Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 (MWSS-171) 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 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 Sentinels", they are based out of

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is a joint Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces and United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki River, Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the Municipality of Japan, city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan ...

, Japan. The squadron is part of

Marine Aircraft Group 12 Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps, tasked with providing fighter and assault support aircraft. It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), itself an integral part of th ...

and 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 Island, Okina ...

Mission

Provide all essential Aviation Ground Support requirements to a designated fixed wing component of an Aviation Combat Element and all supporting or attached elements of the Marine Air Control Group. Additionally, the Squadron has the implied mission to supplement airbase facilities and services at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, with support routed through MAG-12 for tasking.

History

Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 began as Detachment "C" of Marine Wing Support Group 17, activated 16 April 1979. Formed from elements of Wing Engineer Squadron 17, Wing Transportation Squadron 17, and Headquarters Squadron 17. Having absorbed personnel and equipment from Marine Air Base Squadrons 12 and 15, Detachment "C" was re-designated Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 on 16 June 1986.

The 1990s

In June 1991,

Mount Pinatubo Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains in Luzon in the Philippines. Located on the tripoint of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, most people were unaware of its eruptive history before the pre-eruption volc ...

on the island of

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

(

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

) catastrophically erupted. In 1992, elements of Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 assisted in the final retrograde of personnel and equipment from

Subic Bay Naval Base Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the Spanish Navy and subsequently the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. The base was , about the size of Singapore. The Navy Exchange ...

and

Cubi Point Naval Air Station U.S. Naval Air Station Cubi Point was a United States Navy aerial facility located at the edge of Naval Base Subic Bay and abutting the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. When the base closed, the air station became Subic Bay International A ...

, located just 40 km to the southwest of the volcano. Elements of MWSS-171 served among the almost 30,000 US military personnel that participated in

Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF), also known as Operation Restore Hope, was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational military force deployed to Somalia from 5 December 1992 to 4 May 1993. It was established to replace United ...

in Somalia in 1992, returning home to MCAS Iwakuni in May 1993.

Global War on Terror

Elements of the squadron continue to participate in

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 ...

, in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, and

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 ...

, 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 ...

, from September 2001 to the present.

Operation Tomodachi

After the 2011 tsunami hit Japan, the squadron provided support for the transport of supplies to victims of the tsunami. A small detachment was also sent to Sendai to assist in cleanup, as well as provide shower support for refugees.

Exercise Forager Fury

MWSS-171 has conducted multiple exercises in the Pacific, showcasing its ability to support Marine Aircraft Groups in expeditionary environments and conditions.

External links

MWSS 171's official website
{{1stMAW MWSS171