From the mil-email net…
There is an email floating around about the Air Force Academy graduation this year that says POTUS refused the invite. Not quite, but it IS correct that the T-Birds, like the Blues are grounded…
Here’s the email I got and below that is a video of the flyover by the Texas Air Force…
Actually, this is partially untrue (my daughter graduated last year when, much to our regret, it was POTUS’s turn to be the speaker.) They rotate through the four (incl USCG) academies on a scheduled basis, with the pres, VP, SecDef, and Sec’y of the academy’s service being the speaker. (except when someone must be substituted). So it was not a case of declining invitations, just normal rotation.
The sequester is being used as an excuse for the T-Birds not being there, just as the Blue Angels were not at Annapolis, and just as 14 (?) OPERATIONAL squadrons have been grounded. (Sure could have used that $50 million of IRS party money, couldn’t we?)
What is remarkable and great is that the vintage aircraft conducted the traditional flyover, thanks to private donations, corporate sponsors, and dedicated graduates and pilots. Also, last year, POTUS left immediately after the ceremony and before the T-Birds flyover, thus causing the graduates and parents to have to wait until after he and his entourage left the stadium and cleared the airspace, so the T-Birds could show up and they could finally toss their hats up in the air. Weather was moving in, and they barely got the show in . The year my daughter was there that Biden was the speaker, the teleprompter blew over during his speech, and he made some remark like “It’s a good thing the president isn’t here. He’d be at a loss for words.”
As another aside, after the graduates move off to greet parents and friends, the kids in attendance are allowed to run down and grab one of the hats to keep (my grandson was allowed to do so last year). Inside that hat, they will find that the graduate has placed $20.13 for them (class of 2013)
Best to all,
Bxxxxx (proud dad of 2nd Lt. Cxxxxx C. Bxxxxx, USAFA class of 2012)
Those old radials are poetry
MSgt- That they are! 🙂
$20.13? Great idea. Kids love a fun surprise. Probably good that Obama isn’t everywhere at once. I can only take him in small doses, if at all.
Opus- Agreed!!! I want “NO” doses… 🙂
Sequester that, Barry O.
WSF- He would if he could… It doesn’t fit their agenda!
Nobama!
And quite frankly, I’d rather watch those old warbirds than T-Birds.
There is an eagerness for flight, which (somehow) those birds have and the modern jets lack. The jets are impressive, elegant, and I’ll happily watch them, but they are very remote.
Glad they could make it, not at all surprised that the pilots stepped forward to do so.
Ed- They DO have an appeal… 🙂
Acair- Agreed, and “I” think it’s even more special to see those…
Any Obama exposure cuold lead to brain damage
As I was watching and really enjoying the WW-II flyover at the Air Force Academy’s graduation I got to thinking about all the Military’s Officer generating Schools and where they’re located.
1) West Point located: New York State (Liberal State)
2) Naval Academy located: Maryland (Liberal State)
3) Coast Guard Academy located: Connecticut (liberal State)
4) Air Force Academy located: Colorado (increasingly Liberal State)
Just a passing thought.
Rick- Good point!
Toejam- You have a point, but if we go back to when they were founded, I’d say they were all red states in those days…