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Photo Information

Old Glory hangs between two all-terrain boom crane 50-tons at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Sept. 10, 2014. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 274 hung the colors for their fellow Marines and Sailors returning for a deployment to Afghanistan.

Photo by Cpl. J. R. Heins

MWSS-274 Marines, Sailors return from deployment

15 Sep 2014 | Cpl. J. R. Heins Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

More than 80 Marines and Sailors with Marine Wing Support Squadron 274 returned to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Sept. 10 after a six-month deployment to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

During the deployment, MWSS-274 supported various squadrons throughout the camp and assisted heavily in the efforts to retrograde the site, said Capt. Phillip C. Vrska, a logistics officer with the squadron.

The Marines performed very well, said Vrska. The Marines worked diligently throughout their six-month deployment and the mission would not have been completed without them.”

The support squadron provides essential Aviation Ground Support for the Aviation Combat Element and all supporting or attached elements of the Marine Air Control Group. The squadron remained responsible for everything from firefighting to airbase ground defense while deployed, according to Vrska.

“It feels great to be home after returning from a mission well done,” said Vrska. “We are the last MWSS to leave Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Marines were greeted by a mass of proud friends and loved ones who were awaiting their return.

“My main task was driving the vehicles to assist in the retrograde,” said Cpl. Logan S. Mains, a motor vehicle operator with the squadron. “We were waking up at 5 a.m. and going to sleep at 8 p.m. nearly every day, really pushing to get everything done.

The Marines of the squadron feel a sense of accomplishment after returning for a successful deployment, according to Mains. “It feels amazing to be back,” said Mains. “It’s great to see my little girl for the first time.”
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point