Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, North Carolina

“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem.”

Ronald Reagan

I love the feel of a military base. I imagine that is because my father was a Navy man and I spent many days at the Navy base and my husband, Joe retired from the Army. I’ve been around the military all my life and I feel most at home there. All military folks have something in common and makes it so easy to strike up a conversation with them. We were greeted at the gate by a young male, military guard who said, “Have a good day Sergeant and Ma'am” and then he waved us on. Just makes you smiled and feel proud to be a part of the club. 

We had reservations at the Cherry Point Inn for the night and were anxious to get out of the car and stretch. The Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point is a well known military Installation that was first authorized on July 9, 1941 by Congress when they acquired 8,000 acres of land. The base was commissioned in 1942 by the name of Cunningham Field, named after the first Aviator, Lieutenant Colonel Alfred A. Cunningham. 

It was later renamed Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point and is currently the home to the 2^nd Marine Aircraft Wing. This air stations location was chosen since the “Sunshine Map” showed it has the most annual sunshine in the continental United States. Since then, the air station has expanded to 29,000 acres. The name Cherry Point comes from the land mass that reached out in the sea in the Neuse River. It was known as, “Cherry Point” which was to the east of Hancock Creek.

This air station is located on the Neuse River in Havelock, North Carolina and has over 20,000 people who live here. The airport has a four point runway system making this one of the most important airfields operated by the US government. This runway system is large enough that it can be used as an alternate emergency space shuttle landing site. 

The air station has everything a regular military post or base would have including a bowling alley, golf course, gym, marina, pools, restaurants, home store, commissary, exchange, schools, lodging, gas station, post office and movie theater. It is a beautiful base with lovely walking/running areas.

We pulled up in front of the impressively large two story brick building known as the Cherry Point Inn which is listed as a two star hotel. Joe went in, registered, got our keys, and we drove around to park where our room was located. With all the improvements they have done, I would have ranked this hotel higher. This is massive building was once the BOQ (Bachelor Officers’ Quarters). These are transient quarters for military members and government civilian personnel and their families. As a military retiree, we were eligible to stay here. 

When we entered the building and turned down the hall to our room, we realized just how large this building was. The hallway appeared to be about a quarter mile long and that was only on one side of the building. There were rooms on both sides of the hallway. Our room was on the first floor, was clean, and was very nice. We just got a single room but there are suites available. Our room was $50 for a night and came with a complimentary breakfast. The breakfast was great with cereal, fruit, yogurt, waffles, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches. We were impressed by this place. To make a reservation, call 252-466-5169.

After we got settled, we decided to drive around the air station and check it out. The housing looked nice enough with many townhouse and some single homes. We drove out to see the golf course called The Sounds of Freedom Golf Course. While looking we saw a whole rafter of turkeys and had to stop to take pictures of them moseying around the course, not paying us and mind. I’ve never seen so many in one place before. Then we drove down to the water where we had gorgeous views o the river and talked to a couple fishermen. 

Next, we headed out to check out the Pelican Point RV Park which opened in May 2013 and located right on Slocum Creek. It was a beautiful set up where the RV’s were spaced out nicely. It looked well cared for and there were 30 concrete RV pads with many drive through sites. They have a general store for basics, restrooms, showers, lounge area, coin laundry, and vending machine. Any active duty, reservist, national guard, retirees, and DOD and MCCS employees can use it. To make a reservation, you can call 252-466-2762. There are also a few tent sites. 

After exploring around, we were hungry and wanted to grab a bite to eat. We were told to try Wings Restaurant at Millers Landing on the air station which was not far from our hotel. That made this place perfect for us after a long day of travel. It was a good size building on a great location with the river behind it. We walked to the back of the building to see the Neuse River and were surprised there wasn’t more boat traffic. There was plenty of wildlife to view from this beautiful site. There were two historic signs that explaining how Brigadier General Ambrose Burnside, in 1862 came up the Neuse River at night with 11,000 men and 100 ships, let them out on shore, and the following day, fought and won the Battle of New Bern. Looking out at the peaceful waters, it seemed unimaginable that it could ever been swarming with ships. 

We headed back to the restaurant and went inside. When we got to the restaurant we couldn’t help but notice; we were the only ones in the restaurant. A active duty Marine let us in and gave us a menu. He was a nice chap from Oregon. He was a long way from home and he hadn’t gone home over the holidays. It must have been a quiet holiday for him since most servicemen had gone home. The menu looked great with pasta, steak, burgers, and seafood. We ordered and I had a glass of wine with my meal and Joe ordered a beer. The food was pretty good and we were satisfied. 

We noticed the large propeller that was hung on the beam overhead. We found out that propeller was from the original Curtiss JN-4D aircraft which were affectionately called “Jenny's”. They were biplanes used during WWI. This particular aircraft was flown by VMA-231 “Ace of Spades” in February 1919. The squadron that was known as the “Ace of Spades,” is based right here at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. The restaurant is open Monday – Friday for lunch from 11 am – 1 pm and Thursday and Friday they serve dinner from 5 pm – 8 pm. 

After dinner we walked through the building and saw they had a large events room that can be rented overlooking the water. It looked very nice and what a great view. The Rocker Lounge was there where staff non-commissioned officers and DOD patrons can go and get cocktails. You can also order food there. That was very quiet that night as well. 

After dinner, we headed back to the room for rest and relaxation. We had a lovely day here at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point. We will be back. Till next time. Bye for now.