Call Sign "Spider"
Colonel Donna J. Neary, USMCR
Acquisition Number: 2012.1095.69
Medium: Acrylic on Masonite

The last two AV-8B Harrier pilots completed their training in 2024. An aircraft that can deploy like a helicopter but operate as an attack aircraft has been part of the Marine Corps arsenal since 1984. This vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft can land and take off from makeshift airfields near the front lines, forward operating bases, and amphibious assault ships. And it delights airshow audiences as it noisily hovers above runways. Major Lloyd Omps was doing just that in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1986 when artist Donna Neary photographed and then painted him. Harriers saw service around the globe, to include Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Marine Attack Squadron 223, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, is the final Harrier Squadron.