First Marine Aviator
Back on 20 August 1912 Marine Aviation was born in Massachusetts. The site was in a bay by a Curtis Airplane Company factory in Marblehead when Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Austell Cunningham took a couple 40 minute solo flights.
Today, the “birthplace of Marine aviation,” as the park has been designated by the US government, is maintained year-round in immaculate condition through the efforts of a former Marine and a few volunteers who donate time and money to their labor of love.
Today the Boston Globe (As Raven pointed out to me), has an article of another Marine making sure this event is remembered. There is a park that he adopted and with a few friends this park has been maintained immaculately for years. as Marine Don Humphreys, (now 83) requests some help from other people in the area to help maintain the park and maintain the history of raising and lowering the flag each day.
I really like this guy…
For Humphreys, the park is an affirmation of his 65-year-old bond with the Marine Corps.
“I guess I’m a patriot, and maybe before being a patriot, I’m a Marine,” Humphreys said.
Hey Tim, what are you doing next weekend? Go help a little will ya?
2 Comments »
2 Responses to “First Marine Aviator”
Raven on 05 Jan 2007 at Fri 05 January 2007 06:36:19 #
I want to meet him…maybe I will when I go down there next week. I can’t count the times I’ve been to Marblehead (there’s some cool pubs there) and yet I never knew of this. And thank you for these links about Marine aviation history…I’ll be checking them out.
Semper Fi cowboy!
And Rightly So! on 05 Jan 2007 at Fri 05 January 2007 06:36:28 #
…and maybe before being a patriot, I’m a Marine
Preserving places where history has been made should be an honorable thing to do. For the most part, I think it is. Some places, though, have been relatively unknown. I have been to Marblehead MA many times yet never heard of this, and I’m embarr…