Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3
A United States Marine Corps aviation headquarters unit that provides administrative and supply support to the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, commonly abbreviated MWHS-3, is a United States Marine Corps aviation support unit assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. It is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California and functions as the headquarters element for the wing. Unlike a flying squadron, MWHS-3 is organized to support command, administration, logistics, supply, and other headquarters requirements that enable the wing to direct aviation operations. The unit's stated mission is to provide administrative and supply support for the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Its role therefore sits behind the wing's operational aircraft and aviation-control units: it helps maintain the personnel, records, supplies, coordination, and routine administrative systems needed by the wing headquarters. This makes the squadron an enabling organization rather than a consumer-facing brand or a commercial enterprise. The unit was first activated on 10 November 1942 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, as Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. During the Second World War it moved to Ewa in the Territory of Hawaii in April or May 1944. The original organization was deactivated on 31 December 1945 after the wartime period. It was reactivated on 1 February 1952 at MCAS Cherry Point. During the 1950s the squadron moved first to Miami, Florida, in May 1952 and then to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, in September 1955. In January 1956 it was reassigned to Marine Wing Headquarters Group 3 within the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Air, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. These changes reflected the Marine Corps' continuing adjustment of its aviation command and support structure during the postwar period. On 1 July 1971, the organization received the designation Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3. It later supported Marine Corps operations during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Southwest Asia from September 1990 through May 1991. In October 1998, the squadron moved to MCAS Miramar, where it remains based. The unit underwent another organizational change on 1 November 1999, when it was redesignated Headquarters and Service Company, Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38, within Marine Air Control Group 38 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. On 15 February 2002, it was redesignated Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 again. Beginning in January 2003, personnel deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, with the unit also participating in a rotation arrangement involving Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2. MWHS-3 is therefore best understood as a military headquarters-support organization whose identity is tied to the command structure of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. It has no commercial products, public stock listing, or conventional corporate ownership. Its historical significance comes from its repeated reactivation, redesignation, relocation, and deployment in support of Marine aviation commands and expeditionary operations.
History
Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 originated during the Second World War as Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. It was activated on 10 November 1942 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The unit was created as a headquarters-support element for Marine aviation rather than as an aircraft-operating squadron. Its early responsibilities centered on the administrative and logistical functions required to support the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. In April or May 1944, the squadron deployed to Ewa in the Territory of Hawaii. This movement placed the unit within the wider wartime network supporting Marine aviation in the Pacific. Following the end of the war, the original organization was deactivated on 31 December 1945. The unit returned to active service on 1 February 1952 at MCAS Cherry Point. It relocated to Miami, Florida, in May of that year and subsequently moved to MCAS El Toro, California, in September 1955. In January 1956, it was reassigned to Marine Wing Headquarters Group 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Air, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. The reassignment situated the squadron within a more defined wing headquarters-support structure. On 1 July 1971, the unit was redesignated Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. The designation identified its continuing role as the headquarters element supporting the wing's command functions. During the 1990–1991 Gulf War period, the squadron participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Southwest Asia, supporting Marine aviation activities during the buildup, combat, and associated operational phases. In October 1998, MWHS-3 relocated from MCAS El Toro to MCAS Miramar, California. The following year brought another structural change: on 1 November 1999, it was redesignated Headquarters and Service Company, Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, United States Marine Forces Pacific. This change placed the unit under a different command designation while preserving its broad headquarters and service-support function. On 15 February 2002, the organization was redesignated Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, restoring the name by which it is generally known. From January 2003 onward, its personnel deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The squadron also operated on a rotation arrangement with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2, allowing headquarters-support responsibilities to be sustained across deployments and operational cycles. Today, MWHS-3 is located at MCAS Miramar and remains associated with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Forces Pacific. Its mission is to provide administrative and supply support to the wing headquarters. The unit's history illustrates the continuing importance of non-flying aviation formations: although it does not represent an aircraft type or a commercial product line, it supplies the organizational infrastructure that permits a Marine aircraft wing to command, deploy, and sustain aviation forces.
- 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom support
[1]Personnel began deployments to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in January.
- 2002
MWHS-3 designation restored
[1]The unit was redesignated Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 on 15 February.
- 1999
Redesignation as a headquarters and service company
[1]On 1 November, the organization became Headquarters and Service Company, Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38, within Marine Air Control Group 38.
- 1998
Move to MCAS Miramar
[1]The squadron relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in October.
- 1990
Gulf War deployment period
[1]The squadron participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Southwest Asia from September 1990 through May 1991.
- 1971
Current designation adopted
[1]The unit was redesignated Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 on 1 July.
- 1956
Assignment to Marine Wing Headquarters Group 3
[1]In January, the squadron was reassigned to Marine Wing Headquarters Group 3 within the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Air, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific.
- 1955
Move to MCAS El Toro
[1]The squadron relocated to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, in September.
- 1952
Reactivation and relocation
[1]The unit was reactivated at MCAS Cherry Point on 1 February and moved to Miami, Florida, in May.
- 1945
Wartime organization deactivated
[1]The original squadron organization was deactivated on 31 December.
Products and positioning
A command-support and logistics organization within United States Marine Corps aviation, focused on enabling the headquarters functions of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Operation Iraqi Freedom
Kuwait · Iraq
Beginning in January 2003, squadron personnel deployed to Kuwait and Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and related Marine aviation headquarters requirements.
Outcome. The unit continued deployment rotations, including rotations with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2.
- 1990Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm
Southwest Asia
MWHS-3 participated in the Gulf War-era operations from September 1990 through May 1991, providing headquarters support within the Marine aviation command structure.
Outcome. The squadron completed its participation during the wider Southwest Asia deployment period.
- 1944World War II Pacific deployment
Territory of Hawaii · Pacific theater
The squadron deployed to Ewa in the Territory of Hawaii during April or May 1944 as part of the Marine aviation support structure in the Pacific.
Outcome. The deployment was followed by deactivation of the wartime organization at the end of 1945.
Brand decisions
2002
Restoration of the MWHS-3 designationStrategyBackground
Following the 1999 organizational redesignation, the Marine Corps restored the unit's wing-headquarters identity.
Action taken
The unit was redesignated Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 on 15 February 2002.
Aftermath
The squadron subsequently supported deployments to Kuwait and Iraq beginning in 2003.
1999
Reorganization as Headquarters and Service CompanyStrategyBackground
The Marine Corps changed the unit's organizational placement within the aviation command structure.
Action taken
On 1 November 1999, it was redesignated Headquarters and Service Company, Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38, Marine Air Control Group 38.
Aftermath
The organization returned to the Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 designation on 15 February 2002.
1971
Adoption of the Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 designationStrategyBackground
The unit's headquarters-support role was formalized under a new designation within the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and Fleet Marine Force, Pacific.
Action taken
It was redesignated Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 on 1 July 1971.
Aftermath
The designation remained in use until a later organizational redesignation in 1999 and was restored in 2002.
Sources1 sources
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