MCAS Cherry Point News

Sgt. Matthew R. Johnson, a multiple channel radio operator with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28, is currently deployed to Afghanistan at the same time with the man he considers his father figure, Spc. Monty F. Beaune, a forward observer with the U.S. Army’s 89th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. Johnson outranks Beaune by one pay grade - Sgt. Matthew R. Johnson, a multiple channel radio operator with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28, is currently deployed to Afghanistan at the same time with the man he considers his father figure, Spc. Monty F. Beaune, a forward observer with the U.S. Army’s 89th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. Johnson outranks Beaune by one pay grade

Aye aye, son. Marine outranks dad in Afghanistan

Matthew R. Johnson spent his formative years following in his stepfather’s footsteps. But today as both Johnson and his stepfather serve in Afghanistan, the roles have been somewhat reversed.Johnson is currently deployed to Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, as a multiple channel radio operator with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28. The man

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Deployed Marine helps save Corps time, money

Time is money. One Marine in Afghanistan is saving the U.S. government both.The Navy and Marine Corps rely on a database to track maintenance requirements for their aircraft. But the database was becoming filled with unnecessary entries, causing it to malfunction. So, Headquarters Marine Corps sent a request to each aviation squadron in the Corps

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From left to right, 1st Lt. Martha A. Hiett, 1st Lt. Joel R. Searls and Lt. Col. Robert Cooper work in the Tactical Air Command Center for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. The command center is the mechanism from which aviation elements are managed in the southwestern regional command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Hiett is a native of Willow Springs, Mo. and a senior representative for the Marine Air Command and Control System for the command center. Searls is a close battle coordinator for the command center and a native of Pickerington, Ohio. Cooper is a senior watch officer for the command center and native of Tulsa, Okla. - From left to right, 1st Lt. Martha A. Hiett, 1st Lt. Joel R. Searls and Lt. Col. Robert Cooper work in the Tactical Air Command Center for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. The command center is the mechanism from which aviation elements are managed in the southwestern regional command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Hiett is a native of Willow Springs, Mo. and a senior representative for the Marine Air Command and Control System for the command center. Searls is a close battle coordinator for the command center and a native of Pickerington, Ohio. Cooper is a senior watch officer for the command center and native of Tulsa, Okla.

‘No plan survives contact with the enemy:’ 2nd MAW (Fwd) adjusts, reacts to aviation demands of war in Afghanistan

Somewhere in the darkness, beyond the barbed wire and concrete walls of Camp Leatherneck an improvised explosive device detonates, killing one Marine and injuring another. Shortly thereafter in a dimly-lit, windowless room on the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) compound, a phone rings. In many ways, the war is calling. On the receiving end of

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Staff Sgt. Luis Gonzales, a Marine Attack Squadron 513 avionics technician, helps replace a generator in one of the squadron’s AV-8B Harriers on the flightline of Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 9. - Staff Sgt. Luis Gonzales, a Marine Attack Squadron 513 avionics technician, helps replace a generator in one of the squadron’s AV-8B Harriers on the flightline of Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 9.

Electronics technicians keep Marine pilots flying in Afghanistan

Within every Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier is a nervous system. A network of wires and cables relay battlefield information to the pilot and send his intent with the flick of a wrist or press of a button back through the jet at the speed of light.The end result: a nimble attack jet that can hover, land vertically, and provide precision bombs on

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Sgt. Marc Longoria, center-left, Cpl. Michael Prince and Cpl. Shawn Rose, reenlisted aboard a KC-130J Hercules in the skies of Afghanistan, Aug. 13. Longoria, a native of Yuma, Ariz., and Prince, of Battle Creek, Mich., both serve as powerline mechanics with Marine Attack Squadron 513. Rose, of Freeport, N.Y., serves the squadron as an avionics technician. - Sgt. Marc Longoria, center-left, Cpl. Michael Prince and Cpl. Shawn Rose, reenlisted aboard a KC-130J Hercules in the skies of Afghanistan, Aug. 13. Longoria, a native of Yuma, Ariz., and Prince, of Battle Creek, Mich., both serve as powerline mechanics with Marine Attack Squadron 513. Rose, of Freeport, N.Y., serves the squadron as an avionics technician.

