Description
Officially Licensed USMC MALS-29 Wolverines Sticker — 51 Years of Keeping Marine Rotors Turning from New River to Baghdad
From the sands of Kuwait to the streets of Iraq, the Wolverines kept every helicopter in the fight — and they did it from the back of a ship.
Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 (MALS-29) — the ‘Wolverines’ — was one of the Marine Corps’ most combat-tested aviation logistics squadrons, serving for over five decades before its deactivation in December 2023 under Force Design 2030. Originally activated on May 1, 1972, as Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 29 at MCAS New River, North Carolina, the unit was redesignated MALS-29 on October 1, 1988, under the Marine Aviation Logistics Support Package concept. The Wolverines fell under MAG-29 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, providing intermediate-level maintenance, avionics, ordnance, and supply support for rotary-wing and tiltrotor aircraft. When Operation Desert Shield kicked off in August 1990, MALS-29 deployed four detachments aboard L-class ships in direct support of MAG-40 and the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. During Desert Storm, the Wolverines distinguished themselves with several first-time aviation logistics actions, including operating a fully functional rotary-wing Intermediate Maintenance Activity aboard the SS Wright (T-AVB-3) while continuously supporting MAG-26 during the ground war. In 1996 alone, MALS-29 participated in Operation Decisive Endeavor in Bosnia, Operation Assured Response in Liberia, Operation Silver Wake in Albania, and tactical operations in Zaire. During the Kosovo conflict in 1999, Wolverine detachments deployed with the 26th MEU for Operations Allied Force, Noble Anvil, and Joint Guardian. In January 2003, MALS-29 deployed for OEF and OIF as part of Task Force Tarawa, supporting more than 6,000 flight hours and over 3,700 combat sorties while giving MAG-29 over 400 miles of reach inland. At its peak, the squadron comprised more than 700 Marines, Sailors, and civilians across 35 different aviation technical specialties, managing an inventory of 35,000 line items valued at over $110 million. This sticker honors the legacy of every Wolverine who ever kept a helicopter flying when it mattered most.
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