Marine Transport Squadron 1 is home of three HH-46D Sea Knight helicopters, traditionally known as “Pedro.” The primary mission of these specially equipped Sea Knights is to provide heliborne search and rescue support for tactical aircraft flying here. The secondary mission of the helicopter and its crew is to provide SAR support for the 5th Coast Guard District and the U.S. Air Force.
Pedro is a regular sight over coastal North Carolina, because another regular mission is to provide local civilian agencies with medical evacuation assistance in situations the agencies cannot respond to. In a single four-day period during September 1999, VMR-1’s three helicopters operated simultaneously to rescue 399 people trapped by Hurricane Floyd floodwaters in nearby counties. To local boaters and hunters lost or in trouble, the sight of this orange and gray rescue bird is a sight for sore eyes … perhaps even a life saver.
Each helicopter is equipped with a Doppler navigation/hover system, external rescue hoist, a 30-million-candle-power search light and other essential life-saving equipment. A five-person crew operates each Pedro helicopter. Two pilots, a crew chief, a rescue swimmer and a medical technician all risk their lives for the lives of others. On average, Pedro responds to 75-100 emergency calls each year.
If the EA-6B Prowler was part of an aerial football team, you might say it was all of the offensive linemen put together. Because its tactical electronic warfare capabilities provide the necessary offensive and defensive maneuvers for its fighter and attack teammates to score big on the enemy team.
More specifically, the Prowler’s primary mission is to provide an umbrella of protection over strike aircraft and ships. It does this through airborne command and control support to include electronic attack, tactical electronic support, electronic protection and the destruction of enemy radar with high speed anti-radiation missiles.
The Prowler is a twin engine, midwing aircraft manufactured as a modification of the A-6 Intruder airframe. It can be land-based from prepared airfields, or can operate from expeditionary airfields. It may also strike from the sea by operating from aircraft carriers.
The mission of the AV-8B Harrier is simple: Attack and destroy surface targets, day or night. The Harrier accomplishes this and more by carrying an assortment of weapons to include air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, bombs and a 25 mm Gatling-style gun.
Aside from its primary mission of close air support and deep air support, it can also conduct offensive and defensive anti-air warfare. This includes combat air patrols, armed escort missions and offensive missions against enemy ground-to-air defenses.
But the feature that makes the Harrier particularly well-suited for the Marine Corps is its vertical/short takeoff and landing capability. Combining tactical mobility, responsiveness, reduced operating cost and basing flexibility, both afloat and ashore, the Harrier fits right in with the Corps’ special combat and expeditionary requirements.
To the Marine grunt on the ground, the Harrier’s high-pitched roar is a welcome sound when things get hot, especially because the V/STOL jet can be based only minutes away.
Nearly every Marine, at some time during his career, will see the inside of the KC-130J Hercules.
The Hercules is a real workhorse when it comes to airlift capability. The large, four-engine aircraft – with its increase in speed, range, improved air-to-air refueling system, night systems and survivability enhancements – provides the Marine air ground task force commander with a state-of-the art, multimission, tactical aerial refueler/transport well into the 21st century.
The KC-130J is a medium-sized transport and tanker with capability for intra-theater and inter-theater airlift and aerial refueling operations. It also retains the capability for worldwide delivery of combat troops, personnel and cargo by airdrops or by landing at austere, bare-base sites. The
KC-130J is capable of day, night and adverse weather operations.
The 2d Marine Aircraft Wing was commissioned on July 19, 1941, at Naval Air Station San Diego, Calif. By November of that year, it had two squadrons at San Diego and four in Hawaii. Many of these planes were destroyed or damaged during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Regrouping from the initial setback, the 2d MAW chalked up an impressive record of excellence in 83 combat operations in the Pacific. Its contributions at Wake Island, Midway, Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tinian, Guam and Okinawa were invaluable.
After duty with occupational forces in Japan, the 2d MAW returned to the States and made Cherry Point its home in April of 1946.
Since then it has been committed in contingency operations exercises in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Panama. Wing units were deployed during crisis in Lebanon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Middle East. During the Vietnam War, the 2d MAW supplied combat-ready units and personnel to Marine aircraft wings in country, while maintaining its strenuous deployment schedule.
Most recently, 2d MAW Marines and sailors are serving with distinction in the Global War on Terrorism. They filled a wide range of combat missions, including fighter support, heavy bombing, close-air support for ground troops, transport, aerial and ground refueling, air traffic control, ground-to-air defense missile support, and a myriad of other types of support during the Gulf War, and continue to conduct operations forward.
Today the 2d MAW remains headquartered at Cherry Point, with elements located at MCAS New River, N.C., and MCAS Beaufort, S.C. Equipped with helicopters, fighters, attack jets, refueler/transport aircraft, aerial reconnaissance aircraft and the new MV-22 Osprey, the 2d MAW stands ready as an integral part of the United States Marine Corps’ air-ground team.
