National Aviation Day 2017

Video by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge

III Marine Expeditionary Force

Aug. 18, 2017 | 1:02

President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed August 19, 1939, National Aviation Day to celebrate the development of aeronautics. However, Marine Corps aviation began on May 22, 1912, when 1st Lt. Alfred A. Cunningham reported to the aviation camp at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Starting with its first aircraft, the Curtiss C-3, Marine aviation has stayed at the forefront of cutting-edge technology with its newest aircraft, the F-35B Lightning II. Currently, the four Marine aircraft wings are operating across the world and stand ready to overcome any obstacles in the future. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)