The Marine Wing Support Squadron 373 (MWSS 373) is an aviation ground support unit of the

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 ...

. They are based out of

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...

, California. The squadron is part of

Marine Aircraft Group 11 Marine Aircraft Group 11 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar that is currently composed of two F-35C squadrons, one F-35B squadron, two F/A-18C squadrons, one fleet replacement squadron, one KC- ...

and the

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...

Mission

Provide all essential aviation ground requirements to a designated fixed-wing component of a Marine Aviation Combat Element or to supplement air base facilities and services provided by a Marine Corps Air Station, when based thereon. This includes motor vehicle support, mobile electric power, heavy equipment, tactical aviation refueling, essential runway services, and second echelon maintenance. They are tasked to conduct airfield operations, less air traffic control, for supporting Aviation Combat Element units to include: internal airfield communications, weather, services expeditionary airfield services, crash/fire/rescue and structural fire fighting services, aircraft and rapid ground refueling, motor transport for operations internal to air base messing facilities, routine and emergency sick call and aviation medical functions, individual and unit training of organic personnel and personnel of selected support units, organic nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) defense, security and law enforcement services

History

Early years

Marine Wing Support Squadron 373 (MWSS-373) can trace its lineage back to Wing Equipment and Repair Squadron 37 (WERS-37) activated on 1 April 1967 at

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California. Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast ...

, Santa Ana, California. On 31 January 1977, WERS-37 was restructured and re-designated as Wing Transportation Squadron 37 (WTS-37) as a result of the Marine Corps wide Combat Service Support reorganization concept, effected 5 June 1986. On 21 August 1998, MWSS-373 relocated from MCAS El Toro to

The Gulf War and the 1990s

During August 1990 through April 1991 MWSS-373 participated in

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

in Saudi Arabia and

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

; while in Southwest Asia, the Marines and Sailors of MWSS-373 pumped over of fuel to tactical aircraft, provided over 2 million meals, transported 46 million pounds of ordnance, produced of potable water, treated 18,000 patients, administered 3,200 immunizations, provided water electricity and sanitation for 8 dispersed billeting areas and drove over 1 million accident free miles. In July 1992, MWSS-373 became the first support squadron in the

I Marine Expeditionary Force The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is ...

to obtain 100% readiness. In September 1992, MWSS-373 welcomed aboard the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit from

Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11 Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11 (MALS-11) is an aviation logistics support unit of the United States Marine Corps, part of Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11), currently based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and also part of the 3rd Mar ...

, adding a new dimension to the squadron. During December 1992 to May 1993, MWSS-373 provided 24-hour airfield embarkation support at MCAS El Toro for units deploying to

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

in support of

Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...

. In providing this support, the Marines of MWSS-373 loaded over 100 aircraft with eight million pounds of cargo and equipment. Between January and March 1995, MWSS-373 deployed a detachment to Somalia in support of

Operation United Shield Operation United Shield was the codename of a military operation, conducted 9 January to 3 March 1995, bringing a conclusion to the United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II). Commanded by the United States, two ships of the Pakistan Na ...

to assist with the UN' withdrawal from that country. From 19 August 1995 to 19 October 1995, MWSS-373 also deployed an Offload Preparation Party detachment of 11 Marines to the 15th MEU(Marine Expeditionary Unit) as part of Operation Vigilant Sentinel a larger U.S. effort to deter Iraqi interference with United Nations' arms inspections and in response to claims by high-ranking military defectors of the Iraqi armed forces that Saddam Hussein was massing forces near the Kuwaiti border. During August 1998, MWSS-373 relocated to MCAS Miramar, San Diego, California as part of a base realignment and closure (BRAC) directed move.

Global War on Terror

From September 2001 through present MWSS-373 deployed personnel and equipment in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

and

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

in support of four separate

Marine Expeditionary Unit A Marine expeditionary unit (MEU, pronounced as one syllable "" IPA: ) is the smallest air-ground task force (MAGTF) in the United States Fleet Marine Force.VMFA Squadrons. From September 2002 through present MWSS-373 deployed personnel and equipment to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in support of VMA-513 during Operation Enduring Freedom. From January to June 2003 MWSS-373 deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. MWSS 373 constructed a 4,000 Marine base camp, and installed a Harrier parking ramp, at Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait for elements of the

. During March 2003 MWSS-373 conducted FARP operations (

Forward Arming and Refueling Point A forward arming and refuelling point (FARP) or forward area refuelling pointUSAF DVID(11 Dec 2022) MQ-9 FARP in a Combat Area [Image 6 of 6 is a NATO term for an area where aircraft (typically helicopters) can be refuelled and re-armed at a dist ...

) in the vicinity of Jalibah Airfield, Iraq in support of the attack on An Nasiriyah. Rapid runway repair of a KC-130 operating strip at Jalibah Airfield was completed on the third night of the ground war. MWSS-373 went on and constructed a 3,000 Marine forward operating base (FOB) at Jalibah Airfield, Iraq in support of elements of 3rd MAW. During the month of April 2003, MWSS-373 continued to conduct FARP operations at

Tikrit Tikrit ( ar, تِكْرِيت ''Tikrīt'' , Syriac language, Syriac: ܬܲܓܪܝܼܬܼ ''Tagrīṯ'') is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Gover ...

Airfield, Iraq (northernmost USMC FARP in Iraq) and Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq. In August 2004 MWSS-373 deployed to Al Taqaddum to support 3rd MAW in providing aviation ground support in

Al Anbar Province Al Anbar Governorate ( ar, محافظة الأنبار; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, ...

. They also provided aviation ground support and limited combat service support from Camp Korean Village, Camp Mudaysis, FOB Duke, and

Camp Fallujah Camp Fallujah (formerly known as the MEK (''Mujahedin-E Khalq'') Compound) is a large compound in Fallujah, Iraq formerly used by the U.S. Marines from 2004 to 2009. History Before the Marine occupation, the Iranian dissident group called ...

. In support of Operation Al Fajr in

Fallujah Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...

, MWSS-373 provided fire fighting to respond to life-threatening off-base U.S. and Coalition force structural and vehicle fires, and

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the militar ...

support to clear main supply routes between Al Taqaddum and Al Fallujah. At the conclusion of this deployment, MWSS-373 closed Camp Mudaysis. In September 2006, MWSS-373 again deployed again to Al Taqaddum, Iraq in support of 3rd MAW. During this period MWSS-373 provided functions of aviation ground support and limited combat service support at Al Taqaddum, Camp Ramadi, Camp Fallujah, and Camp Korean Village. MWSS-373 provided response teams for IED activity in the vicinity of Al Taqaddum and Camp Korean Village. Additionally, MWSS-373 numerous road improvement projects, helicopter landing zone installations, and facility electrical renovations at sites throughout the

Euphrates River The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

corridor between

Ar Ramadi Ramadi ( ar, ٱلرَّمَادِي ''Ar-Ramādī''; also formerly rendered as ''Rumadiyah'' or ''Rumadiya'') is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate whi ...

and Al Fallujah. In September 2010, MWSS-373 deployed to Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While deployed MWSS-373 supplied all ground aviation support for Camp Leatherneck, FOB Dwyer, FOB Delaram and FOB Edinburgh. They also completed numerous Helicopter Landing Zone improvement projects across the Helmand province and finalized the construction of a C-130 air strip in Forward Operating Base Delaram. By April 2011, all Marines who deployed with MWSS-373 returned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar safely.

References

External links

* {{3rdMAW MWSS373