My Morning At The Blue Angels Command!
For a "Blues Fanatic" this was like being in a dream! What a day!
We were fortunate to have one of the new team members move in just a few doors down from our home; he was the newly appointed Assistant Maintenance Officer, Lt. Commander Greg Jones. His wife Lauren met me yesterday morning at the Command and I got a guided tour of the offices, met many of the crew members, including #6 Opposing Solo, and then we proceeded to bleachers which were a short walk from the jets and Fat Albert, the huge C-130 supply ship. Here is a video of the Blue Angels making their roll out and heading for the runway(Suggestion: turn the speakers up to get the full benefit of The Sound of Freedom!):
I was honored to receive a tour of the facility and to say I was warmly greeted by the crew would be an understatement. Here’s a shot of my meeting with #6 Solo, Lt. Commander Griffin Stangel, with an introduction by my neighbor, Lt. Commander Greg Jones. Meeting these members of the Blue Angels is a sure way to dispel, or at least combat, feelings of despair as to the way our country is heading as they are the best of the best, the creme de la creme!
I was also honored with a tour of Fat Albert; one cannot possibly appreciate the enormous size of the cargo hold of these gargantuans of the sky until one walks in it. Lauren and I got to sit in the pilot and co-pilot seats - what a thrill!
Then came the indescribable maneuvers of the Blue Angels, including one of my favorites:
In order that I will always have proof-positive that this day was not just a dream but a reality in which Blue Angels Fan #1 (and I’ve got a lot of competition here in our area, home to the Blues!) had the best day imaginable, I came home with this treasure:
Later that afternoon came the proverbial cherry on top of the sundae. As if this day could not possibly have gotten any better, My Lady got the much-hoped-for news that her two cataract surgeries had resulted in almost 20/20 vision for the first time in her life!
Truly a day to remember, to put it mildly.
If you want to see the finest America has to offer, go see a Blue Angels show when they come to your area. They are absolutely, positively the Best of America and offer hope at a time when it is needed the most.
God Bless the Blue Angels and
God Bless America!
