Marine Aircraft Group 25
| Marine Air Group 25 | |
|---|---|
Marine Air Group (MAG) 25 was a United States Marine Corps combat air transport group that provided logistical support, including cargo and personnel transport and aeromedical evacuation, to forward units during World War II and the Korean War. During World War II it formed the nucleus of the South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command.[1][2]
History
Marine Aircraft Group 25 was commissioned on June 1, 1942, at
SCAT provided rapid transport of personnel and cargo, including munitions, food, replacement parts, and medical supplies, to and from forward areas. On rearward flights SCAT frequently provided
MAG-25, including the attached 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, was awarded the
In October 1945, MAG-25 began moving to Tsingtao, China, where VMR-153 participated in the evacuation of liberated prisoners from the Weixian Internment Camp. MAG-25 returned to the United States in June 1946 and was deactivated in 1947.
MAG-25 was reactivated in February 1950 at
The nickname "Flying Boxcars" was widely used for the Douglas R4D aircraft flown by MAG-25 during World War II, predating its attachment to the post-war Fairchild R4Q aircraft.
Personnel
Notable former MAG-25 personnel include:
- Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, who served as officer-in-charge of SCAT forward detachments at Bougainville and Green Island while assigned to Headquarters Squadron-25.[6]
- John P. Coursey, Brigadier general, who served as Group's executive officer in 1944
- David Douglas Duncan, photographer, who covered SCAT while assigned to VMD-154.[7]
- George Roy Hill, director and actor, who served as a naval aviator in VMR-152.
- William K. Lanman, executive officer of VMJ-153 and later of MAG-25, who became a millionaire benefactor of Yale University.
Unit awards
Since the beginning of World War II, the United States military has honored various units for extraordinary heroism or outstanding non-combat service. The following are the known awards that MAG-25 earned during their time in active service.
| Streamer | Award | Year(s) | Additional Info |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with one Bronze Star | 7 Aug 1942 - 9 Dec 1942 | Guadalcanal Campaign
|
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|
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer | 11 Dec 1942 - 15 Jul 1944 | World War II, |
|
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer
|
||
|
World War II Victory Streamer | 1942–1945 | Pacific War |
|
Navy Occupation Service Streamer with "ASIA" | ||
|
China Service Streamer | Sept 1946 - June 1947 | North China |
|
National Defense Service Streamer | 1950–1954 | Korean War |
See also
- United States Marine Corps Aviation
- List of decommissioned United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
Citations
- ^ a b Armstrong 2017, pp. 7.
- ISBN 0-933852-58-4
- ^ Rottman 2002, pp. 436.
- ^ Sherrod 1952, pp. 85.
- ^ a b Armstrong 2017, pp. 8.
- ISBN 1-57249-307-0; summary accessed at [1]
- ^ David Douglas Duncan Archive, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, accessed at [2] 2 August 2006: includes a photo of Duncan taken by Richard Nixon.
References
- Bibliography
- Armstrong, William (2017). Marine Air Group 25 and SCAT (Images of Aviation). Arcadia Press. ISBN 978-1467127431.
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939–1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
- Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.
Further reading
- Capt. Robert Joseph Allen and 1st Lt. Otis Carney, The Story of SCAT: Part I and The Story of SCAT: Part II, in Air Transport magazine, December 1944 and January 1945, accessed at The DC3 Aviation Museum [3] and [4] 2 August 2006
- Capt. John M. Rentz, Marines in the Central Solomons (Ch.6, The Role of Aviation: pp. 141–145), USMC Monograph accessed at [5] 2 August 2006
- Maj. Gen. Norman J. Anderson and Col. William K. Snyder, SCAT, Marine Corps Gazette, September 1992 accessed at [6] 2 August 2006
- Seth P. Washburne, The Thirsty 13th, [7]