Marine Aviation Training Support Group 23 (MATSG-23) is a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

training

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

originally established during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as Marine Aircraft Group 23 (MAG-23). Squadrons from MAG-23, augmented by

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

flying units formed the Cactus Air Force during the

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

. Since then it has evolved into the first Aviation Logistics focused Colonel level command, and serves as a functional training advocate for all USMC Aviation Logistics entry-level training. The instructors and support staff of MATSG-23 are responsible for training thousands of Marines per year in the disciplines required to enable the expeditionary aviation required to support the

Marine Air Ground Task Force Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF, pronounced MAG-TAF) is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined ar ...

Mission

MATSG-23's mission is to serve as the functional training advocate for all USMC Aviation Logistics entry-level training, to include initial accession, primary MOS, Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Aviation Ordnance Officer Career Progression Schools and Air Traffic Control Officer Course. Additionally, as directed by Training Command, MATSG-23 provides administrative and logistical support to regionally located units in order to prepare Marines for service in the Fleet Marine Force.

History

World War II

Marine Aircraft Group 23 was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, as part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing on March 1, 1942. The group became the first Marine aviation group to meet the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

in the South Pacific. They formed the forward echelon of the

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. A ...

(1st MAW) during the

and landed its first units at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal on August 20, 1942 when

VMF-223 Marine Attack Squadron 223 (VMA-223) is a United States Marine Corps fixed wing attack squadron that consists of McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier II ( V/STOL) jets. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina ...

and

VMSB-231 Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231) is a United States Marine Corps fixed wing attack squadron that consists of AV-8B Harrier ( V/STOL) jets. The squadron, known as the "Ace of Spades", is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North ...

were flown off the USS Long Island (CVE-1). Ten days later the group's rear echelon, composed of

VMF-224 Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 (VMFA(AW)-224) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Also known as the "Fighting Bengals", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina and falls under ...

and

VMSB-232 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Nicknamed the "Red Devils", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft ...

, joined the forward echelon at Henderson Field. MAG-23, augmented by Army and Navy land based air under the operational control of 1st MAW, furnished

air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movemen ...

to the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is th ...

and Army ground forces in the struggle for Guadalcanal. The Group composed of only four Marine squadrons, detachments from six Navy carrier squadrons ( VS-5, VB-6,

VF-5 VF-51, Fighter Squadron 51 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy known as the "Screaming Eagles". It was originally established as VF-1 on February 1, 1943, redesignated as VF-5 on July 15, 1943, redesignated as VF-5A on November 15, 1946, ...

, VS-71,

VT-8 Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) was a United States Navy squadron of World War II torpedo bombers. VT-8 was assigned initially to the air group of the aircraft carrier , joining the ship shortly after her Ship commissioning, commissioning in October 194 ...

and VS-3), and the 67th Army Pursuit Squadron. This heterogeneous group shot down 244 enemy planes in four weeks. Navy pilots accounted 44, Army flyers, using P-400s shot down eight. The remaining 192 were credited to Marines. Though MAG-23 suffered casualties as well (22 Marine pilots killed in action, three by enemy naval gunfire), their actions were vital in the legendary Marine victory at Guadalcanal. From Guadalcanal, MAG-23 was transferred to the

Naval Air Station San Diego Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...

where it served as a part of Marine Air, West Coast from November 18, 1942 until January 9, 1943. The group was then transferred to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro until September 1943. On September 19, 1943, the group again landed at MCAS Ewa and remained there as part of Marine Air Hawaiian Area until May 1944. On May 8, 1944, the group transferred to Midway Atoll where it remained until the war ended. After the war, MAG-23 returned to the West Coast and was decommissioned on November 1, 1945.

1980s to Present

Marine Aviation and Training Support Group 23 (MATSG-23) was formally activated on 15 January 1982 with a mission of providing administrative and limited logistics support to Marines permanently and temporarily assigned to NAS Lemoore in support of F/A-18 maintenance, operations and training. On 2 July 1982 VMFA-314 arrived at NAS Lemoore as the first squadron to transition to the F/A-18 Hornet. By the end of June 1983 the first three Marine F/A-18 squadrons had completed their transition at VFA-125. A new and exciting chapter in Fighter Aviation had begun. Over the years, F/A-18 training switched from whole units to individual Marines destined to replace Marines in FMF. In May 2000 the Commandant of the Marine Corps directed the re-designation of all Marine Aviation Training Support Groups to promote a sense of Marine Corps identity and tradition. This re-designation utilized the numbers of previously decommissioned groups allowing them and their rich history to live on in the annuals of Naval Aviation. On 7 June 2013, the Commandant of the Marine Corps approved the reorganization of the existing five MATSGs headquarters into three MATSG headquarters. MATSG-23 was directed to reorganize and relocate from NAS Lemoore, Ca to NAS Pensacola, FL and assume administrative support for initial accession schools. MATSG-23 consists of a headquarters element supporting three squadrons and two detachments to include: Aviation Maintenance Squadron 1, Aviation Maintenance Squadron 2, Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron 1, Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Detachment Eglin Air Force Base, and Marine Detachment Keesler Air Force Base. The command of MATSG-23 has not limited itself to student throughput. It has taken an active role to improve aviation logistics for the fleet Marine Corps by initiating and supporting important commodity advocacy issues. MATSG-23 is constantly innovating the way Marine aviation support personnel are trained and support/maintain the Aviation Combat Element of the MAGTF.

Notable former members

* David Douglas Duncan, as a 2d Lieutenant in

* William J. Wallace as Colonel commanded MAG 23 at Guadalcanal

References

External links

MATSG-23's official website
{{US Marine Corps navbox Military units and formations in California Tr