AwardsRoutine update
2026 AV-8B Harrier Sundown Ceremony and Events, MCAS Cherry Point, 2–4 June 2026
Announcement of the official retirement celebration for the AV-8B Harrier II+, hosted by 2d Marine Aircraft Wing at MCAS Cherry Point, open to all Marines and the public. Attendance, funding, and travel are the responsibility of individual attendees.
This is a routine update — a name list, a set of results, or a recurring notice. There is nothing here to translate into plain English, so the official text is reproduced in full below. Read it on marines.mil
Official text
R 161253Z MAR 26 MARADMIN 107/26 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC AVN ASW// SUBJ/2026 AV-8B HARRIER SUNDOWN CEREMONY// POC/J.J. GALVIN III/MAJ/UNIT: HQMC AVN AWS-22/ TEL: 703-693-0627/ EMAIL: JAMES.GALVIN@USMC.MIL// POC/J.M. SUGG/CAPT/UNIT: HQMC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORATE/ TEL: 703-614-4309/ EMAIL: JACOB.M.SUGG.MIL@USMC.MIL// GENTEXT/RMKS/1. As Marine Corps Aviation continues the Tactical Aircraft (TACAIR) Transition Plan, the AV-8B Harrier II+ will reach the end of its planned service life in fiscal year 2026. To honor the legacy of the aircraft and the Marines who served with it, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) will host a Harrier Sundown celebration at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (MCAS CP) from 2 – 4 June 2026. The main effort will be the official AV-8B Sundown Ceremony held on the flightline at 1000 EDT on 3 June 2026. 2. Overview of events. The sundown week will feature events hosted by 2d MAW units, local governments, local business, and the Marine Corps Aviation Association (MCAA). The official website is: https://www.2ndmaw.marines.mil/Units/MAG-14/VMA-223/Harrier-Sundown/. This website currently has a list of events and a survey to register interest to attend each event. It will be updated with registration links and refined details as planning finalizes in the coming months. Many events are free to attend; events requiring payment are the Havelock 5K Run/Walk, both golf tournaments, and the MCAA gala (invitation only/limited public tickets may be available soon). Funding and travel are the responsibility of attendees; official travel may be authorized in accordance with Joint Travel Regulations. Major events and general locations are listed below for reference; specific locations and time will be detailed on the Sundown website. All events are subject to change or cancellation. 2.a. Events (read in three columns) Date Event Location 1 Jun 26 Sundown Social Hosted by Visit New Bern New Bern, NC 2 Jun 26 Havelock 5K Run/Walk Havelock, NC 2 Jun 26 Squadron and Simulator Open House MCAS CP 2 Jun 26 Havelock All-American Picnic Havelock, NC 3 Jun 26 AV-8B Sundown Ceremony MCAS CP 3 Jun 26 Sundown Downtown: Celebrating Harrier Heritage on the Morehead City Waterfront Morehead City, NC 4 Jun 26 Sound of Freedom Harrier Golf Tournament MCAS CP 4 Jun 26 MCAA Harrier Farewell Gala New Bern, NC 3. Points of Contact (POC): 3.a. Squadron and Simulator Open House/ AV-8B Sundown Ceremony/ Sundown Social Hosted by Visit New Bern/ Havelock All-American Picnic/Sundown Downtown: Celebrating Harrier Heritage on the Morehead City Waterfront/ Sound of Freedom Harrier Golf Tournament/ Eric Scheibe/Maj/Unit: VMA-223/ TEL: 252-466-4767/ email: eric.scheibe@usmc.mil// 3.b. MCAA Harrier Sundown Gala/ Robert Deforge/ Col (Ret.)/ MCAA/ TEL: N/A/ email: bobdeforge@flymcaa.org// 3.c. 2d MAW Action Officer/ Brendan Burks/ Col/ 2d MAW Chief of Staff/TEL: 252-466-3785/ email: brendan.burks@usmc.mil// 3.d. 2d MAW Protocol Officer/ Cristy Grady/ CIV/ 2d MAW Protocol Officer/TEL: 252-466-2434/ email: cristy.grady@usmc.mil// 3.e. MAG-14 Action Officer/ James Connolly/ LtCol/ MAG-14 Executive Officer/TEL: 252-466-2087/ email: james.p.connolly@usmc.mil// 3.f. 2d MAW COMSTRAT/ Joseph Leitner/ Maj/ 2d MAW Director, COMSTRAT/ TEL: 252-466-4386/ email: joseph.leitner@usmc.mil// 3.g. POCs for events not listed in this paragraph will be available on the official Sundown website as planning finalizes. 4. Coordinating Instructions. 4.a. All units associated with planning and execution for Harrier Sundown events should provide maximum support to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223 to ensure mission success. These units include but are not limited to Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) Aviation, HQMC Communications Directorate, 2d MAW, Marine Aircraft Group 14, MCAS Cherry Point, and Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS). 4.b. Base access instructions will be published via the Sundown website in the coming weeks. 4.c. Attendees are encouraged to make billeting reservations as soon as possible. Lodging reservation options will be available via community event links on the Sundown website in the near future. Commercial options not associated with local community efforts are available at any time via standard reservation means. The USMC does not endorse any local community or lodging source. 4.d. Uniforms. 4.d.1. The uniform for all local government and business hosted events is civilian attire. 4.d.2. The uniform for the Squadron and Simulator Open House and the AV-8B Sundown Ceremony is green flight suit or green MARPAT utilities for Marines and smart casual for civilians. 4.d.3. The uniform for the MCAA AV-8B Sundown Gala is evening dress or blue dress A for Marines and black tie for civilians. 5. Release authorized by Lieutenant General William H. Swan, Deputy Commandant for Aviation.//
Resources & references
The documents this bulletin points to, with a plain-English note on why each matters. Links marked CAC required need a government login.
This is the official unit page for VMA-223, one of the Marine Corps' two remaining AV-8B Harrier squadrons, based at MCAS Cherry Point. It covers the unit's mission, leadership, readiness contacts, and history going back to Guadalcanal in World War II.
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