PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Had it not been for some special access, Lori Safford and her sons, Benjamin, 11, and Samuel, 9, who both suffer from muscular dystrophy, and daughter Libya, 8, would not have experienced the thundering fighter jets, the towering cargo planes and the many other things that make up an Air Force Week air show.
The Saffords and more than 200 special-needs guests, including children from the Make a Wish Foundation and the New Hampshire Brain Injury Association, attended afternoon air show practice sessions Aug. 17, the opening day of Air Force Week New England and one day prior to its public air show at Pease Air National Guard Base in southern New Hampshire.
Gate donations and parking fees collected from the weekend air show were donated to the organizations through the Wings of Hope Foundation.
"It's just a wonderful opportunity to attend without the crowds," said Safford. "We love the military and appreciate everyone's service."
The group experienced events familiar to many air show attendees, including aerial demonstrations, aircraft static displays and the U.S. Air Force Drill Team. Benjamin and Samuel even helped lay out a marker for the Army Silver Wings Jump Team.
Pease Air National Guard Base and Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts are co-hosting Air Force Week New England from Aug. 17-26. They are the only two Air Guard bases to host this year's six Air Force Weeks that are commemorating the Air Force's 60th anniversary.
The New England events are drawing upon the region's rich slice of American history, and the week began with proclamations by New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch in Concord and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick at Faneuil Hall in Boston.
"It's only fitting that we recognize the 60th birthday of the greatest Air Force that the world has ever known or ever will see, the United States Air Force," said LTG H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, in Boston. "It is only able to do what it does because of the great Citizen-Airmen that follow the traditions "¦ that started with the National Guard at the First Muster [in Massachusetts] in 1636," Blum added.
Faneuil Hall is where Samuel Adams and others planned Boston's part in the American Revolution.
"The guys cooked up in this building behind us the system of government that we've sworn to defend. It is the only democracy that has remained for as long as it has in the history of the world, and it will only remain as long as we have strong Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen that are willing to put down their plows and take up their muskets when they need to defend their community, help the citizens of their state or defend their nation," Blum added.
"We're a great total force, 60 years young," said Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley, director of the Air National Guard. "We've got a lot of great things in our future. As I look out at these young Airmen today, whether they be active, Guard or Reserve, I am deeply impressed with their spirit, their dedication and their selflessness."
The event included the second perfectly timed flyover of the day. An F-16 Fighting Falcon and an F-86 Sabreflew above Faneuil Hall immediately after the National Anthem.
The Massachusetts Air National Guard Honor Guard presented the colors. The Air National Guard Band of the Northeast performed the National Anthem.
The United States Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team from Washington drew applause and gasps from the audience with a nearly flawless display using M1 rifles with fixed bayonets.
At the historic New Hampshire statehouse in Concord "“ in which the legislature still meets in its original chambers "“ State Sen. Harold Janeway read the governor's proclamation under a blue morning sky to dozens of elected and military officials, including Blum and McKinley. The proclamation recognized the New Hampshire Air National Guard and "all it does both on the state and on the national level."
New Hampshire's air show kicked off the following day with a cool breeze, a hint of the approaching fall. The breeze also lifted Air Force Week New England's first performers and aircraft into the sky before an estimated 50,000 spectators. The crowd cheered during a flyover by a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.
Spectators walked across a vast cement flight line toward standing displays of New England Air Guard aircraft including a KC-135 Stratotanker from New Hampshire, an A-10 Thunderbolt from Connecticut, an F-16 from Vermont, and a C-5 Galaxy from New York. A C-17 Globemaster from Mississippi and a KC-135 from Kansas as well as other military service, civilian and vintage aircraft were also on display.
"We came here to represent the Air Force and the Air National Guard and show the people what we do," said Capt. Scott Perkins, a pilot from the New York Air Guard's 105th Airlift Wing.
Officials explained the Air Force Weeks are intended to tell the Air Force story to the American people by providing direct access to Airmen and their equipment. In addition, officials chose to celebrate the Air Force's 60th anniversary by communicating a "Heritage to Horizons" message to the public through its Air Force Weeks and through community-based events across the nation.
Perkins said he talked with a lot of curious people who climbed into the C-5's cavernous cargo bay by the thousands. Some of the common questions were how large is the airplane, what type of cargo it carries, how fast it flies.
"It's been good, and one of the advantages of doing an air show is that we are not only talking with adults, but we are talking to a lot of kids too," Perkins said.
McKinley was among the Air Guard leaders touring the air show. During the show's opening ceremony, the general read the oath of enlistment for 10 new Air Guard recruits.
"New England is a very big supporter of the Guard," said McKinley. "They are a very patriotic people here."
In Concord, McKinley lauded Pease's 157th Air Refueling Wing for its support of operations Nobel Eagle in North America and Enduring Freedom overseas as well as its support for Air Force Week. The wing's main mission is to support the air refueling bridges to Europe.
"It holds a lot of gas," said Mike Garrett, referring to wing's KC-135 on display. Garrett and his friends walked through the aircraft. Greeting him and other visitors was Senior Airman Jennifer Rouleau, a life support equipment specialist who spent the day talking to visitors about her job.
"Just to give everyone a feel for what we do because we are not as noticeable as a pilot. Everything that we take care of is inside the aircraft: the survival equipment," she said. Rouleau said she had fun letting children try on pilot helmets.
"I love seeing the kid's faces and how excited they get when seeing us. It's just really nice to get that appreciation," said Rouleau.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be the headline performers for Massachusetts' Cape Cod Air Show Aug. 24-26 at Otis ANGB. At Pease, Navy Lt. Tom Clarke and his F/A-18C Hornet from VFA106 were an afternoon highlight as well as the Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon Demonstration Team.
"A high speed pass is usually a crowd favorite," said Clarke. He also swerved, lifted and dived the fighter jet in tight, compact turns near the crowd. "A lot of vertical maneuvering very close to the show; that's what people like," he said.
The Air Force and the Air National Guard are also holding smaller events across New England including baseball games, flyovers, youth events and a three-day, 173-mile, Air Guard bike race between Bangor and Portland in Maine.
"A lot of folks in the Air National Guard are avid bikers, and we wanted to do this and encourage others to get involved," Lt. Col. Mike Girardin told the Bangor Daily News. "We want to commemorate the Air Force's 60th anniversary, promote fitness and visit communities along the way that don't normally see us."
Multiple musical performances by the Air Force Tops in Blue and the Air National Guard Band of the Northeast are also being held in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. The smaller events are taking place between the two air shows, starting on Monday with Education Day, then following with Science Day, Youth Day and Community Day.
"We have to keep your Guard strong and we have to keep it ready. But we have to keep it in your communities," said Blum in Concord, "so that your sons and daughters have the opportunity to serve in a world class organization that is second to none and have the opportunity to get the training and the discipline and the fulfilling experience that comes with service to something bigger than yourself."
- Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill contributed to this report