Road Trip: Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina

Road Trip: Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina

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Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort or MCAS Beaufort is a United States Marine Corps air base located three miles northwest of the central business district of Beaufort, a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. About 4200 personnel serve at the station and it is home to six F/A-18 Hornet squadrons including one Navy F/A-18 squadron.

MCAS Beaufort's mission is to to provide the highest quality of integrated training opportunities, aviation facilities, support, and services that promote the readiness, sustainment and quality of life for Marines, sailors, family members, civilian Marines and others associated with MCAS Beaufort.”

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, home of the Marine Corps' Atlantic Coast fixed-wing, fighter-attack aircraft assets, is located in the heart of the South Carolina Lowcountry and is among the United States military's most important and most historically colorful installations.

Naval Air Station Beaufort was commissioned on June 15, 1943 for advanced training operations of anti-submarine patrols during World War II. It was then deactivated in 1946 and reactivated in 1956. On March 1, 1960, it was re-designated Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. On September 19, 1975, the airfield was named Merritt Field in honor of Major General Lewie G. Merritt, USMCR of Ridge Spring, South Carolina.

Consisting of some 6,900 acres 70 miles southwest of Charleston, South Carolina on Highway 21, the installation is home to seven Marine Corps F/A- 18 squadrons. Two additional Navy F/A-18 squadrons joined the Fightertown community in March 2000, strengthening the installation's economic contribution to the local area. Three versions of the F/A-18 Hornet are found aboard MCAS Beaufort, the F/A-18 Hornet A/Cs and the F/A-18 D.

MCAS Beaufort hosts all active duty USMC F/A-18 air operations on the East Coast, assigned to MAG-31. The mission of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is to provide support as an operational base for MAG-31, and the support units.

The mission of the Marine Aircraft Group (MAG-31) is to conduct anti-air-warfare and offensive air support operations in support of Fleet Marine Forces from advanced bases, expeditionary airfields, or aircraft carriers and conduct such other air operations as may be directed. The population of the on-base "city" includes nearly 4,000 active-duty servicemembers and more than 700 civilian workers.

Fightertown's Hornet squadrons rotate overseas regularly, either for deployments to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, for six month Western Pacific deployments or aboard Navy aircraft carriers. At any given time up to half the squadrons may be found at various points around the globe, and are routinely called into action when the Commander in Chief requires airborne strikes or support for ground forces. Most recently squadrons have seen combat in the skies over Serbia and Iraq.

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Also in Beaufort, South Carolina, is the Beaufort Arsenal Museum. The Beaufort Arsenal has played a key role in the history of Beaufort, South Carolina. It protected the Beaufortonians from invasions, battles, Indians, and trigger happy men. The building is currently managed by the Historic Beaufort Foundation and it "houses the Beaufort Museum." This museum has artifacts that reflect Beaufort's unique history.

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Learn More About The Beaufort Arsenal Museum Here!

http://www.historic-beaufort.org/beaufortmuseumpage.htm

Ellie