MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- As a truly elite Prowler squadron, the Banshees have recently won the honor of Marine Electronic Warfare Squadron of the year, for the third year in a row.
Marine Electronic Warfare Squadron 1, deployed to Iwakuni from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., just won the Royal N. Moore award and squadron personnel point to several factors in their success.
“The level in day to day intensity is a lot higher than in other units I have been in,” said Capt. Chris Usrey, administrative officer and pilot. “The reason that I see us standing out is our attention to detail. The things that are not mission essential to us still remain a high priority for us.”
Those ‘things’ are the basic skills of every Marine, according to the training noncommissioned officer in charge.
“I take care of all the basic skills training and make sure it gets done in time,” said Cpl. Kevin Jones, training NCOIC and operations chief. “This includes physical fitness tests, marksmanship and swimming quals are all done on time.”
Although it’s the officers of the squadron who perform the missions in the air, it is the enlisted Marines on the ground that keep the jets flying.
“We all work side by side to make sure the jets are ready,” said Jones, a Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., native. “We make sure all the pieces fit together.”
The relationship between the officers and enlisted men of the Banshees forms the bond that makes up this elite squadron.
“The Prowler community is a tight community,” said Usrey, a native of Jasper, Ala. “The (Banshees) are an exceptionally tight community. We know that we have people who will take care of us. As a result we can focus on our jobs, that is how we end up as three time winners.”
“If something happens I know I can turn to somebody here in the squadron,” echoed Jones. “There are so many people I have that I can turn to for any issue.”
Winning the award has been a source of pride in having the squadron’s accomplishments recognized and reflects on the squadron’s leadership.
“I can’t be happier,” said Maj. Thomas Bruno, executive officer of the squadron. “Lt. Col. Robert Loynd, VMAQ-1 commanding officer, has kept us focused on our mission. Being out here in Iwakuni we have been staying ready for deployments and continue to train. We have kept our focus and have not rested on our laurels. That is a testament to the men of this unit.”
Some may think that winning the award three years in a row would put pressure on a unit to perform harder to keep the title. These Marines don’t see it that way.
“Nobody here thinks about winning,” said Usrey. “That’s not why we do what we do. We take care of our Marines and our jobs. The accolades will come later. It is not our mission focus to win trophies.”