Marine Wing Support Squadron 274

Marine Wing Support Squadron 274 (MWSS-274) is an aviation ground support unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are based out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The squadron falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 29 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Mission
Provide all essential Aviation Ground Support requirements to a designated fixed-wing component of an Aviation Combat Element (ACE) and all supporting or attached elements of the Marine Air Control Group.

The Gulf War & the 1990s
Marine Wing Support Squadron 274 (MWSS-274) was activated on 2 June 1986 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina as part of a reorganization of Aviation Ground Support within all Marine Aircraft Wings. The reorganization entailed the consolidation of personnel and equipment from Marine Air Base Squadron 32 (MABS-32), Wing Engineer Squadron 27 (WES-27), and Wing Transportation Squadron 27 (WTS-27) after their deactivation on 2 June 1986.

The Squadron deployed to Southwest Asia in support of aviation operations during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm where it distinguished itself as a combat ready MWSS.

In January 1991, while deployed to Southwest Asia, the Squadron was required to shift its focus from the Gulf War to a Noncombatant Evacuation Operation, Operation Eastern Exit in Somalia. Supporting the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

MWSS-274 found itself deployed to Current Island, Bahamas in support of hurricane relief operations in the wake of Hurricane Andrew.

Global War on Terror
In January 2003 many of the deployable Marines of MWSS-274 were transferred to sister squadron MWSS-271, also based at MCAS Cherry Point. On 12 February 2003 the Marines of 271 and 274 shipped to Kuwait, flying into Ali Al Saleem Airbase. In less than a month these Marines would be providing support to an airstrip in Iraq as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.



Shortly after the merger of MWSS-271 and 274 in 2003, due to a lack of available personnel within the Marine Logistics Brigade, MWSS-274 was redisignated as MEU Service Support Group 22 (MSSG-22) as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU). This was done because many of the military occupational specialties of the Marines in a MWSS are identical to that of the Logistics Combat Element (LCE) required by a MSSG. Departing for sea in 2004, MWSS-274, as part of the 22nd MEU, made Marine Corps history and set a new precedent for ship to shore operations as the unit moved inland to conduct sustained combat operations in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. From February to September 2006 and for the first time in over 10 years MWSS-274 deployed to Al Asad Airbase in Iraq as a complete squadron under her own guidon to conduct Aviation Ground Combat Support.

In December 2007 the squadron was redesignated from a support squadron to a security battalion. In February 2008 they again deployed to Al Asad, Iraq however this time as a security force.

In February 2010 MWSS-274 deployed to Helmand Providence in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Several achievements were made during this deployment. One main achievement was by MWSS-274's CFR (Crash Fire Rescue) where they extinguished a fire at Camp Leatherneck's SMU. Marines of this units EOD were also outsourced to other units where they provide noteworthy achievements as well. Marines in the Air Operations Company performed fabulous work in rebuilding airfields, FOBs, and helicopter pads. NCOs of the units armory also established groundbreaking scores on inspections as well as establishing guidelines for field armories based on their set up of a secure compound within the units compound. The unit from this deployment earned the Marine Corps Support Squadron of the year award.