Marine Aircraft Group 14 was activated in San Diego on March 1, 1942, and entered World War II seven months later when it participated in the decisive naval battle of Guadalcanal in mid-November. In January of ‘43, the group helped eliminate the remnants of the Tokyo Express. The group was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations for its actions in the Pacific – the first at Guadalcanal and, the second, on Okinawa.
MAG-14 transferred to Cherry Point March 13, 1976. In 1993, MAG-14 merged with another 2d MAW aircraft group from Cherry Point, MAG-32, but retained the MAG -14 title. The merger boosted the total strength of MAG-14 by adding three Marine attack squadrons and one Marine attack training squadron. Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 32 merged with MALS-14 to form the largest aviation logistics squadron in the Marine Corps.
Today, MAG-14 consists of:
• Four tactical electronic warfare squadrons of EA-6B Prowler aircraft, whose missions are to locate and suppress enemy radar, clearing the skies for friendly aircraft.
• Three attack squadrons of AV-8B Harriers are the closest air power to combat forces on the ground. With their vertical flight capability they can stay minutes from the front lines of battle.
• One KC-130 Hercules aerial refueler transport squadron provides all the lift and in-flight refueling the Wing needs.
• One attack training squadron rounds out the group by providing the replacement personnel to the Marine Corps’ AV-8B community. An aviation logistics squadron provides everything from supply to maintenance for the flying squadrons.
The mission of Marine Wing Support Group 27 is to provide all aviation ground support for an aviation combat element and all supporting or attached elements of the Marine air control group.
MWSG-27 was activated July 1, 1953 (originally as a service group) and redesignated as a support group on April 1, 1967. In June 1986,
MWSG-27 began a massive Marine Corps-wide reorganization. The reorganization composited personnel and equipment from the wing transportation squadron, the wing engineer squadron, four Marine air base squadrons, and the headquarters and ground maintenance squadron. The result of this reorganization was the establishment of four Marine wing support squadrons under MWSG-27, with each MWSS capable of operating an air base in support of either a rotary-wing Marine air group or a fixed-wing MAG.
MWSG-27 is composed of a group headquarters at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point; MWSS-271 at Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue, N.C.; MWSS-272 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C.; MWSS-273 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.; and MWSS-274 at Cherry Point. Each MWSS provides the following functions to a deployed ACE:
• Internal airfield communications including wire, radio and data services between tenant units
• Essential engineer services including construction, mobile electrical power, laundry and hygiene services
• Motor transport support including humvees, 5-ton trucks, dump trucks, wreckers and LVS trucks
• Aircraft rescue and fire fighting including structural fire fighting services
• Expeditionary airfield services including arresting gear, airfield lighting and optical landing systems
• Refueling services for aircraft and ground equipment
• Weather services for all elements of the MAGTF
• Medical services to include routine and emergency sick call
• Food services
• Security and law enforcement to include air base ground defense
• Individual and unit training
• Nuclear, biological and chemical defense of organic assets
• Air base commandant services
• Explosive ordnance disposal services
MWSG-27 runs the 2d MAW Drivers School which licenses Marines on humvees, 5-ton trucks, refueler trucks, and buses. It also runs the 2d MAW Air Base Ground Defense School, which trains Marines in the skills necessary to defend an airfield. MWSG-27 operates and maintains the only expeditionary airfield on the East Coast.
Marine Air Control Group 28 was activated Sept. 1, 1967, and assigned the mission of providing, operating and maintaining the Marine Air Command and Control System of the 2d MAW.
In the performance of this mission, it employs some of the most advanced equipment available for command and control of tactical air operations. The personnel who operate and maintain this sophisticated system are among the most highly trained and skilled in the Marine Corps.
Through the use of computers and digital data links, many of the manual tasks have been replaced by automation. This provides a capability unequaled by any other service.
MACG-28 is the largest air control group in the Marine Corps, with five units and nearly 1,800 personnel located at four airfields. The group has a tactical air command squadron, a communications squadron, one air control squadron, an air support squadron and a low-altitude air defense battalion.
The 2d Marine Aircraft Wing Band is a precision musical marching unit under the direction of CWO3 Bartholomew. The band has 49 enlisted Marines that also make up a concert band, jazz band, smaller rock and jazz ensembles and a brass quintet. The unit travels extensively throughout the year, performing at hundreds of civilian and military functions. Last year, the band traveled more than 30,000 miles filling more than 200 local requests for support, and more than 200 out-of-town requests.
A tenant command, Fleet Readiness Center East provides full-spectrum aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul services to Navy and Marine Corps fleet units around the world. The center was established in 1943 as the Assembly and Repair Department of the Marine Corps Air Station. Since that time, FRC East has grown to be a leader in aviation maintenance.
