History
The United States Army began construction on an airfield on land north of Congaree to be an outlying base to the Columbia Army Airbase. The original designation of the airfield was Congaree Army Airport, then Fort Jackson Airdrome, and finally Congree Army Airfield. Construction was completed on January 31, 1943 with the completion of three 4,500 ft runways.
Congaree AAF was assigned to Third Air Force III Air Support Command. From January 1943 until May 1944 the airfield hosted various Army dive bombing training units. The 404th Bombardment Group (Dive) arrived at Congaree on 5 July 1943, departing 4 September. The 406th Bombardment Group (Dive) replaced it, arriving on 18 September 1943 and remaining until being deployed to Ninth Air Force in England on 18 March 1944. On 31 March 1944, Congree was removed from the jurisdiction of Columbia AAB, and on 30 April Congaree AAF was transferred to the United States Navy
The first Marines arrived in May 1944 to a deserted base. During May Marine Aircraft Group 52 (MAG-52) arrived with four F4U Corsair squadrons. The field was officially commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Congaree on July 10, 1944. The base fell under the command of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. In October of that year MAG-52's mission was changed to that of training replacement pilots, was redesignated Marine Aircraft Group 92 and moved to Marine Corps Air Field Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. One of the fields major problems was a lack of bombing and gunnery ranges, which meant regular deployments to Marine Corps Air Station Parris Island for training.
In September 1945, after World War II, the only remaining Marine units were VMF-523 and Air Warning Squadron 14. By November 1945, all Marine aviation units had moved to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina.
The base was eventually turned over to the South Carolina Air National Guard and renamed McEntire ANG Base in October 1961 by Governor Ernest F. Hollings. It was renamed McEntire Joint National Guard Station in 2005 to reflect the joint presence of Army and Air National Guard units.
Read more about this topic: McEntire Joint National Guard Base
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