January 3, 2013Vol. 71, No. 1 www.cherrypoint.marines.mil

Marines honor Sandy Hook victims

26th MEU hones search and seizure skills A2

A6

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Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 366 and Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 467 are scheduled to return to Marine Corps Air Station New River in 2014 after a new hangar is built for the MV-22B Osprey squadrons there, making enough room to fi t all of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s rotary wing assets on one air station. The hangar is estimated to cost $141 million and will be the largest Marine Corps building on the East Coast.

See A6 for photos and more information

On this day in 1944, Col. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, World War II ace and leader of Marine Fighter Squad-ron 214, the infamous “Black Sheep,” downed three Japanese aircraft during his fi nal combat mission of WWII. This feat brought his total number of downed enemy planes to 26, tying the mark in aviation history set by Army Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, who downed 26 planes in World War I.

During his last mission, Boyington made several fl ights through hostile enemy fi re over Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. His aircraft went down during the ensuing dogfi ght.

A Japanese submarine recovered the downed Marine from the wreckage and transported him to the fi rst of many pris-oner of war camps he would see during the remainder of the war. While at these camps he was often beaten, interrogated and nearly starved.

After approximately 20 months as a POW, Boyington was rescued and returned to the United States where President Harry S. Truman decorated him with the Medal of Honor and Navy

Cross.The late President Franklin D. Roos-

evelt had awarded Boyington the Medal of Honor during his captivity, and the medal was held at the Capitol until he could he receive it.

As stated in the citation, he was also commended for his outstanding leader-ship abilities: “Under his brilliant com-mand, our fi ghters shot down 20 enemy craft in the ensuing action without the loss of a single ship. A superb airman and determined fi ghter against over-whelming odds, Major Boyington per-sonally destroyed 26 of the many Japa-nese planes shot down by his squadron and, by his forceful leadership, devel-oped the combat readiness in his com-mand which was a distinctive factor in the Allied aerial achievements in this vitally strategic area.”

Boyington retired Aug. 1, 1947, as a colonel.

During his time in and out of the ser-vice, the Medal of Honor and Navy Cross recipient left his mark on the Corps. It is that same dedication to duty and fi ghting spirit that continues to uphold the legacy of Marine Corps aviation.

CPL. ANDREA CLEOPATRA DICKERSON MCAS CHERRY POINT

69 years ago today, legendary WWII ace makes fi nal fl ight

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 366 and Marine Light At-tack Helicopter Squadron 467 are scheduled to return to Marine Corps Air Station New River in 2014, pending the completion of a new hangar complex that recently broke ground. When Osprey squadrons with Marine Aircraft Group 26 move into the new han-gars, HMH-366 and HMLA-467 will take over the hangars the Os-prey squadrons vacated.

Moving the squadrons from Cherry Point to New River and geographically collocating all MAG-29 squadrons will streamline operations for the units and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. Maj. Jeff Hubley, the executive offi cer of HMH-366, said simply be-ing closer to the squadrons’ New River-based storage facilities will improve effi ciency.

“The logistics piece is what we struggle the most with because our parts warehouse is 50 miles away, and we rely on ground trans-portation to do up to three runs a day to bring us the stuff we need,” said Hubley. “It would be easier to just run down the street to get something if we needed it.”

Hubley said the current maintenance system is working, but would be simplifi ed by the move. Turnaround time on aircraft

CPL. SCOTT L. TOMASZYCKI MCAS CHERRY POINT

Maj. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, commanding offi cer of Marine Fighter Squad-ron 214, photo circa 1943-1944.

New hangar to consolidate rotary wing assets in New River

See HANGAR page A3

Ace of Spades executes close air support mission in Afghanistan

AV-8B Harriers with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Attack Squadron 231 patrol the skies of Helmand province, Afghanistan, during a recent mission. VMA-231, the “Ace of Spades,” is currently assigned to 3rd MAW (Forward), the aviation combat element for the soutwestern regional command of the war in Afghanistan.

