View Full Version : Airwing Culture...?
The more I learn about the USMC Airwing, the more I seem to find that it is like a whole other organization in many more ways than I thought. My recruiter says that the Airwing is less formal than the rest of the USMC, and that the primary focus is making sure that the aircraft are always 110%. He tried to explain it like an SNCO screaming at someone trying to fix an engine isn't a smart idea when that person needs all of their concentration to make sure his job is done absolutely correctly...
Does this hold any water or is it just the speculation of an infantry Marine (my recruiter)? What else is different about the Airwing?
saltyone
01-14-09, 12:42 AM
Unless you find someone who spent time on both sides, it may be difficult to get an informed opinion. We seldom mixed company due to being stationed on different bases or camps. They even kept us pretty separated on ship. There are differences...but we're all Marines.
I always tried to make one good friend in the wing while on ship. It was the easiest way to get a Mid Rat card.
By the way, I'm trying really hard not to offend anyone; I am just looking for a solid and honest answer to a touchy question.
Marine84
01-14-09, 08:06 AM
From what I experienced on the Wing side and what I've heard from the Ground side...............yeah, we Wingers are a different breed. We still had uniform/room inspections, depending on what Unit you're with depended on how much PT you put in but, yeah, for the biggest part our main concern was to make sure everything worked so that we could support the Ground when needed.
Artemis
01-14-09, 08:24 AM
Just speaking from my experience but here we go. Room inspections, every Friday after field day. Uniform inspections usually only when some E-3 and below got in trouble but sometimes before the Birthday Ball to make sure you didn't look like a chit bag. PT whenever we could fit it in which was rare. Usually only the PFT and the field meet. That however depends on your unit.
Our main goal was to keep the aircraft up and ready to move. That meant long hours a lot of the time because being that I worked on CH-46E there was always something broken and they were usually in pretty rough shape when they went into phase.
I just want to add that Boot Camp, MCT and MOS school are not the fleet and just because you do a lot of PT and inspections then doesn't mean you will when you get to the fleet. I think that school was the worst about all the inspections and formations and what not because that is the first time in your career that you really have a decent amount of freedom so people tend to get in trouble. They like to PT because they can, formations happen 5 days a week, sometimes more if you are duty section and field day is a pain in the bum.
One of my best friends at K-bay was a winger. I think he did metal work on helos. He had a can of black spray paint in his locker and instead of boot polish he just gave his boots a new coat of paint. The airwing chow hall was much much better than the grunt /artillery chow hall. He worked pretty much a 9-5 job. They lived in dormitory barracks and had video games in the rec room. The grunts lived in open squad bays. Before anyone chimes in I know that the squadbays have all been converted to rooms. Very very different in many ways.
Salty that is so true about mid rats. The platoon I was in had occasion to wear flight suits and that was all it took to get midnight chow on ship.
sparkie
01-14-09, 08:55 AM
I can see the Wing being different 'cause of the demand. I was always with grunts, but at H&S level. Always having to keep comm gear up and running, I wasn't messed with much, Not like them grunts, anyway.
biesseb
01-14-09, 02:48 PM
I'm aviation supply, the squadrons and powerplants make our life unbearable at times with the constant ammount of orders.
Concerning airwing, I've heard we're considered to be the nastys of the Marine Corps. Whatever, it's still the Corps. and we have to adhere to the same standards as everyone else ground side.
commdog7
01-14-09, 04:49 PM
I was in a unit which was attached to the air wing. We were known as the "Penguin Squadron" because we couldn't fly, we were pretty much the communications link between infantry and the aircraft. Anyways, we had deep down field days ever week (white glove type inspections) as well as formations and everything like that. Our PT was pretty harsh. There is this one mountain on Pendleton known as 'Martin Luther', similar to the reaper, we used to do formation runs and finish off with a spint up that hill (even the CO and SgtMaj struggled), not to mention the beach runs. We also used to do 7-10 mile humps and what-no with our fully sally pack. We went out to the field on a regular basis as well, which had its challenges. So some air wingers have it pretty difficult, it all depends on what unit you are with.
Yes, we Wingers were a different breed. I served most of my 4 yrs in the 1st and 2nd MAW with MATCU outfits. As long as we keep our equipment up and operational..... no one messed with us at all. While with the 2nd MAW at MCAS Beaufort MATCU-63, our PT consisted of playing volley ball for about 1 1/2 hrs a day. In Nam with the 1st MAW at Phu Bai MATCU-68, we would play a little baseball once in a while and a lot of ping pong...... like I said....if our equipment was up and operational.... we were pretty much left alone.......
that has both it's good sides and it's bad sides.......
irregardless..... we were still US Marines....ground or air....... we were all OD GREEN
ttracker65
01-16-09, 10:01 AM
My reserve time was as a 7222 with B Battery 4th LAAMBn 4th MAW and yes the grub is better you are closer to your Officers but there are still long hours Strength is still needed but you do not work on the Combat Arms as much we were always told to let the Grunts take care of that end just keep your eye on the Radar and look for a screamer comming in. We kill the birds Grunts kill the foot soldier. just my 2 cents:D
Phantom Blooper
01-16-09, 12:23 PM
Airwing Culture...?
You put them in a little petri dish and see what and if anything grows after 11 weeks!
As saltyone said the only time I seen the wing was on an LPH and on the ground getting ready to go in the air for ops.
Never had a problem with the wing or support....
A different breed?.... no same breed.. just raised by two different daddies!:evilgrin:
There is a differant type of pressure. i did some time with the 6th Mar. the emphasis was on physicaly fit. i did some time with a helo unit. the emphasis is on the birds. [ i don't care what time it is, nor weather its the week-end; WE need it tomorrow ]