U.S. Naval Academy Dedicates AV-8B Harrier at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Honoring Generations of Marine Aviators
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DVIDS - GeorgiaSenior U.S. Marine Corps leaders, including Gen. Bradford Gering, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Lt. Gen. James Wellons, Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, Lieutenant General William Swan, Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Lt. Gen. Eric Austin, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration, and Lt. Gen James Adams III, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, joined U.S. Naval Academy leadership, and distinguished aviation veterans gathered at the stadium to mark the permanent installation of
the iconic attack aircraft.
“As the senior Harrier Pilot on active duty, I have had the profound privilege of flying, fighting, and serving within the [Harrier] community for over 3 and a half decades. I’ve watched the community evolve, fight, and win my entire adult life,” said Gen. Gering. “Today’s dedication is a tribute to the enterprise that developed it, the pilots who tamed it, the maintainers who kept it flying, the ordnance crews who armed it, and the leaders who sent it into the fight. Today’s dedication is also symbolic of the reason we have Marine Aviation, our culture, and our people.”
The ceremony featured a precision flyover of F-35Bs of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 231 from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Later that day, two UH-1Y helicopters of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21 (HX) from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland and two MV-22B’s of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM) and two CH-53E’s of Marine Heavy Helicopter Training Squadron 302 (HMHT) from Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, conducted flyovers during the Navy vs. Temple football game. These flyovers were orchestrated to showcase the strike capabilities and operational reach of Marine Corps airpower and the professionalism of Marine Corps aviators.
The dedication carries historical significance given Annapolis’s foundational role in naval flight. 4 miles across the Severn River from the Naval Academy, at Greenbury Point, Marine aviation began in 1912 when 1st Lt. Alfred A. Cunningham reported for orders, becoming Naval Aviator No. 5 and the first Marine to earn his pilot’s wings. Installing the AV-8B roughly four miles from Cunningham’s historic flights anchors the memorial directly to the birthplace of Marine flight operations.
“From nose to tail, this Harrier tells the story of all of Marine Corps Aviation, born right here in Annapolis in 1912 with Aviator Number One, Alfred Cunningham. Today, 114 years of lethal heritage comes full circle, right where it all began,” said Lt. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte, 66th Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. “We thought there was no better place than outside the most patriotic stadium in America to honor the significant contribution Marine Aviation has had to our nation’s history.”
The Marine Corps Aviation dedication event honored the unbroken lineage of innovation, grit, and sacrifice from Cunningham's early maneuvers to United States Naval Academy graduates serving as Marine aviators worldwide today.
Founded in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy today is a prestigious four-year service academy that prepares midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically to become professional officers in the naval service. More than 4,400 men and women representing every state in the U.S. and several foreign countries make up the student body known as the Brigade of Midshipmen. U.S. News and World Report has recognized the Naval Academy as the #1 top public school, #3 national liberal arts college, and #4 best undergraduate engineering programs. From a pool of 17,000 top-tier applicants, approximately 1,200 earn a highly coveted appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy each year. Midshipmen learn from military and civilian instructors and participate in intercollegiate varsity sports and extracurricular activities. They also study subjects like small arms, drill, seamanship and navigation, robotics and autonomous systems, tactics, naval engineering and weapons, leadership, ethics, and military law. Upon graduation, midshipmen earn a Bachelor of Science degree in a choice of 26 different subject majors and go on to serve at least five years of exciting and rewarding service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. For more information about the Naval Academy, visit www.usna.edu and our social media via linktr.ee/usnavalacademy.
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