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New River Air Station History: In 1941, the federal government purchased 29 parcels of land for $64,502 in Jacksonville, which is now Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River. Jacksonville's population grew 134 percent in the first 10 years after Camp Lejeune and the Air Station were established.
Camp Lejeune investigated an area with an existing airfield in 1942, to host aircraft units in support of amphibious operations. Captain Barnett Robinson, of Marine Glider Group 71, concluded that the New River was suitable. The first squadron to arrive was VMB-612 in 1943, under a caretaker status of Camp Lejeune. The squadron flew the PBJ, similar to the Army's B-25 Mitchell, a light bomber aircraft.
The Air Station was commissioned as Peterfield Point in 1944, named after a man named Mr. Peter, whose tobacco field was a large part of the government purchase.
The commissioning delineated the Air Station from Camp Lejeune, and marked April 1944 as the birth of the Air Station.
Over the next few years, para-Marines, glider troops and air delivery Marines trained here in the Air Station's first hangar, called the King Air hangar. The hangar, which was originally built in Haiti in 1933, was transported to Parris Island, S.C., and then to Jacksonville.
At the end of World War II, the Air Station was closed and reverted to a caretaker status. It was reactivated as Marine Corps Air Facility Peterfield Point, Camp Lejeune, in October 1951. One year later, Peterfield Point was renamed to Marine Corps Air Field New River.
The first operational Marine Aircraft Group arrived from MCAS Cherry Point in July 1954. MAG 26, a group of helicopters originally commissioned in 1952, filled the needs of the Marine Corps to maintain a force which was expeditionary and amphibious in nature.
The Air Station had no major changes until 1968, when it was re-designated as Marine Corps Air Station (Helicopter) New River. This marked the Air Station's growth from a small training base to a major operational Marine airfield. The air strip was then named McCutcheon Field after Brig. Gen. Keith B. McCutcheon, a famed Marine aviator. MCAS(H) New River later dropped the helicopter designation to become simply MCAS.
A major reorganization occurred in May 1972 when Marine Helicopter Training Group 40 was deactivated and MAG 29 was born. Other units at New River include Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, responsible for garrison activities aboard the Station; Marine Wing Support Squadron-272, which provides the logistical support to both MAG's and the Air Station, and Marine Air Control Squadron-2, Air Traffic Control Detachment B, to coordinate air traffic control.
New River units experienced their first combat since Vietnam in 1983, when New River-based squadrons flew combat missions in Lebanon during the invasion of Grenada. New River Marines were also involved in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-263 was the Aviation Combat Element for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) during the O'Grady rescue mission in Bosnia, and HMM-162, ACE for the 22nd MEU (SOC), assisted the American Embassies in Monrovia, Liberia, and in the Central African Republic.
Both MAG's currently provide direct helicopter support for Marine Forces Atlantic, in the form of troop transport, observation, heavy lift capability, command and control and light attack. But without the support from H&HS, MWSS-272, MACS-2 Det. B and the other squadrons, there would be no "team" in the adopted concept of "Team New River."
Through much diversity, the 2,600-acre Air Station has become the premier helicopter air station with the introduction of new helicopter weapons systems, the receipt of the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey aircraft, claiming the only operational MV-22 Osprey simulator, and providing constant aviation support to 22nd, 24th and 26th MEU's, and Combined Arms Exercises across the nation.
The Air Station's decorations include WWII victory streamer, American Campaign streamer, National Defense streamer with one bronze star and Meritorious Unit Commendation streamer.
Information on this page is excerpted from the New River Air Station Web Site
For more Marine Corps history click here
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Last Revised: November 21, 2008 08:29 PM.
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