FRC East performs maintenance, engineering and logistics support on various military aircraft, engines and components. Its customers include 202 Navy and Marine Corps activities, 24 foreign nations, five U. S. Air Force activities, three U.S. Army activities and two other federal agencies.
The facility is the only one of the U.S. Navy’s six fleet readiness centers managed by Marine Corps officers. The center’s workload includes the maintenance and repair of several aircraft and primary aircraft engine systems. FRC East has the capabilities to perform major airframe modifications and repair on a wide variety of aircraft, including the H-46 Sea Knight, AV-8 Harrier, H-53D Sea Stallion, H-53E Super Stallion,
MH-53E Sea Dragon, V-22 Osprey, AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Huey. Additionally, it has the capability to provide in-service repairs for the EA-6B Prowler, C-130 Hercules, H-2 Sea Sprite, H-3 Sea King and H-60 Seahawk.
FRC East’s Power Plant Division overhauls, assembles and tests a wide variety of aircraft engines. Engines currently repaired include the F402, T58, T400 and T64. The center also maintains the engines used to power the VH-3 presidential-executive helicopters.
FRC East has repair capabilities for more than 16,000 items in its components program. Center personnel are always on call to meet the immediate needs of fleet units around the world. Services they provide include emergency field team repairs, field team modifications, fleet training, customer service and engineering support. When needed, these field teams can deploy quickly to almost any location. In one year’s time, for example, the center sent more than 500 field teams to eight countries, 19 states and 11 ships.
With approximately 3,700 military, civilian and contractor employees, FRC East is North Carolina’s largest industrial employer east of Interstate 95. The facility’s annual payroll is about $290 million.
FRC East has been designated as the DOD’s Vertical Lift Center of Excellence. As such, it sets the standard for long-term sustainment, repair excellence, cost effectiveness and quality for all vertical lift aircraft in DOD. The center accomplishes this through partnerships with government, industry and academic institutions focusing on repair and manufacture of emergency parts, application of emerging technologies, vertical lift workforce education and training, and long-term sustainment of deployed aircraft.
General health care aboard Cherry Point is accomplished in several ways, dependent upon whether you are an active duty service member, a retiree or a dependent family member.
Active duty service members will be treated at the Naval Health Clinic through the standard “sick call” system by scheduling appointments with the clinic they are assigned to directly. Urgent Care services are available at the Health Clinic, but emergencies, at any time, should be handled by calling 911. The Naval Health Clinic no longer has an emergency room, only an urgent care clinic.
Dependent family members and retirees will receive health care through one of three TRICARE programs – Standard, Extra or Prime. Where that care is received will be dependent upon which TRICARE program the member is enrolled in. More information about TRICARE is given below.
The Naval Health Clinic was originally Halyburton Naval Hospital, named in memory of Pharmacist Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton, a North Carolina native who served with 2/5 Marines as a corpsman during World War II. Petty Officer Halyburton was mortally wounded while rendering care to fallen Marines. In honor of his gallant efforts, he was awarded his nation’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor.
The Naval Health Clinic is a 201,805-square-foot state-of-the-art facility. It provides medical support to MCAS Cherry Point, the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Readiness Center-East and other tenant organizations. Active duty family members and military retirees are also served here. In total, the clinic serves a population of about 40,000 people. It is accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Health Care Organizations and is a member of the American Hospital Association.
This facility is staffed and equipped to provide primary care for eligible beneficiaries. Outpatient services available include family practice, OB/GYN, pediatrics, optometry, psychology, physical therapy, military medicine, internal medicine and an ambulatory surgery unit.
There are no inpatient services. Those patients who require a higher level of care are usually referred to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va.; or to local civilian hospitals.
Emergency room services are no longer available at the Naval Health Clinic. Beneficiaries with true emergencies should call 911 for a base ambulance or seek emergency care at a civilian hospital or Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital. The Naval Health Clinic has an Urgent Care Clinic open seven days a week from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
The Health Education and Lifestyle Management Department offers a wide variety of programs for awareness, promotion and education on how to live a healthier life. Programs include nutrition and weight management, smoking cessation, cholesterol screening and education, hypertension management, diabetic nutrition and education, heat injury prevention, and an asthma clinic.
This department also sponsors the Semper Fit 2000 program, which is designed to promote and educate active duty Marines and sailors on how to live a more healthy lifestyle. Phone 466-0921 for more information.
The Occupational Health Clinic, building 3907, provides DOD employees with a wide range of services, mostly related to the work environment. In particular, the clinic monitors personnel who work in hazardous areas or with hazardous materials, and treats occupational-related injuries. Another function is the preventative medicine program which includes everything from immunizations to monitoring communicable diseases to sanitary inspections of food service facilities aboard the air station. There is also an audiology clinic to provide hearing evaluations.