CPL. SCOTT L. TOMASZYCKI

COURTESY PHOTO

CPL. GREGORY MOORE

Heavy helicopters pack .50-caliber punch

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USS SAN ANTONIO – Marines and Sailors with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s maritime raid force conducted a maritime interdiction operation training exercise at sea aboard the USS San Antonio (LPD 17), Dec. 18.

“This training was teaching anti-piracy techniques,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Bagorskas, and lead MIO instruc-tor with the special operations training group. “This training gives them another tool the Marines can use to accomplish their mission. Instead of just being land or air based, this helps take us back to our roots of the continental days when Marines would fi ght pirates on ships.”

“It also gives the MEU the ability to interdict sus-pected pirate vessels and gives them the ability to board vessels, whether they are large or small, in order to fi g-ure out what is going on and secure the ship,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan J. Kuperus, and lead tactics instructor with SOTG.

Bagorskas brought up a recent MIO the 15th MEU conducted called Magellan Star. During the mission, the Marines and Sailors helped secure a pirate-seized Ger-man cargo ship off the coast of Yemen in 2010, safely rescuing all hostages and capturing the pirates without having to fi re a single shot.

This training exercise simulated the San Antonio be-ing a non-compliant ship that was boarded by the Ma-rines and Sailors who inserted from a CH-53E Super Stallion and two MH-60S Seahawks.

Bagorskas said once the Marines boarded, they pushed through the ship and secured main objectives. During the mission, they neutralized a threat in the well deck, established and maintained communications, and evac-uated two crew members who sustained injury. Once the ship was cleared and deemed safe, they handed the ship over to the Navy ship control team.

Perfecting this training gives the 26th MEU the capa-bility to safely and profi ciently perform this operation while on deployment, if necessary. To provide guidance,

Marines and Sailors from SOTG graded the boarding and clearing of the ship.

“It is important to train on exercises like this and im-prove their skill set because part of the MEU’s area of operations is the Gulf of Aden,” said Kuperus. “That area has been a real hot spot of pirate activities in the last couple years.”

As the fi rst major training operation these Marines and Sailors have conducted since completing the course for visit, board, search and seizure, Kuperus said they per-formed well. He said as long as they maintain brilliance

in the basics, they will continue to be successful.This exercise was part of the 26th MEU’s third major

training evolution of their pre-deployment training pro-gram. The 26th MEU operates continuously across the globe, providing the president and unifi ed combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, sea-based quick reaction force. The MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and limited contingency operations. The 26th MEU is slated to deploy in 2013.

CPL. KYLE N. RUNNELS

26TH MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT

Maritime raid force seizes the USS San Antonio

Marines and Sailors assigned to 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s maritime raid force land aboard the USS San Antonio (LPD 17) while conducting maritime interdiction operations during the MEU’s group sail exercise Dec. 18. The exercise consists of multiple training scenarios to include a visit, board, search and seizure; variations of raids; and tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel simulations. The 26th MEU operates continuously across the globe, providing the president and unified combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, sea-based quick reaction force. The MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and limited contingency operations. The 26th MEU is slated to deploy in 2013.

CPL. KYLE N. RUNNELS

Marines assigned to 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s maritime raid force air evacuate a casualty off the flight deck of the USS San Antonio (LPD 17) while conducting maritime interdiction operations during the MEU’s group sail exercise Dec. 18.

CPL. KYLE N. RUNNELS

This Department of De-fense newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the DoD. Con-tents of the Windsock are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, or the Public Affairs Office, Cher-ry Point, N.C. The appear-ance of advertising in this publication, including in-serts or supplements, does not constitute endorse-ment by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Marine Corps, or Halifax Media Group, of the products or services advertised. Ev-erything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, reli-gion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physi-cal handicap, political affili-ation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, us-er or patron. The Windsock is published by Halifax Me-dia Group, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of Defense or the U.S. Marine Corps un-der exclusive written con-tract with Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C.

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HANGAR from page A1

maintenance will be reduced from eight hours to about two, and the Marine Corps will save a signifi cant amount of time and resources.

The new building that will house the Osprey squadrons is estimated to cost $141 million and will house 48 MV-22B Ospreys – every aircraft belonging to four Osprey squadrons.

