Marine Wing Support Group 17 (MWSG-17) was 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 ...

aviation ground support unit based at Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan. They were composed of two squadrons that provided 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. Ac ...

(1st MAW) and III Marine Expeditionary Force with complete airfield operation services (less air traffic control), engineer and transportation support, medical assistance, food services, security support, and other direct combat and combat service support to the Aviation Combat Element. The Group was disbanded on 4 June 2012 and its subordinate units passed to other commands in

Mission

Provide the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing with organic and deployable aviation ground support to contingencies and exercises within the USPACOM area of responsibility.

Subordinate units

* Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 * Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 * Personnel Support Detachment 17

History

Marine Wing Support Group 17 was activated on July 1, 1953 at

Itami, Japan 270px, Gogadzuka Kofun 270px, Aerial view of Itami city center 270px, Konoike inari shihi 270px, Arioka Castle ruins ) is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 197,215 in 83580 households and a ...

and designated as Marine Wing Service Group 17. Later that same year, MWSG-17 was relocated to

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is a United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History The Japanese government bought a large portion of what is today MCAS ...

, Japan where its Marines served until 1966. That year it was re-designated as Marine Wing Support Group 17 and deployed to the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. MWSG-17 actively participated in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

from June 1966 until August 1970 while operating from

Da Nang Air Base Da Nang Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Đà Nẵng) (1930s–1975) (also known as Da Nang Airfield, Tourane Airfield or Tourane Air Base) was a French Air Force and later Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility located in the city ...

, Vietnam. During this period, the Group earned a Presidential Unit Citation as well as a

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

. In the summer of 1970, MWSG-17 returned home from Vietnam to MCAS Iwakuni. Nine years later, MWSG-17 moved to

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, Japan and took up residence at Camp Foster. The Group was disbanded on 4 June 2012 and its subordinate units passed to other commands in

External links

MWSG-17's official website

References

{{1stMAW United States Marine Corps wing support groups Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps

Mission

Subordinate units

History

See also

External links

References