In the late 1930's North American Aviation began to deliver the T-6 Texan for the USAAF and the SNJ version for the USN. The SNJ had to function like the fighters of the day and be able to carry armament also some had tail hooks (SNJ-5C) to practise carrier operations. Nicknamed the "Pilot Maker" it is considered the most successful trainer ever built, estimates are 100,000 U.S. military pilots flew these aircraft. Known as the Harvard throughout the British Commonwealth it served in 34 countries with approximately 16,000 planes built.
 
The SNJ-5's stationed in Guantanamo Bay Cuba were painted in very colorful schemes which makes them very easy to distinguish from other planes. The fuselage was a dark ghost grey, wings fin and tail plane were yellow and the rudder and nose ring were red. A black anti-glare panel finished this unique paint scheme. These planes were used as liaison/trainers, meaning multi-purpose. Jobs included artillery spotting, reconnaissance, transporting personnel, air ambulance and light cargo delivery. It wasn't until the late 1950's that the U.S. stopped using these planes.