“It’s going to be the largest Marine Corps building on the East Coast,” said Doss Comer, the facilities manager for New River.

Comer is a retired lieutenant colonel who fl ew CH-46 Sea Knights out of New River for 14 years. During his entire time there, New River has been one hangar short of providing space for all deployable squadrons. To compensate, squadrons were “hot seated,” meaning as one squadron moved out of a hangar for a deployment, a squadron returning from deployment moved in. Squadrons that did not fi t were headquartered at Cherry Point.

“It’s a major capital improvement for New River,” said Comer. “The squadrons were all supposed to be here anyway, but we didn’t have room for them. This is just to make room for them.”

The WindsockA6 January 3, 2013 Facebook.com/MCASCherryPoint

A Marine with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 “Warhorses” prepares a GAU-21 .50-caliber weapon system for weapons training on the flight line aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Dec. 20. Primarily used to transport troops and supplies, Super Stallion crews need to be prepared to defend themselves from enemy fire.

LANCE CPL. CHRISTOPHER JOHNS

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – “When I was de-ployed to Afghanistan in January 2011, the scariest thing I saw was a bright fl ash come up into the air from a truck on the side of the road. Even though nothing happened, I was glad I had my gunners in the back of the aircraft ready and trained if things got hairy,” said Capt. Madeline Dougherty, the quality assurance offi cer and a CH-53E Super Stallion pilot with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 “Warhorses.”

Pilots and crews serving aboard CH-53E Super Stallions performed weapons training to perfect their responses above El Centro, Calif., Dec. 20.

“We perform training like this about twice a month,” said Dougherty. “If we didn’t train like this, we would have crew chiefs who don’t know how to use the weapons systems, and it’s important to train to have those skills just in case the need should arise.”

Before training began, ordnance Ma-rines ensured the weaponry was properly attached to the aircraft and all ammunition secured and prepared aboard the aircraft.

“The aircraft has three weapons sys-tems attached to it, two on the doors on each side and one in the rear on the ramp,” said Lance Cpl. John Mathias-meier, an aviation ordnance Marine with the Warhorses.

“These weapons will fi re 950 to 1,100

rounds per minute up to 2,000 meters,” said Mathiameier. “If the weapon isn’t properly secured to the aircraft with the proper mounts, it becomes useless.”

While fl ying the armed aircraft, pilots must ensure targets come into the sights of the GAU-21 .50-caliber weapon sys-tem for crew chiefs and gunners to get the best shot possible.

“All I see when I fi re this weapon is a lot of tracers and even more destruction. It’s more exciting than sky diving to me,” said Lance Cpl. Shawn Eastman, a weapons and tactics instructor with the Warhorses. “We fi re 75-round bursts at targets to suppress [mock enemies] for training like this, because we need to be able to perform in training the way we do in combat. If we can’t effectively fi re and suppress the enemy, then we may not be able to put Marines on the ground, even though we would normally have other aircraft to help attack and de-stroy the enemy.”

After engaging the target with 3,600 rounds, crew chiefs communicated with pilots to ensure the threat had been min-imized.

“At the end of the day, with this train-ing, crew chiefs and pilots will react in combat the same way they react here, and we can realistically accomplish our mission,” said Eastman. “Whether it’s putting Marines into or picking them up from a landing zone, or giving them supplies, we have to know how to do this or people could die.”

LANCE CPL. CHRISTOPHER JOHNS

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR / 3RD MARINE AIRCRAFT WING

‘Warhorses’ deliver .50-caliber punch

Lance Cpl. Shawn Eastman, a weapons and tactics instructor with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 “Warhorses” locks the bolt of a GAU-21 .50-caliber weapon system to the rear, before using it for weapons training aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Dec. 20. As a weapons and tactics instructor, Eastman must ensure every weapon aboard the CH-53E Super Stallion is used properly and each crew member receives training before operating it.

LANCE CPL. CHRISTOPHER JOHNS

A Marine with the Marine Corps Communication Electronics School lights a candle in honor of the victims of the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., outside Oasis Elementary School, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 19.

LANCE CPL. LAUREN KURKIMILIS

Sandy Hook vigil in Twentynine Palms