Originally based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) was commissioned on November 10, 1942. In less than two weeks, it had deployed its first squadron, but it took over a year before it was able to deploy a second squadron. The Wing conducted training operations for pilots deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations up until April, 1944, when it was relocated to Hawaii to take on the role of Marine Air, Hawaii Area, but was decommissioned at the end of 1945.
In response to the Korean War, the wing was relocated back to Cherry Point, with the bulk of the unit moving to Marine Corps Air Station Miami. Just three years later it again headed west--this time to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California--and was augmented with the additions of Marine Aircraft Groups 15 and 36. During the Vietnam War, squadrons were detached from the wing and deployed to Southeast Asia; the units returning from the conflict wound up forming the basis for the current 3rd MAW.
As the air-power arm of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, the wing was deployed to Kuwait and fought in Operation Desert Storm, completing more than 18,000 sorties during the lightning offensive before being sent to Somalia as part of the humanitarian relief mission known as Operation Restore Hope in 1993.
During the 2002 lead up to the invasion of Iraq, the unit deployed nearly 450 aircraft and over 15,000 personnel to Kuwait--the first time the entire wing had been deployed in over a decade. During the invasion that kicked off Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 3rd MAW employed two main bases, along with 15 auxiliary bases, and delivered more than 6 million pounds to ordnance to enemy targets.
As the major aviation on the west coast, the 3rd MAW is currently stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar outside of San Diego, and operates as the aviation-combat force for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.