Happy 73rd Birthday 2nd MAW
www.cherrypoint.marines.mil
Vol. 72, No. 28
July 10, 2014
2nd MAW marks 73 years of aviation excellence SGT. T. T. PARISH MCAS CHERRY POINT
Since its activation on 10 July 1941, the Marines and Sailors of 2nd MAW have distinguished themselves in combat. From World War II to Operation Enduring Freedom, from the Balkans to the skies over Libya, 2nd MAW has earned a reputation of valiantly responding to every challenge. Built upon the legacy of Marine Corps aviation, you have upheld the finest traditions of our earliest aviators and proven you are “Second To None.” Gen. James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps Today marks the 73rd birthday of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, a 73 year tradition of Marines and Sailors supporting the Fleet Marine Forces. The Marines and Sailors of 2nd MAW are always ready to answer the nation’s call, an advocate for freedom from the coast of the Carolinas. From its inception, authorized by congressional act during the simmering days before the United States joined World War II, 2nd MAW activated as Marine Air Group Two in San Diego. The initial squadrons, more than 60, helped begin the offensive against the Empire of Japan at Wake Island; they supported Marine amphibious landings from the east to west and south to north, sweeping across the Pacific in F4U Corsairs, F6F Hellcats, TBF Avengers and launched from countless U.S. Navy vessels. The aerial armada, stretching thousands of miles and island hopping from Guadalcanal and Midway to Tinian and Okinawa, ran the gauntlet through nearly four years of bloody
OUTER PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. RYAN YOUNG/PHOTO INSERT BY LANCE CPL. STEVE ACUFF
An F-35B Lightning II, F/A-18 Hornet, and an AV-8B Harrier fly in formation May 17 during the 2014 MCAS Cherry Point Air Show here. Photo Insert: An F4U Corsair and an AV-8B Harrier perform a legacy flight symbolizing the history and advances of Marine Corps aviation during the MCAS Cherry Point Air Show, May 4, 2012.
combat to beat back the tide of imperialism and oppression while Marines below overtook island after fortified island. From 1941 through August 1945, 2nd MAW helped establish the concept of a Marine AirGround Task Force. The Marines in the sky
seldom saw the enemy below, only the results of their precision fires coordinated by Marines on the ground. It was the archetype of what has evolved and it is the blueprint for today’s global-ready MAGTF. Veteran World War II pilots and crews
accustomed to the hardships of expeditionary warfare returned home from the Pacific, taking root at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., after 2nd MAW established headquarters See 2NDMAW page A9
Top budget officials examine encroachment around station LANCE CPL. JOSHUA R. HEINS MCAS CHERRY POINT
PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. JOSHUA R. HEINS
Department of Defense and Office of Management and Budget representatives tour a new Military Operation on Urban Terrain town at Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic June 25. They visited Cherry Point, and its outlying training facilities in two HH-46 Sea Knight helicopters from Marine Transport Squadron 1 to see the effects of encroachment on military training here.
Top DOD and governmental budget officials visited Cherry Point and its outlying training facilities June 25 to examine the effects of encroachment around Cherry Point facilities and to determine ways to prevent interference with training and flight operations. Representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Council on Environmental Quality were here to get a closer look at the challenges Cherry Point faces with threats of encroachment, and to better understand how Cherry Point would use future funding to help with those challenges. Encroachment upon military installations can come in many forms, but for aviation installations the most common encroachment is civil construction near bases that leads to noise complaints and tall structure hazards to aviators. As these forms of development encroach upon bases and training areas, they reduce viable air space for realistic training of combat aviators that is not only necessary, but required by law.
The key components of the visit were tours of Bombing Target 11 on Piney Island, Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic and Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue. The goal was to give them bird’s-eye and ground-level perspectives on encroachment risks here and the importance of their support for facilities used not only by 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, but other military and Department of Homeland Security agencies in the region. Each year Congress grants the executive branch funds after receiving a budget proposal from the president. The yearly budget is prepared by OMB and affects all branches of the military. At Cherry Point, in addition to its normal operating expenses, funds are requested to help with the purchase of land or land easements in and near critical training areas through partnerships with other organizations with parallel interests, such as the protection of wetlands and other environmentally important areas. “Many of the visitors had never seen firsthand where the funds they provide go toSee EXAMINE page A9
Cherry Point Commissary donates more than 30,000 pounds to food bank LANCE CPL. GRACE L. WALADKEWICS MCAS CHERRY POINT
The Cherry Point Commissary joined local agencies early this year to donate more than 30,000 pounds supplies to feed thousands of hungry people across central and eastern North Carolina. The Commissary partnered with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to bolster food bank supplies and lessen the discarding of items marked unsellable throughout the store. Unsellable products are any food products that have passed their sell by date, products that have gotten wet or whose packaging appears too unsightly for sale, and cleaning supplies that are broken or some of the contents have spilled out. Other products deemed unsellable include some pet items, dented cans and holiday specific items. The Cherry Point Commissary established a relationship with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina in February after a furlough of commissary employees led to tons of good food going into the local landfill because it passed its “sell-by” date or had dam-
aged packaging. In response to this, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps and the Defense Commissary Agency began planning to make use of the items. Under the new plan, the Cherry Point Commissary donates food to the New Bern Branch of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to benefit more than 70 food bank partner agencies like food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens across the region. “It is really a win-win relationship between the commissary and the food banks,” said Phyllis Black, director of the commissary here. “We are helping to feed thousands with food that would ordinarily go into a landfill.” Donated food is still safe to consume but not in good enough condition for sale. As long as the inner packaging of unsellable items is not compromised, the item can be donated to citizens in need, said Black. “Before the food can be picked up by the food bank and distributed to those in need, the military food inspectors are responsible for inspecting the food to determine if it is still safe, edible and can be given away,” said Black. Once the food is inspected at the commis-
News Briefs
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Raid Exercise
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Volunteers
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Rifle Championship
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MWSS-274
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Announcements
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sary, workers package and seal all donations in preparation for the food bank to receive twice a week. “Community support is essential to ensuring the food bank can achieve its mission,” said Jennifer M. Caslin, coordinator of marketing and public relations with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. “No one goes hungry in central and eastern North Carolina. That’s our mission and it takes partnerships such as those with Cherry Point, retail partners, corporate partners and volunteers to ensure there is a strong safety net in place for those who need it.” Once the food is delivered to the food bank’s main warehouse in Raleigh, N.C., it is inspected again by food bank volunteers to ensure the product is still edible or useable. The warehouse then distributes usable items to food banks and charitable services in the community. The Cherry Point Commissary supports food banks across 34 North Carolina counties. The counties are broken up into six branches that collectively serve more than 3.2 million people annually. “We as a team really love to get involved and
PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. GRACE L. WALADKEWICS
Steven Doyle sorts a cart of unsellable items at the Cherry Point Commissary for donation to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina July 2. Doyle is a commissary employee who helped pack more than 30,000 pounds of food for donation since February. See DONATION page A9
2nd MAW Band celebrates Independence Day Story and photos page B1