Yuma Marines reenlist in Afghan skies

A group of Marines in Afghanistan recently extended their service to the Corps, not on the sands of the country’s battlefields, but thousands of feet above it. The three Marines, all with Marine Attack Squadron 513, reenlisted aboard a Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252, Aug. 13.Cpl. Shawn

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More than 500 U.S. Marines and deployed troops participated in a 5-kilometer memorial run to honor the life and service of Maj. Megan McClung at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Aug. 13. McClung, a public affairs officer, was the first female Marine Corps officer to die in combat in Iraq. She was killed Dec. 6, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, where she served with I Marine Expeditionary Force. - More than 500 U.S. Marines and deployed troops participated in a 5-kilometer memorial run to honor the life and service of Maj. Megan McClung at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Aug. 13. McClung, a public affairs officer, was the first female Marine Corps officer to die in combat in Iraq. She was killed Dec. 6, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, where she served with I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Marines in Afghanistan run in honor of fallen sister

More than 500 U.S. Marines and deployed troops participated in a 5-kilometer memorial run to honor the life and service of Maj. Megan McClung at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Aug. 13.McClung, a public affairs officer, was the first female Marine Corps officer to die in combat in Iraq. She was killed Dec. 6, 2006, by an improvised explosive device

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A 2nd LAAD Marine oversees Port Security Unit 301’s training as they build a terrain model for planning defenses aboard MCAS Cherry Point, Aug. 1. One of Port Security Unit 301’s mission is to combat terrorist threats against maritime military assets. To perfect their skills, 2nd LAAD Marines shared their experience with PSU 301 during training operations from July 31 – Aug. 9. - A 2nd LAAD Marine oversees Port Security Unit 301’s training as they build a terrain model for planning defenses aboard MCAS Cherry Point, Aug. 1. One of Port Security Unit 301’s mission is to combat terrorist threats against maritime military assets. To perfect their skills, 2nd LAAD Marines shared their experience with PSU 301 during training operations from July 31 – Aug. 9.

2nd LAAD teams up with Coast Guard for small unit tactics training

Kicking in doors and storming buildings is not the mission of most Coast Guardsmen. Yet, the Coast Guard’s Port Security Unit 301 learned these skills and other small unit combat tactics from 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point July 31 – Aug. 9.“The Coast Guard is more thought of as a domestic

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Cpl. Timothy A. Loper, a gunner for the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, demonstrates the operation of the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun to Navy Junior Officer Training Corps cadets. - Cpl. Timothy A. Loper, a gunner for the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, demonstrates the operation of the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun to Navy Junior Officer Training Corps cadets.

2nd LAAD gives NJROTC cadets a glimpse of the Marine Corps

The West Carteret High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program took advantage of an opportunity to visit Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point to see how Marines work Aug. 2.The cadets visited the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion and learned about radios, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and machine guns that the battalion

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Cpl. Benjamin Corke, a Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 40 aviation ordnance systems technician and Scottsville, NY, native, inspects a group of GBU-54 bombs at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, July 30. - Cpl. Benjamin Corke, a Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 40 aviation ordnance systems technician and Scottsville, NY, native, inspects a group of GBU-54 bombs at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, July 30.

Saving lives on the battlefield: Air support begins with ordnance Marines

Thousands of Marines and Afghan and coalition troops rely on 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) for close air support. Here at Kandahar Airfield, that responsibility is carried on the wings of Marine Attack Squadron 513’s AV-8B Harriers. Hundreds of Marines work 24 hours a day at the Harrier squadron to ensure an attack jet is ready whenever it’s

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Cpl. Leonard R. Knudsen Jr. holds a steel rail used to attach cargo to the hull of a CH-53E Super Stallion in the hangar of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Aug. 2. On a recent mission, enemy small-arms fire penetrated the underside of the aircraft and went through the railing. Knudsen, an airframe mechanic with the squadron and a native of Chicago, was tasked to repair the hole. Having been in Afghanistan less than two weeks, he said seeing the bullet hole gave him new perspective on his role in the war. - Cpl. Leonard R. Knudsen Jr. holds a steel rail used to attach cargo to the hull of a CH-53E Super Stallion in the hangar of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Aug. 2. On a recent mission, enemy small-arms fire penetrated the underside of the aircraft and went through the railing. Knudsen, an airframe mechanic with the squadron and a native of Chicago, was tasked to repair the hole. Having been in Afghanistan less than two weeks, he said seeing the bullet hole gave him new perspective on his role in the war.

Marine mechanic realizes role in Afghanistan

To Cpl. Leonard R. Knudsen Jr., his job can feel the same whether he is at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., or Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. An airframe mechanic with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, Knudsen has been in Afghanistan fewer than two weeks and said he feels his environment changed, not his job.“I fix parts on the aircraft,”

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