Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

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"Cherry Point" redirects here. may also refer to Cherry Point Refinery.

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Havelock, North Carolina
MCAS Cherry Point Insignia
Type	Military base
Built	1942
In use	May 20, 1942 - present
Garrison	2nd Marine Aircraft Wing

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, or (MCAS Cherry Point) (ICAO: KNKT, FAA LID: NKT) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, USA, in the eastern part of the state at 34.90° N 76.88° W. Its ICAO airport code is KNKT. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

1 Resident units
2 History
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Resident units

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron
Marine Aircraft Group 14
Marine Wing Support Group 27
Marine Air Control Group 28
Combat Logistics Company 21

[edit] History

Congress authorized Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point on July 9, 1941, with an initial appropriation of $14,990,000 for construction and clearing of an 8,000-acre tract of swamps, farms and timberland.

Actual clearing of the site began on August 6, 1941, with extensive drainage and malaria control work. Construction began in November just 17 days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

On May 20, 1942, the facility was commissioned Cunningham Field, named in honor of the Marine Corps' first aviator, LtCol Alfred A. Cunningham. The completed facility was later renamed Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, after a local post office situated among cherry trees.

Cherry Point's primary World War II mission was to train units and individual Marines for service to the Pacific theater. The air station also served as a base for anti-submarine operations, with an Army Air Corps and Navy unit each being responsible for the sinking of a German U-boat just off the North Carolina coast during 1943.

An EA-6B Prowler from VMAQ-2 flying over MCAS Cherry Point.

Cherry Point's contribution to the Korean War effort was to provide a steady stream of trained aviators and air crewmen as well as maintenance and support personnel as replacements to forward deployed aviation units.

During the Vietnam War, Cherry Point deployed three A-6 Intruder squadrons to the Far East and again provided a constant source of replacements for aircrews and enlisted aviation personnel.

In Operation Desert Storm, Cherry Point was a major contributor to the victory in Southwest Asia by supporting the deployment of three AV-8B Harrier squadrons, two A-6E Intruder squadrons, one KC-130 Hercules squadron, one EA-6B Prowler squadron, and headquarters detachments from Marine Aircraft Group 14, Marine Aircraft Group 32, and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Harriers from VMA-231 flying over the front sign of the air station in 1997.

In response to the September 11th terrorist attacks on Washington D.C. and New York City, Operation Enduring Freedom was initiated on October 7, 2001. Cherry Point Marines and Sailors participated in strike missions and follow-on operations in Afghanistan and its surrounding region.

Cherry Point is one of the best all weather jet bases in the world. The air station and its associated support locations occupy more than 29,000 acres. Its runway system is so large that the air station serves as an alternate emergency landing site for the space shuttle launches out of Cape Canaveral, Florida.