Anaheim : 1,800 Marine Aviators Expected at Convention

More than 1,800 past and present Marine Corps aviators are expected to attend the Marine Corps Aviation Assn.’s 16th annual convention at the Marriott Hotel in Anaheim on Oct. 15. The meeting will also mark the 75th anniversary of Marine aviation.

The three-day convention will include lectures, seminars and aerospace exhibits.

General Alfred M. Gray Jr., commandant of the Marine Corps, and senior Marine aviators stationed around the world will attend the meeting, according to the Marine Corps Aviation Assn.

In 1912, Lt. Alfred A. Cunningham became the first Marine to pilot an aircraft. Now 75 years later the Marine Corps has four aircraft wings, one of them stationed at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Orange County.

The association, which was created in 1972, will present awards for “distinguished service” to units and individuals throughout the corps.