Flight Operations aboard the USS Wasp
Staff Sergeant Kristopher J. Battles, USMCR
Acquisition Number: 2008.64.9
Medium: Oil on Linen

Ten MV-22B Ospreys are on their way to Iraq aboard the USS Wasp in September 2007, the first combat deployment of this tiltrotor aircraft. It combines the functionality of a helicopter and the performance characteristics of a fixed-wing aircraft, transporting personnel and equipment and performing medevac missions. MV-22Bs were used widely in Iraq and Afghanistan in the war against terrorism. The Marine Corps relies in part on the U.S. Navy to deliver its warfighters and equipment to distant locations. Amphibious assault ships like the USS Wasp (LHD-1) ensure that Marines continue their traditional role as “soldiers of the sea.”