Stories

3rd MAW 80th Birthday - 3rd MAW 80th Birthday

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing celebrates 80th birthday

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) celebrates its 80th birthday on November 10th, 2022. As the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) of I Marine Expeditionary Force, 3rd MAW has performed the six functions of Marine aviation whenever and wherever required since its activation at Cherry Point, North Carolina on November 10th, 1942.To mark this important

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VMM-161 Leadership Award - VMM-161 Leadership Award

A Leader Among Leaders: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Pilot Receives Award

It is rarely quiet in hangar 7 on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar’s flightline. Usually, the hum of tools reverberates throughout the hangar as maintenance Marines perform routine work on the numerous MV-22B Ospreys housed there. However, all of that ceased on the afternoon of November 1, 2022, as the Marines of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron

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U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Courtney “Britney” O’Brien, left, commanding officer of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) and Lt. Col. Michael “Snooki” O’Brien, right, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, MAG 11, 3rd MAW, laugh together on a KC-130J Super Hercules on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 13, 2022. The two married Marines took command of their squadrons on the same day. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Courtney A. Robertson) - U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Courtney “Britney” O’Brien, left, commanding officer of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) and Lt. Col. Michael “Snooki” O’Brien, right, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, MAG 11, 3rd MAW, laugh together on a KC-130J Super Hercules on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 13, 2022. The two married Marines took command of their squadrons on the same day. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Courtney A. Robertson)

Team O'Brien: Husband and Wife Assume Squadron Command on the Same Day

The effortless three-pointers left him in awe. Then-midshipman Michael O’Brien watched the ball sail through the air before swishing perfectly into the net on the U.S. Naval Academy basketball court. He fell in love. Courtney Davidson made shot after shot. The Hanover, Pennsylvania, native was earning her legacy as the highest all-time scorer on the Naval Academy women’s basketball team.

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F-35C arrive as the Lincoln departs - F-35C arrive as the Lincoln departs

First USMC F-35C squadron deploys

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) has marked a key milestone for Marine Corps history as they departed San Diego Bay with Carrier Air Wing Nine aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as the first Marine squadron to deploy the F-35C on an aircraft carrier.

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Evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport - A Marine with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) gives a high five to a child at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26. U.S. service members are assisting the Department of State with an orderly drawdown of designated personnel in Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz).

‘Jack of all trades’: Aces stack the deck in Afghanistan

Earlier this year, the Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 373 “Aces” returned from a six-month deployment to the Middle East in support of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC).

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An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), conducts expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO) support and short take-off and vertical landings on simulated narrow roads at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, April 6, 2021. VMFA-122 continues to refine EABO tactics to increase 3rd MAWs operation reach and ability to deliver long range precision fires in preparation for future conflicts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Lance Cpl. Juan Anaya) - An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), conducts expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO) support and short take-off and vertical landings on simulated narrow roads at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, April 6, 2021. VMFA-122 continues to refine EABO tactics to increase 3rd MAWs operation reach and ability to deliver long range precision fires in preparation for future conflicts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Lance Cpl. Juan Anaya)

Yuma F-35B pilots go off-roading

(April 12, 2021) Third Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122) conducted its first ever F-35B flights to support expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO) on narrow, shortened runways at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, California, April 6, 2021. This training provides the pilots of VMFA-122 the opportunity to

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210219-N-JX182-1148 PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 19, 2021) An F/A-18C Hornet, from the “Death Rattlers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, launches off the flight deck of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz, flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, is currently conducting routine operations in U.S. Third Fleet. - 210219-N-JX182-1148 PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 19, 2021) An F/A-18C Hornet, from the “Death Rattlers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, launches off the flight deck of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz, flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, is currently conducting routine operations in U.S. Third Fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles DeParlier/Released)

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s “Death Rattlers” return from historic deployment

The Death Rattlers of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323 return from a 10-month deployment, making history as the last F/A-18 Hornet carrier deployment in the U.S. Marine Corps.

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U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) conduct a missile shooting demonstration and aerial refueling in support of Exercise Winter Fury 21, off the coast of Southern California, Feb. 5, 2021. During Winter Fury, 3rd MAW will conduct long range strikes, deploy and support infantry Marines, assist in the transport of artillery assets, and provide logistical support to Marines on the ground. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Leilani Cervantes) - U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) conduct a missile shooting demonstration and aerial refueling in support of Exercise Winter Fury 21, off the coast of Southern California, Feb. 5, 2021. During Winter Fury, 3rd MAW will conduct long range strikes, deploy and support infantry Marines, assist in the transport of artillery assets, and provide logistical support to Marines on the ground. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Leilani Cervantes)

3rd MAW grows as an integrated all-domain naval power

Marines with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) prepare for the commencement of phase two of Winter Fury-21, a large-scale, joint force exercise that ensures the Marines of 3rd MAW are prepared, equipped, and trained to win any high-end, future fight.

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3rd MAW prepares for future target engagement

Silent and deadly on the ground, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) intelligence section operates alongside an arsenal of aviation assets and continuously prepares for future high-end conflicts against near-peer threats.

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Lt. Col. Alexander Goodno and Sgt. Maj. Collin Barry. - U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Alexander Goodno, the incoming commanding officer, left, and Sgt. Maj. Collin Barry, the incoming sergeant major, with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, exchange the organizational colors during the re-designation and assumption of command ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., Jan. 29, 2021. The ceremony official re-designated Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA(AW) 225 to VMFA-225, signifying the squadron’s transition from the AV-8B Harrier to the F-35B Lightning II. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Juan Anaya)

Vikings welcome fifth-generation strike fighter to arsenal

(February 03, 2021) Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA(AW) 225 “Vikings” officially transition to an F-35B squadron, adopting the new designation as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225 during their redesignation and assumption of command ceremony.

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