Asad
Al Asad Airbase is the second largest US military airbase in Iraq and is located in the largely Sunni western Province of Iraq Al Anbar. It was formerly the home of the II Marine Expeditionary Force until January 2010...
Airbase, Al Anbar Province, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. In early 2006, HMH-362
HMH-362
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of ten CH-53D Sea Stallion assault support helicopters and 220 Marines and Sailors...
supported a Presidential visit to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
by providing 5 aircraft to support the mission. Currently HMH-362
HMH-362
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of ten CH-53D Sea Stallion assault support helicopters and 220 Marines and Sailors...
is operating in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
See also
- United States Marine Corps AviationUnited States Marine Corps AviationUnited States Marine Corps Aviation is the air component of the United States Marine Corps. Marine aviation has a very different mission and operation than its ground counterpart, and thus, has many of its own histories, traditions, terms, and procedures....
- List of United States Marine Corps aircraft groups
- List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons