Honoring the Soldiers on the Frontline

So there was much excitement this past weekend over the Blue Angels flight through the city of Atlanta as a salute and honor to the healthcare workers who are taking care of patients during the pandemic.

I made sure to write down the time of the flight. They would be taking off from Dobbins Air Force base at 1:35 pm. That meant to me, even though I am about 15 miles south of the Air Force base, to have my tail outside around that time, because it would take them no time to get downtown. I knew they would be looping around the multi-county metro area, so as to pass over our hospitals...

But the jets use to fly over when the Braves played in the downtown stadium. Everything happens VERY fast.

So I stood outside near my mailbox. Waiting to hear the sound of the jets.

And around 1:50 or so, I heard them as they flew overhead.

So I heard them before I saw them.

I held my camera to the sky! And there they go!

Look a little closer!

And there they went!

Closeup!

Real Closeup!

Boy that was exciting!

All five seconds of it. Because they were really rolling!

My neighbor and her child came running outside after the fact. I told them, "Ya'll late, because they are gone."

Yes they were.

I didn't understand why they were flying east. Most flights follow the freeway south I-75. But I am just now understanding that they were flying over a hospital on the East side, maybe two of them. THEN they were flying the path of the freeway, down over the hospitals in the southern suburbs.

Now what was SUPER exciting was that there was a SISTA flying one of the jets! Captain Remoshay Nelson!

I thought she was a member to the Blue Angels, but she is a member of the Thunderbirds. If you look at the pictures above, there is a set of dark jets (Blue Angels) and light jets (Thunderbirds).  The thunderbirds are the light jets.

Who knew? I learn something new every day.

I put pictures up on facebook, so leave it up to my writing partner Terry, the consummate historian, to give a full profile of her. His comment was as follows:

What few news outlets fail to mention is the other half of the “Tribute Team” is the Demonstration Team from the United States Air Force. The Public Affaires Officer and Pilot of the number 12 jet that takes dignitaries up and flying is Capt. Remoshay Nelson. She is a graduate of Howard University and a Member of the Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. More importantly, she is quietly a very capable fighter pilot. She has made a career as a Public Relations Officer however. She hails from Douglasville, Georgia.

Terry know EVERYTHING. He busts out with so much history, that he makes ME wanna go read a history book.

Anyway, it was a great show.

Now, Captain Nelson is the consummate professional.

It could not be me, Dr. LadyLee, up there flying a jet.

You would've KNOWN what jet I was in. I would've had some red smoke coming out of the back, some sorority glitter on the bottom of my plane.. you would've known that it was your friendly neighborhood Oldgirl rolling through. Especially since I, and she, are from Georgia.

And I can hear my fam and friends.

"What plane are you gonna be in? Can you call when you about to fly over us? What plane you say you gonna be in? Can you land the plane on our street?"

LOL!!!!

Oh boy!

But it was great to see the planes fly over. I know I struggle to get myself together before I leave the house for a simple trip to the grocery store. I cannot imagine having to take care of sick patients. I just can't.

So moments of joy, I know those are always welcome.

Moreso than the salute of the flight itself, the pictures of healthcare workers on hospital rooftops jumping for joy was everything.