Marine Wing Support Group 47
Marine Wing Support Group 47 (MWSG-47) was a United States Marine Corps aviation combat service support unit based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan that was composed of three squadrons, that provided the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Forces Reserve with complete airfield operation services (less air traffic control), engineer and transportation support, medical assistance, food services, security support, and other direct combat service support to aviation combat elements. Mission Provide the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing with organic and deployable combat support and combat service support which is centralized for economy of personnel and equipment. MWSG 47 was decommissioned in 2012, and its subordinate units reassigned to various Marine Aircraft groups (MAG). Subordinate units History Marine Wing Support Group 47 (MWSG-47) was activated on 1 July 1962 at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos, CA. Its mission, to provide all aviation ground support for fixed and rotary wing units of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. The official designation was Marine Wing Support Group 47, Marine Air Reserve Training Unit, Marine Air Reserve Training Command, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, U. S. Marine Corps Reserve. On 1 October 1965, the command was relocated to Naval Air Station Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN. At the time, the Group was composed of two squadrons, Wing Engineer Squadron 47 (WES-47) and Wing Transportation Squadron 47 (WTS-47). These squadrons in turn comprised numerous detachments scattered across the United States. On 1 October 1977, MWSG-47 was again relocated; this time to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mt. Clemens, MI. Marines had been present at Selfridge since 20 April 1968, when the Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment (MARTD) supporting OV-10, UH-34 and CH-46 airframes arrived from its previous site a few miles downriver at Naval Air Station Grosse Ile pending its closure in 1969. The MARTD was renamed a Marine Air Reserve Training Unit (MARTU) and still later it was re-designated as Headquarters & Ground Maintenance Squadron 47 (H&GMS-47), another squadron assigned to MWSG-47. At this time the Group comprised approximately 1105 Marines at five sites. In 1986, the Marine Corps began a reorganization of the aviation ground support (AGS) community. Marine Air Base Squadrons, up until then a part of the command structure of the Marine Corps Air Station, were transferred to the MWSGs. The MWSG was then restructured. The most significant change involved the creation of the Marine Wing Support Squadron. The mission of the new MWSS was to perform all of the AGS functions that were spread between the various squadrons that were being eliminated; the WES, WTS, MABS and H&GMS. Furthermore, the MWSSs were task organized to support either rotary wing (RW) or fixed wing (FW) flying squadrons. This change took additional time to complete in the Marine Corps Reserve, but by 1 October 1988 it was done and MWSG-47 comprised H&HS-47, MWSS-471(FW), MWSS-472(RW), MWSS-473(FW) and MWSS-474(RW). The Group had over 2500 Marines scattered across 14 sites. In January 1994, MWSG-47 oversaw further changes in locations of its subordinate commands. The Base Realignment and