Finally, the Industrial Hygiene division is charged with the mission of protecting employees from occupational injury and occupational exposure to hazardous substances. This is done through enforcement of regulations and regular inspections at hazardous work areas. The Industrial Hygiene division is located on the third floor of the Naval Health Clinic.
Rapidly rising health care costs and the closure of military bases, along with their hospitals, require that the military find new ways to provide health care. TRICARE is the Department of Defense’s response to this challenge. TRICARE is the medical program for active duty, qualified family members, eligible retirees and their family members and survivors under age 65.
The TRICARE program is managed by the military in partnership with civilian contractors. It is designed to expand access to care, ensure high quality care, control health care costs for patients and taxpayers alike, and improve medical readiness. TRICARE offers beneficiaries three choices for their health care: TRICARE Standard, a fee-for-service option that is the same as CHAMPUS; TRICARE Extra, a preferred provider option that saves money over Standard; and TRICARE Prime, an HMO-type option, where Military Treatment Facilities are the principal source of health care.
The main challenge for most is deciding which TRICARE option is best for them. Enrollment is only required for TRICARE Prime. There are no enrollment fees for active duty families in TRICARE Prime.
Personnel new to the area should contact TRICARE at 1-877-TRICARE, or visit the health clinic’s TRICARE service center during check-in, to determine the best option. Active Duty should enroll themselves at each duty station and TRICARE Prime is their only option. Enrollment is not automatic for active duty.
Dental care for active duty personnel is provided by the 12th Dental Company/Branch Dental Clinic, 2d FSSG. Although a completely separate command, the 12th Dental Company is located on the second deck of the Naval Health Clinic. It provides routine and emergency care for active duty members of the air station, 2d MAW and other tenant organizations aboard the air station. Call 466-0400 for information about regular hours and after-hours urgent dental care.
Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., FASOTRAGRULANT has several detachments, one of which is located at Cherry Point. The detachment’s mission is to provide training for officer and enlisted members in the administration procedures for the Naval Aviation Maintenance Management Program. FASO is currently in the transition process to align with the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training.
Approximately 500 students undergo training each year at Cherry Point’s detachment, located in building 4335, room 217. Currently nine enlisted personnel are assigned, six of whom are instructors.
The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Marine Unit (CNATT MARU) Cherry Point provides technical training in maintenance, operation and repair of aircraft systems and associated equipment. There are five Maintenance Training Units (MTUs) located in three separate locations aboard the air station. CNATT MARU provides technical training for a variety of aircraft communities covering 22 military occupational specialties for approximately 1,200 students annually.
DDCN supports the 2d Marine Air Wing, numerous Marine aviation logistics squadrons, MCAS Cherry Point – the largest Marine Corps air station in the world, and the Naval Air Systems Command’s Fleet Readiness Center East at Cherry Point. Along with full service distribution support such as receipt, stow, issue and transportation of customer logistics requirements, DDCN performs all specialized packaging, preservation and crating of components. In addition, DDCN currently operates two Preservation, Packaging, Packing and Marking satellite operations within FRC East, and is an integral part of the FRC East production line, which refurbishes DOD’s aircraft components, including the custody, preservation, handling and shipping of aircraft parts and engines.
DDCN provides worldwide support of all of the Marine Corps deployments, exercises and mobilizations, and provides rigging, loading, blocking and bracing, and transportation services for essential air and ground support equipment, weapons and vehicles. DDCN also supplies all of the preservation and packaging, HAZMAT packaging, central receiving, rigging operations, ordnance transportation certifying and transportation management office requirements to all units in the local area.
In November 2001, as a result of an A-76 competition, the distribution functions were transitioned to a civilian contractor. A small group of government employees have remained on site as part of DDCN’s Continuing Governmental Activity. Their responsibility is to oversee the contractor’s operations and lend technical assistance, as necessary.
2D Marine Aircraft Wing: www.2maw.usmc.mil
2D Marine Aircraft Group 14: www.2maw.usmc.mil/MAG14/default.asp
Marine Wing Support Group 27: www.2maw.usmc.mil/MWSG27/default.asp
Marine Air Control Group28: www.2maw.usmc.mil/MACG28/MACG28/default.asp
2D Marine Aircraft Wing Band: www.2maw.usmc.mil/2mawband/default.asp
FRC East: www.nadepcp.navy.mil
Naval Health Clinic: cpoint-www.med.navy.mil
Published by Benchmark Publications Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Marine Corps, under exclusive written contract with MCAS Cherry Point. This Installation Guide/Telephone Directory is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. Military service. Contents of the MCAS Cherry Point Guide/Telephone Directory are not necessarily the official views of, or are they endorsed by the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Marine Corps or Benchmark Publications, Inc. of the products or services advertised.
Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. |
WELCOME
