On May 22, 1912, Marine Corps 1st Lt. Alfred Austell Cunningham reported to the Naval Aviation Camp at Annapolis, Maryland, and two months later, was ordered to Marblehead, Massachusetts, for flight training. With only two hours and 40 minutes of instruction, he soloed in a Wright Brothers Model B-1 and instantly became Naval Aviator No. 5, as well as Marine Aviator No. 1. Since that inauspicious beginning, Marine Corps aviation has become a formidable force excelling in combat, tactical applications, aeronautical development, and humanitarian efforts around the world. In 1917, when the United States entered World War I, the Marine Corps had only five aviators and 30 enlisted men, including Cunningham, who was instrumental in recruiting volunteer pilots. Six months later, the First Marine Aeronautic Company was organized, and by the end of the war, it had grown to 282 officers and over two thousand enlisted men. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the sudden immersion of the United States into World War II found the Marines on the front lines. Marine aviators led the attack in the famous Battle of Midway, the turning point of the air war in the Pacific, providing the depth of flying talent to emerge victorious in spite of heavy losses of men and aircraft. Marine aviators ended the War earning eight Medals of Honor, while creating 125 flying aces -- the most famous being Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, who shot down 26 Japanese aircraft within a five month period. An illustrious history of ground support and air superiority is the enduring legacy of Marine Corps aviation as it came of age during the war. Embracing the newest technologies in the realm of short take-off and landing aircraft, the MV-22 Osprey and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Marine Corps aviation moves into the 21st century equipped to perform the mission described precisely by Lt. Cunningham in 1920 when he said, "The only excuse for aviation in any service is its usefulness in assisting the troops on the ground to successfully carry out their operations."
Inducted in 2012.
Portrait Location: Hall of Fame Hallway

Induction Video