Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 (MALS-29) was an aviation logistics support unit of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. Known as the "Wolverines", they fell under the command of

Marine Aircraft Group 29 Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. The group is currently composed of four CH-53E Super Stallion squadrons including the Fleet Replacemen ...

and the

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major East Coast of the United States, east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the ...

and were based at

Marine Corps Air Station New River Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCut ...

. MALS 29 supported multiple types of aircraft and provided detachments to aviation combat elements operating globally in support of the United States National Defense Strategy.

Mission

Provide aviation logistics support, guidance, planning and direction to Marine Aircraft Group squadrons on behalf of the commanding officer, as well as logistics support for Navy funded equipment in the supporting Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS), Marine Air Control Group (MACG), and Marine Aircraft Wing/Mobile Calibration Complex (MAW/MCC).

History

Early years

Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 29 (H&MS-29) was commissioned at

, North Carolina and assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) on May 1, 1972. During the years from 1972 through 1976, H&MS-29 operated the MAG-29 Aerial Observer School and performed its primary mission as an Intermediate Maintenance and Supply support activity. On 1 October 1988, H&MS-29 was re-designated as Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 (MALS-29) as a result of the implementation of the Marine Aviation Logistics Support Package concept.

1990s

In August 1990, MALS-29 commenced its support of

Operation Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

by deploying four detachments aboard L-Class ships in direct support of

Marine Aircraft Group 40 Marine Aircraft Group 40 is a composite United States Marine Corps aviation unit that is based in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. They served as the aviation combat element for 2nd Marine Expeditio ...

(MAG-40),

4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade The 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade was a Marine expeditionary brigade of the United States Marine Corps that was designed specifically for counterterrorism. Its mission was to be able to quickly deploy anywhere in the world to combat terrorism ...

. Additionally, during December 1990, MALS-29, under the operational control of

Marine Aircraft Group 26 Marine Aircraft Group 26 (MAG-26) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station New River composed of seven MV-22 Osprey squadrons, one of which is the Fleet Replacement Squadron, an aviation logistics squadro ...

(MAG-26), deployed to Southwest Asia. MALS-29 was a participant in

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 ...

and distinguished itself with several first-time aviation logistics actions, including operating a fully functional rotary wing Intermediate Maintenance Activity aboard the SS Wright (T-AVB-3), while continuously supporting MAG-26 during the ground war. On 22 May 1991, the squadron recalled its personnel, who were disbursed throughout the

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

i theater of operations, and during June 1991, redeployed itself at MCAS New River, NC. The reconstitution of the Intermediate Maintenance Activity in support of MAG-29 was completed on 1 August 1991. From 1992 through 1999, MALS-29 continued to support MAG-29 tactical aircraft operations. Over this period, the Squadron underwent extensive changes in personnel and logistical support with the decommissioning of VMO-1 and the transfer of HMT-302 to MAG-29. During 1996, participation in

Operation Decisive Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background I ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, Operation Assured Response in Liberia,

Operation Silver Wake Operation Silver Wake was a non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) led by the United States to evacuate American citizens, noncombatants and designated third country nationals from Tirana, the capital of Albania during the 1997 rebellion in A ...

in Albania, and tactical operations in

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

demonstrated MALS-29's ability to provide expeditionary support around the globe. In 1999, participation in

Operation Allied Force The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...

, Operation Allied Harbor,

Operation Noble Anvil The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an ag ...

and

Operation Joint Guardian 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 ...

placed the MALS-29 detachment within the Aviation Combat Element of the

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such marine expeditionary units (MEUs) currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full ...

(26th MEU) in support of the Ground Combat Elements peacekeeping mission surrounding the

Kosovo Conflict The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

.. Before returning home, the MEU was called to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

for disaster relief from the tragic earthquakes for

Operation Avid Response Operation Avid Response is the name of U.S. humanitarian relief efforts to Turkey after the 1999 İzmit earthquake that struck Western Turkey on August 17, 1999. The earthquake, measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, centered near Izmit, approximately ...

2000s

MALS 29 provides Intermediate Level Maintenance (second echelon), Aviation Supply, Class V Munitions / Ordnance, Aeronautical Equipment, Logistical and Information Technology products and services to the flying squadrons of Marine Aircraft Group 29 based in Jacksonville North Carolina. In 2019, MALS 29 is composed of more than 700 Marines, Sailors and civilians in over 35 different aviation technical jobs.

Global War on Terror

In January 2003, MALS-29 deployed in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

and a possible larger scale conflict in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. The squadron developed a unique and flexible concept of logistics support while embarking personnel, equipment, and supplies aboard four L-class ships as part of

Task Force Tarawa Task Force Tarawa (TFT) was the name given to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was a Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanded by Brigadier General Richard F. NatonskiNatonski message. that was attached t ...

. From multiple sites throughout the theater and deep into Iraq, MALS-29 supported more than 6,000 flight hours and over 3,700 combat sorties during

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

, giving MAG-29 over of reach inland and the flexibility to leapfrog great distances in pursuit of operational objectives. Throughout the duration of combat operations, MAG-29 squadrons maintained a combined average 81 percent

mission capable rate In reliability engineering, the term availability has the following meanings: * The degree to which a system, subsystem or equipment is in a specified operable and committable state at the start of a mission, when the mission is called for at a ...

and a 60 percent full mission capable rate. In March 2004, the Wolverine logistical support was called upon via the activation of the Air Contingency MAGTF in support of security operations in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. MALS-29 deployed again to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in January 2007 for one year and returned February 2008.

Gallery

File:Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 Performs Routine Maintenance 161018-M-AD586-0205.jpg, Aviation Supply, Warehousing, and Distribution operations. File:Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 Performs Routine Maintenance 161018-M-AD586-0048.jpg, Turboshaft engine troubleshooting, repair and testing. File:Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 Performs Routine Maintenance 161018-M-AD586-0120.jpg, Class V munitions building, delivery and aircraft loading. File:Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 Performs Routine Maintenance 161018-M-AD586-0224.jpg, Second Echelon aircraft component maintenance. File:Marine PT.jpg, Wolverines conducting squadron level physical training.

Notes

References

: ;Bibliography ;Web
MALS-29’s official website
{{2ndMAW LOG29