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| 16 F-16 aircraft buzz downtown Denver - Very Cool! |
| 2003-04-30 |
Buckley Airmen Returning Home 16 Jets Will Fly In Diamond Formation POSTED: 5:21 a.m. MDT April 30, 2003 UPDATED: 11:26 a.m. MDT April 30, 2003 AURORA, Colo. -- Colorado welcomes home 16 Colorado Air National Guard pilots who took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The pilots have been waiting three long months to get home to family and friends and this afternoon, their wish becomes a reality. I work in the heart of downtown Denver and the 16 aircraft just buzzed us. It was an incredible sight! The welcome home party will begin around noon at Buckley Air Force with Gov. Bill Owens, Maj. Gen. Mason C. Whitney and Brig. Gen. Michael Edwards. By the way, Owens is the Best Governor in the State per National Review. The returning pilots, who are with the Colorado Air National Guard's 120th Fighter Squadron will be flying their F-16 aircraft in four diamond formations into Buckley Air Force Base. It was a beautiful sight. "All Coloradans look forward to welcoming our heroes home," said Owens. "We're proud of their service to our nation and to the cause of peace and freedom around the world." You are damn right about that Bill. The unit was called to duty in February and has been operating from a secure location overseas. Their mission included dropping precision-guided munitions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Central Command. The unit flew over 3700 hours and approximately 700 sorties, officials said. "The mission that they were tasked to perform over there was counter theater ballistic missile hunting, or what we call SCUD hunting," Edwards said. "So their mission was to prevent a launch of a theater ballistic missile against Israel and countries that could be brought into the war to ause the war to be a lot bigger." The homecoming ceremony is not open to the public, but it is expected to be brief so that the pilots can spend more time with their families. |
| Posted by:ColoradoConservative |
| #7 During Fleet Week here in San Francisco you can always count on Berzerklians to get wadded up about the Blue Angels. But I love 'em. They buzz the entire city for 2-3 days of practice runs before the big show and hundreds of thousands of people come out. When the Angels fly, an old buddy of mine had a great saying "That's the sound of freedom you're hearing..." |
| Posted by: R. McLeod 2003-05-01 02:41:05 |
| #6 The nice thing about Buckley is you can play golf (Murphy Creek) and watch the Colorado Air National Guard go through its paces. |
| Posted by: Timmy the Wonder Dog 2003-04-30 20:07:55 |
| #5 Can't say enough good things about the guys and gals that work out of Buckley. Living down here in Co. Springs, near the Academy, we get fly-bys all the time. Love to watch the birds do their stuff. Reminds me of my active duty days in the AF. Welcome home, folks! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-30 17:31:05 |
| #4 Swing by Buckley on the E-70 loop or on Old Gun Club Road (yeah, the "old" gun club has been there since about 1949) and have a "fist" of four fighters come around in your direction. Your first thought will probably be, I hope I haven't p***ed them off!" - and your next should be, "Thank you!". Welcome back! |
| Posted by: OldeForce 2003-04-30 16:05:43 |
| #3 They ought to buzz Bekeley with A-10's |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-30 16:04:27 |
| #2 I'd love to see them buzz a city like Berkeley just to see the reaction. They'd probably cite them for noise pollution. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-30 13:46:39 |
| #1 Welcome home boys! Owens has got to be the best, if he has enough sense to just say "thanks", cut the ceremonies short, and get the hell out of the way. Some Tomcats flew in a couple of days before the Vidalia Onion Festival to serve as static displays at the Air Show. Then the Blue Angels came in and flew over the local towns to drum up advertising and support. I came too close to bursting with pride. Damn, our airmen and aircraft are GOOD! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-04-30 13:08:30 |