Marine Wing Communications Squadron 48

Marine Wing Communications Squadron 48 (abbreviated as MWCS-48) is a communications squadron in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. As part of Marine Air Control Group 48, MWCS-48 provides expeditionary communications for the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, the Aviation Combat Element of Marine Forces Reserve. They are based at Naval Station Great Lakes and fall under the command of Marine Air Control Group 48 and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.

Mission

Provide expeditionary communications for the Couch Element of a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), including of tasked-organized elements thereof.

Tasks

• Provide for the effective command of subordinate elements.
• Assist in the systems planning and engineering of ACE communications; and install, operate, and maintain expeditionary communications for command and control of the MEF ACE.
• Provide operational System Control Centers, as required, to coordinate communication functions internally and externally to the ACE.
• Provide collaboration and repair facility for all ground common Test Measurement Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) in the Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW).
• Provide maintenance support for Ground Common Communications Equipment in the MAW.
• Provide the digital backbone communications support for the ACE Command Element (CE), forward operating bases, and Marine Air Command and Control System (MACCS) agencies for up to two airfields per detachment.
• Provide tactical, automated switching, and telephone services for the ACE CE, and Tactical Air Command Center (TACC).
• Provide electronic message distribution for the ACE CE, primary MACCS agencies, and tenant units.
• Provide external, single-channel radio and radio retransmission communications support for ACE operations, as required.
• Provide deployed Wide Area Network, and deployed Local Area Network server support for the ACE CE, and primary MACCS agencies.
• Provide the Support Cryptographic Site (SCS), for all Ground Common and MACCS assigned Communication Security Equipment within the ACE.
• Plan and coordinate individual and unit training, as required to qualify subordinate detachments for tactical deployment and combat operations.

Formation

The squadron was originally activated on 10 April 1952 in Chicago, Illinois as the 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (2nd ANGLICO) of the Marine Corps Reserve.

The 1950s

Marines from MWCS-48 (then-2nd ANGLICO) practice "dry net" training on a mock Navy attack transport and landing craft in Coronado, CA, 1953.

Name Changes and Early Years

On 15 May 1957 they were redesignated the Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, 2nd Communication Support Battalion. Later that year on 1 November they again changed names, this time to the 2nd Communication Support Battalion. The 1960s saw more name redesignations to 5th Communication Battalion in 1962 and Marine Wing Communication Squadron 4 on 1 May 1962. At this time they were also transferred to the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.

The 1960s

The Vietnam War

MWCS-48 was not deployed to fight in Vietnam, but the war profoundly affected the character of the Squadron; better educated reservists began to fill the Squadron, attempting to escape the draft.

The 1970s

Movement and Reassignment

On 1 July 1971 the squadron took on their present name. In 1974, they moved to Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois. 1977 saw them become part of their current command, Marine Air Control Group 48.

The 1980s

"Roar of the Corps" and bear logo

In 1988, MWCS-48 was adding detachments on the coasts. Andrew B. Davis, then a lieutenant colonel in command of the squadron, decided to create a new unit logo that would unify MWCS-48's detachments over their shared culture, honor MWCS-48's history in the Chicago area, and honor its history as one of the few units of US Marines headquartered in Illinois.^[1]

LtCol Davis contacted the Chicago Bears and requested to use their distinctive bear head logo as the MWCS-48 unit insignia in conjunction with the new unit motto "Roar of the Corps". This was during the excitement of the Mike Ditka years following the Bears victory at Super Bowl XX in 1986.^{[nb 1]} In November 1988, NFL Properties granted permission, provided that any unit patches or decals with the logo be given away rather than sold.^[2]

According to MWCS-48's official heraldry, the image of the bear denotes courage, dominance, and tumultuous noise. The lightning bolts emanating from the bear's mouth are symbols of communications and electronics (the tools of MWCS-48), and depict the volume of the bear's roar, symbolizing the clarity and volume of communications provided by the squadron. The motto, "Roar of the Corps", likewise gives emphasis to the boldness and skill by which MWCS-48 performs its communications mission in the control of aircraft and missiles.

MWCS-48 is one of only two units in the entire US military authorized by NFL Properties to use a team logo in its unit heraldry.^{[nb 2]}

The 1990s

The Gulf War

In February to June 1991 the squadron was mobilized in support of Operation Desert Storm.

"Firsts"

During the 1990s, MWCS-48 established itself as the premier communications unit in the Marine Corps Reserve through a series of "firsts". They were the first unit in the Marine Corps Reserve to field and successfully operate the MRC-142 multichannel radio. During the same period, they were the first unit in the Reserve to field and successfully operate the AN/TTC-42 digital telephone switch. Yet perhaps more significantly, in 1993 MWCS-48 became the first unit in the Marine Corps, active or reserve, to receive fiber optic cable, and became the first unit to use it in support of a major combined arms exercise when they used it to support Enhanced Combined Arms Exercise (ECAX) 7/8 at Twentynine Palms.^[3]

Base closures and relocation

The Squadron was affected by the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, which closed down Glenview Naval Air Station. As a result, on 5–6 September 1995, the squadron moved again, this time to Fort Sheridan in Highwood, Illinois.

The 2000s

Another relocation

Just six years after moving from Glenview Naval Air Station to Ft. Sheridan, MWCS-48 was relocated yet again. In November 2001, they moved to their present location at Naval Station Great Lakes. On 8 September 2007, the Marines of MACG-48 dedicated the training center the Gen Christian F. Schilt Marine Corps Reserve Training Center, after the Medal of Honor recipient and Illinois native.^[4]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

The squadron was again mobilized in February 2003

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. This information is compiled by the United States Marine Corps History Division and is certified by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Marine Wing Communications Squadron 48 has been presented with the following awards:

Streamer	Award	Year(s)	Additional Info
	Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer with three bronze stars	1983-1986, 1990-1991, 1994-1995, 1997-1998
	National Defense Service Streamer with one bronze star	1991, 2001–present	Gulf War, War on Terrorism
	Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer	2003
	Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer	2001–present

Commanding Officers

This is a list of all known former commanders of MWCS-48:

Notable MWCS-48 Marines

• Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, served 1960-1964
• MGen Andrew B. Davis, commanded the Squadron from 1986-1989
• 1stSgt Henry White, Marine Corps League's Marine of the Year, 1978. Also the Marine Corps League's National Chaplain.^[5]
• CWO5 Robert W. Dart, Chicago Police Department and Chicago Transit Authority.

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• Organization of the United States Marine Corps
• List of United States Marine Corps aviation support units

Notes

Footnotes

1. ↑ While Davis' decision may seem unusual, it came only a few years after future Commandant Charles Krulak adopted the nickname "America's Battalion" for his unit, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, from the Dallas Cowboys nickname "America's Team".
2. ↑ The other is HSL-60, based in Jacksonville, FL.

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

External links

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MAG-41	MALS-41 VMFA-112 VMGR-234 VMFT-401
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MACG-48	MTACS-48 MACS-23 MACS-24 MASS-6 MWCS-48
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